My childhood was anything but a happy one, but one summer I attended a summer camp near Rocky Mountain National Park. I signed up for a backpack trip, my first. We started from Gore Range Overlook on Trail Ridge Road, back when that was still a trail head. Our first rest stop was at the head of the Big Thompson canyon. There, for the first time I remember in my life, I realized I was happy. I have returned to that site and when ever I am near Rocky Mountain Park I drive back to that overlook and look down at that site, even now, over 50 years later.
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
“They are one of the most valuable legacies we can leave to future generations. Along with their beauty and peace, they remind anyone who is open that some of our most important values have nothing to do with human power, pride, and ambition.”
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Greetings from Rocky Mountain National Park
Last year about this time, my husband and I were planning an autumn trip to CO. Rocky Mountain NP was to be among our first stops but we had never visited a park where reservations were required. I called the number at RMNP to get some advice. The man who…
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