Greetings from Rocky Mountain National Park

This summer my husband and I made our almost annual visit to Rocky Mountain National Park. While there we enjoyed one of our favorite hikes to Ouzel Falls, with a quick stop at Calypso Cascades along the way. A big rock sits aside the waterfall which is perfect for photos, as in this one of a group of friends several years ago. When I returned home, I found a photo album with a similar shot of my sister, mother and me atop the same rock next to the same waterfall in 1956. In this world of constant change, it is refreshing to know that some special places will always endure. They are protected by our wonderful national park service.

On a sad note, I was disappointed to see the Moraine Park Visitor Center, a particularly important educational site in the park “Closed for the Season.” What a short-sighted waste of opportunity caused by the current budget cuts.

Sincerely,
Claire

Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain National park offers breathtaking views of the spectacular Rocky Mountain range, with 60 peaks over 12,000 feet, small permanent glaciers, lakes, waterfalls, and historic and cultural treasures including ancient trails, game drives, cattle ranches and lodges. This park’s rugged landscapes harbor hundreds of high-elevation plant and animal species — some that are increasingly rare outside the park or are found nowhere else. Some of the park’s human-made structures speak to the boom-and-bust cycles and neverending search for adequate water supplies that characterized the nation’s westward expansion.

State(s): Colorado

Established: 1915

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