Photo by: Jacob Lips
The Rocky Mountain National Park is the perfect canvas for nature’s colorful and vivid images, which include glacial mountains, reddish tundra, wildflowers of assorted colors and an abundance of animals. The park covers 265,461 acres of land in Colorado, and houses high mountains, alpine lakes and a variety of fauna dependent on climate.
History
Paleo-Indians were the original inhabitants of the Rocky Mountain, as they hunted for food, in what is now known as the Trail Ridge Road. The Ute and Arapaho people followed suit. By the mid-1800s, settlers arrived in the area, displacing the natives.
In 1870, the area, particularly the Never Summer Mountains, became a popular attraction, mostly due to the rumors of gold and silver in the mountains. By the 1920s, the trade and commerce industry was already booming in the area. Lodges were being built in the area after people started visiting to flourish in the heart of rich biodiversity. This prompted the construction of the Trail Ridge Road.
The Rocky Mountain National Park Act was signed by President Woodrow Wilson on January 26, 1915. In 1976, the park was re-designed by UNESCO and termed as one of the first World Biosphere Reserves.
Photo by: Jacob Lips
Hiking
Since it is a mountain park, the goal is to reach the top. In 2018, around 4.5 million tourists from across the globe, visited the park. A lot of them hiked through the mountains. To get the view of Colorado from the top, visitors do the Summit Hikes. There are three well-known hilly regions to choose from: Deer Mountain, Twin Sisters Peaks, and Flattop Mountain. The highest peak is the Flattop Mountain with an elevation of 2,489 feet.
Flattop offers a panoramic view of the surrounding peaks, existing in its pristine condition. The Twin Sisters Peaks has an elevation of 2,253 feet, while Deer Mountain is at 1,093 feet. Aside from the mountain hikes, there are also Lake Hikes around Bear Lake, Cub Lake, Mills Lake, and Bluebird Lake.
Another favorite activity among tourists is the Waterfall Hikes through Adams Falls, Alberta Falls, Cascade Falls, Ouzel Falls, and Timberline Falls.
For those who love a good challenge, ice climbing at Long’s Peak during the fall or winter is the best time to enjoy classic ice climbs.
Things to do
Aside from hiking and sightseeing, here are some of the activities visitors take part in, at the Rocky Mountain National Park :
Backpacking – There are short backpacking trails for visitors who want to sweat it out while enjoying picturesque views, for at least half a day.
Boating – The Grand Lake, Shadow Mountain, and Lake Granby are large water bodies, which paved the way for boat rental services and fishing charters, at the Rocky Mountain National Park.
Camping – There are at least five campsites at the park, three of which require reservations, while the other two are on a first-come, first-served basis.
Fishing – Visitors can choose between the high country catch and fly fishing at the Big Thompson, Cache la Poudre and Fall Rivers. During the winter season, some lakes freeze, making them perfect for ice fishing.
Four wheeling – The park is just perfect for an all-terrain vehicle.
Horseback riding – The park hosts guided tours on horseback in various areas of the park.
Rafting – There are whitewater rapids at the Colorado River, Poudre River and Clear Creek for whitewater rafting.
Wildlife
The best part about national parks is that visitors can walk among the herds of animals. Bighorn sheep rams are a common staple at Rocky Mountains’ alpine tundra. The visitors are more likely to come across deer, moose, elk, and hares. Animals that can be rarely spotted by visitors include mountain lions, coyotes, yellow-bellied marmots, black bears, and beavers.
The park is also home to over 270 species of birds, which is the exact reason it was termed as the Global Important Bird Area, in 2000. Some of the fascinating species found at the Rocky Mountain National Park include the white-tailed ptarmigan, three-toed woodpecker, dusky grouse, and the mountain chickadee.
Some endangered animals have settled in this park, some of which are, the Canada lynx, greenback cutthroat trout and Mexican spotted-owl.” The North American wolverine was recently considered as a threatened species, while the Arapahoe Snowfly is nearing the brink of extinction.
Some amphibians that thrive at the park are the boreal toad, tiger salamander, eastern fence lizard, and garter snake.
Diverse plant species in the park are usually found in hilly regions like the aspen, ponderosa pine, spruce, fir, and alpine tundra.
Photo by: Jacob Lips
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