I grew up in a suburb of Chicago. I was 20 when I first visited a national park. My best friend and I took a 10 day road trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. It was 1980 and the first day we were driving down a switchback and turned the corner, there ahead was a Meadow with about 50 elk grazing.
We were able to pull to the side of the road, no one else was around. I was so amazed I said outloud “where’s the fence”? I’d never seen animals in the wild before. We sat there and watched those elk for 20 minutes. I was so thrilled.
Since then I have been to 23 national parks and intend to visit many more. When I am in the vastness of the national parks and nature I always feel so much closer to nature and God.
Sincerely,
Rocky Mountain National Park
This dramatic landscape of towering mountains and alpine lakes encompasses more than 265,000 acres - 95% of which are designated wilderness. With this intentional focus on protecting this unique landscape, there are few developed infrastructure areas in the park, which leads to traffic problems in areas including the Bear Lake Road Corridor and right off Trail Ridge Road. Alpine tundra also encompasses approximately 1/3 of the park. Alpine tundra is a fundamental and fragile resource, which requires park managers to give this ecosystem increased attention for protection.
State(s): Colorado
Established: 1915
“I feel closer to nature and God”
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Greetings from Rocky Mountain National Park
Finding Our Way Back—Through America’s National Parks. We first met in 1986, while attending a U.S. Navy A School on Treasure Island in San Francisco, California. We didn’t officially date, but we spent hours talking—about everything and nothing—and shared a simple Sunday afternoon walk along the boardwalk, splitting a blueberry…
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