My next visit to the Park was in the summer of 1972. My friend Bill was on leave from the Air Force and we passed through the Park on our way to Utah. The notes from that trip are contained here.

June 21, 1972

We’ve seen all sorts of birds up here in the mountains. Killdeer in the meadows, Meadow Larks, Cliff Swallows, and Robins. Also some strange birds we couldn’t identify. There are cattle up here and a few sheep.

The weather is nice, maybe a little cool, a little breezy; clear skies, and sunny.

We’ve identified hogbacks already, windgaps, watergaps, quartzite, limestone, Dakota sandstone, granite, orthoclase feldspar, biotite mica, and quartz. There is a lot of snow still up on the mountain peaks. We tried to identify some of the trees, but have given up for a while.

The mountain streams are interesting to watch and have a very pleasing sound. We saw a ground squirrel along the road.

Aspenglen Campground

In our camp at Aspenglen there are many small ground squirrels of various types. One is small to large in size and gray in color with a slightly light belly. Another one is large with dark stripes down its back, pointed ears, and gray in color. They are all curious and come within several feet of us. But run off when approached. I’ve never seen so many ground squirrels in one place. They’re running all over. The two types of Chipmunks that we see are Wyoming Chipmunks and Golden Mantle Chipmunks.The ground squirrels are always eating or chasing each other. When you sit down on a rock the Golden Mantle Chipmunks think you have food. They always come right up to you.

We saw several Stellar’s Jays and Magpies, but haven't heard too many birds; maybe because the wind is roaring overhead through the pines. At lunch we saw several Magpies up close, which are fantastically beautiful birds. Their blue wings really show up and the black and white really contrast each other. There were more Stellar’s Jays, some small Sparrow-like birds with black and white stripes on their heads, and many. I’ve heard humming birds up here, but I haven’t seen any yet.

Estes Park

Right now I’m sitting on a park bench in Estes Park while Bill goes up the street looking for a hat to buy. We mailed some post cards. It’s a small town, tourist oriented, but pleasant with the mountains surrounding the area. There are a lot of tourists here, buying from the shops and walking the streets. The main stretch of town is fairly clean, but there are a lot of wires overhead, signs, and so forth that take away from its possible beauty. It is fairly quiet, the birds are singing in the pine trees.

It’s funny how you can tell the tourists, they wear cameras around their necks and stickers on the bumpers of their cars. But the people out here seem real friendly. Most campers are fairly considerate people. They keep quiet and are friendly. It’s the common bond of the outdoors.

We stopped at the Estes Park Chamber of Commerce to get some maps and information. Cost us $2.00 to get into Rocky Mountain National Park at about 9:15 a.m. Set up camp in Rocky Mountain National Park campground called Aspenglen. It is a small camp with only three loops. We are setting up about 10:00 a.m. to make sure we have a camp. It is quite windy here, but nice. Many squirrels. Right now it isn’t full, but by tonight it probably will be.

Took pictures of glaciers in the mountains with pine trees and a lateral moraine. When we got back to camp from driving around we discovered our tent was knocked down by the high winds. The aluminum pole in the middle had torn through the top. I sewed it up while Bill worked on his pack. We then found out from some of the neighboring campers that last night the winds were really high. So we moved our tent to a better location and set it up again. It sprinkled a little while we were setting it up.

June 22, 1972

Last night we crawled into our sleeping bags about 10:00 p.m. The night started out pleasant enough, but the wind picked up a little and it got much colder.

Saw a Baltimore Oriole this morning. Very pretty colors. Saw a little gray-brown tree squirrel with little pointed ears. Lots of Magpies and Nutcrackers around. We saw many glacial features. The typical glacial valley, the meandering runoff stream, recessional moraines, lakes, tarns, aretes, coles, cirques, parts of horns. We observed many alpine features, the tree line, the tundra-like area above that where I observed several marmots. We saw Magpies and Ravens. Have seen many ducks of various types in almost all the lakes around the area.

We took pictures of a meandering stream and lateral moraine with a possible tarn. Took a picture of an arete, cole, cirque, glacier, and tarns, west of the Divide.

We had breakfast with some of our neighbors, a pair of teachers (husband and wife) from a small town in Michigan. They gave us tea and rolls. The air was very cool in the morning, a little breeze, and partly cloudy. On the mountain it is very windy and very cold. We broke camp and came above the tree line to 12,183 feet. Saw glaciers and tarns.

Rocky Mountain National Park has some really beautiful scenery, but the camp grounds didn't seem as nice to me as those in other national parks.

Estes Park

My most recent visit was on October 8, 2001. We had been back to Omaha, from Utah, for a funeral and decided to take a detour through the Park. We stayed in Estes Park for the evening, where we saw quite a few elk roaming the streets of that small city. The air was cool and crisp, and even at this late date in the year there were still quite a few tourists in that community.

Trail Ridge Road

The next day we got lucky. A storm had threatened to close the passes, but it didn't. We drove into the Park and over Trail Ridge Road. Anne had never been to the Park, but it was hard for her to enjoy the drive. While in Omaha she had gotten food poisoning and was still a bit under the weather. It was a fast trip through with only a few brief stops. It was cloudy and the weather was threatening, so we pushed on. By the time we were coming down the western slope the clouds were coming in heavy. If I remember correctly, it was even raining a bit by the time we stopped at the Visitor Center there on the west side.

We swore that we'd be back to spend at least a week of hiking and camping. It's a very beautiful park.

Elk Creek Campground

3:58 p.m.
We arrived at the Elk Creek Campground just outside of the west entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park, near Grand Lake Village. It is 69 degrees out, and mostly cloudy. We checked in and got site 36, with water and electricity, but no sewer hook up. We had made reservations back in February or March. Our site was up on the top of the campground, in the upper loop. There was not much shade, but we’ll be gone most of the day each day we’re here, so it shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

It looked like rain when we arrived, but it held off long enough for us to get the trailer set up and all of our stuff inside. Then it rained lightly for a short while. When it let up I pulled out our little collapsible charcoal grill and started some coals. We cooked up some burgers, but had to eat them inside because the picnic table was wet. It rained a little more while we were eating.

It cooled off really nice when the storms came in and the sun went down behind the tall pines. We roasted some marshmallows over the remaining coals after dinner, while we sat around a little campfire. We turned in around 9:00 p.m., once it started getting dark.

It’s a long way to the restrooms and showers, which are way down the hill near the entrance. But the restrooms are large with lots of stalls and urinals, and sinks, and everything is clean. There are about six showers on the men’s side (I assume the same on the women’s side) that are private and clean and large enough to undress and shower without getting everything wet. Their only drawback is that they use a timer for the light and fan. But otherwise plenty of warm water and pressure. You have to use a code to get into the restrooms and showers and laundry. That’s to prevent unwanted guests from slipping in without paying.

There is a separate area for tent campers, and quite a few RV spaces. It's a large commercial campground, but they have placed most of the sites among tall bushes, so there is a good amount of privacy. There is a small play area for children, a game room, a small store inside the office, a laundry, and overflow parking for extra vehicles and boats.

8:25 a.m.
Had a nice sleep, even though it got down to the lower 40s overnight. We brought along one of our cloth sleeping bags to add to the top of our comforter. We needed it.

Right now the sun has been out for a while and it has warmed to a pleasant 60 degrees. The sky is nice and clear. Anne scrambled eggs and fried up some hash browns for breakfast. Then we got ready for a touristy day of sight seeing along the Trail Ridge Road.

Kawuneeche Visitor Center

8:30 a.m.
Our first stop was the Kawuneeche Visitor Center. We got some info, looked around, and talked to one of the young rangers about the two trails we wanted to hike. There are a couple of trails that leave from this location as well.

The Visitor Center has a small book store, information on the park, drinking water, and restrooms.

Elk on the Road

9:16 a.m.
Near the Holzwarth Historic Site marker on the main road there was a large number of elk crossing, causing a traffic jam. There were perhaps a couple dozen; mostly females and young ones. They took their time, as if showing off for the tourists. But some stupid people got impatient and tried to drive around the stopped cars. Of course they couldn't go anywhere because of the elk on the road, so they made the congestion even worse. Idiots. We've found that when visiting a park like this you just have to sit back and enjoy the critters that you're lucky enough to see.

Farview Overlook

We stopped at the Farview Overlook and got some great views of the Kawuneeche Valley and the Never Summer Mountains. We could also see the extent of the damage done to the pine trees by the bark beetles. We could also see evidence of the Grand Ditch from this location.

Milner Pass

9:42 a.m.
We stopped at Milner Pass to walk out to Poudre Lake. This location is at the Continental Divide, at 10, 758 feet. There is a small snow field on the western side of the pass, along another trail. There are trailheads for several other trails nearby. There are also restrooms, but no drinking water.

Medicine Bow Curve

10:04 a.m.
We stopped at Medicine Bow Curve and walked out along an unmarked trail into the tundra area. There are so many interesting plants that make up the tundra vegetation. All so small and fragile and like a small forest in miniature. There were several of the flowers in bloom. Of course there are great views of the surrounding mountains as well.

Alpine Visitor Center

10:20 a.m.
We stopped at the Alpine Visitor Center. This area was like a zoo. There were lots of people looking for parking spaces and walking around. I suspect that this is the destination and turn around point for many coming up from the east side.

The Visitor Center is getting a new roof, so there is lots of construction going on in the area. That just added to the congestion, but there is only a narrow window of opportunity to get work done between the spring and the fall snows. The elevation here is 11,796 feet.

The Visitor Center sits right on the edge of the range, looking down upon a lush green meadow sitting within the bowl of a cirque. We spotted about six or eight bull elks relaxing in the morning sun. They were quite an attraction to those looking on from the patio between the Visitor Center and the gift shop.

Alpine Ridge Trail

After we visited the Visitor Center we hiked the Alpine Ridge Trail, which tops out at over 12,000 feet in elevation. It's a short hike, with about 180 log steps to climb along the way. Near the top we spotted a marmot enjoying the sunshine. At the top, there are great 360 degree views of the surrounding landscape. It’s well worth the effort, but take along a jacket; it’s windy and pretty chilly.

11:05 a.m.
We finished with the Alpine Visitor Center and headed on toward the east.

Lava Cliffs Overlook

11:09 a.m.
We stopped at the Lava Cliffs Overlook and took photos of the rust colored volcanic cliffs, a snow field, and a small herd of female and young elk grazing below.

Rock Cut Overlook

11:30 a.m.
We stopped at the Rock Cut area, even though it was pretty crowded. We were lucky and got a good parking place along the side of the road. There are lots of marmots and pikas doing their thing just below the road. I got some really nice photos, including a couple of female marmots carrying grass and other plants back to their dens. We saw several pikas carrying grass as well. They were all really active. There were also several young marmots playing around the rocky slope.

We didn’t do the Tundra Trail at this location partly because of the crowd, and partly because we’d already walked out through the tundra at the Medicine Bow Curve.

Forest Canyon Overlook

11:53 a.m.
Our next stop was the Forest Canyon Overlook. On the way we got stopped in another elk jam. There were about six bull elk grazing on the rocky slope above the road. Of course people had to stop wherever and jump out to take photos. Some idiots were walking up toward the elk to get better shots. We eventually were able to get through the congested area.

The Forest Canyon Overlook has great views of the glacial valleys below, and good views of moraines, glacial lakes, and cirques across the canyon.

Rainbow Curve Overlook

12:14 p.m.
At Rainbow Curve the views are mostly toward the east. This is a congested area, especially when there are large RVs in the parking area. There were a few people feeding the squirrels and birds. We made comments to a few about how what they were doing was actually harmful to the critters. Who knows if that did any good.

From there we headed down to the east side. It got warmer as we descended.

1:19 p.m.
We stopped for lunch at a roadside picnic table that we found just after we turned onto the Bear Lake Road, just past its intersection with the road toward the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center. There are lots of picnic tables scattered along the roadside throughout the Park. And it seems that most trailheads and overlooks have vault toilets. Other than at the Visitor Centers we didn't notice any drinking water, so always take some along for yourself.

Bear Lake

1:31 p.m.
After lunch we drove to the Bear Lake Park and Ride. It’s a large parking area, and it was nearly full. Storm clouds were coming in, so we took along our rain jackets. We didn’t have to wait long for a bus to take us to Bear Lake.

When the bus arrived at the Bear Lake trailhead the place was a congested mess. They let us off the bus at one spot and we had to walk through the long line of people waiting to get back on the bus for a return to the Park and Ride. There were people everywhere. There is a ranger station and restrooms. They had drinking water for sale, and there are drinking fountains as well.

We walked the half mile loop around Bear Lake. It’s a pretty lake, but there were so many people along the path that it was not really enjoyable. Instead of walking up to Nymph Lake, as we had planned, we decided to get back into the long line for the bus ride back. We had considered hiking the two miles down to Bierstadt Lake and catching the bus there, but a ranger that we talked to said that it was a pretty strenuous trail. So we waited in line.

3:20 p.m.
We finally made it back to the Park and Ride. I think because of the crowds this location does not warrant a visit unless you have lots of time to kill or are planning a hike along one of the backcountry trails. The length of time we had to stand in line to get to and from the Lake just wasn’t worth it. We waited in line until the fifth bus because, obviously, each bus could hold only so many passengers (45 total, I believe) and sometimes they had picked up passengers along the way at the other stops, who were also heading back to the Park and Ride. The buses were supposedly 10 minutes apart. There were simply just too many people up there, and around the lake. As it turned out, we could have driven up, since there were a few empty parking places. Ah well ... live and learn.

3:30 p.m.
On the way back north we passed the Moraine Visitor Center. The temp at that time was 82 degrees. We noticed that the east side is warmer and drier than the west side. You can see it in the vegetation as well. The vegetation is adapted to a dryer climate. The west side seems cooler and has more moisture.

Beaver Meadows Visitor Center

3:41 p.m.
We made a quick stop at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center. It’s an historic building that was designed by one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s students. It’s very neat, but seems a bit more southwestern than Rocky Mountain.

Old Fall River Road

We drove through (crowded) Estes Park to Highway 34, and headed west toward Endovalley, where we wanted to drive the Old Fall River Road. But there was a gate across the road. We hadn’t read anything about the road closing, but thought that since it was just after 4:00 p.m. that maybe they close the road to prevent tourists from driving off the edge in the dark. So we drove back over Trail Ridge Road.

5:00 p.m.
When we reached the Alpine Visitor Center it was 63 degrees, and it was closed for the day.

We found out a couple of days later, from one of the rangers at the Alpine Visitor Center, that a tourist had a heart attack along the Old Fall River Road. The Park Service closed the road so that rescue vehicles could get to the site and back without having to deal with traffic.

5:40 p.m.
We arrived back at our trailer in the Elk Creek Campground.

We had another good night’s sleep, waking to a cold 42 degrees. But the trailer has a nice heater that took off the chill as we dressed and ate a bowl of oat meal.

Colorado River Trailhead

8:22 a.m.
At the Colorado River Trailhead we spotted three deer in the meadow along the west side of the parking area. We had seen several elk along the road on the way in. There are restrooms at this large parking area, as well as picnic tables, but there is no drinking water.

8:36 a.m.
We began our hike toward Lulu City and the Little Yellowstone, along the Colorado River Trail. There is a pretty good climb right at the start, but then the trail levels off and is mostly flat, with rolling hills here and there to work different sets of muscles as you hike along. Most of the trail is under the shade of the tall pines.

9:08 a.m.
We spotted a pair of bull moose, a cow, and a calf on the far side of the river. I tried to take photos but the darn battery in my camera gave out. By the time I got the backup inserted I was only able to get off a couple of quick shots of the retreating critters. Ah well ... win some, lose some.

We also walked along a rocky area where we spotted a pair of marmots. I'm sure there are others in that area, as well as pikas.

Shipler's Cabin

9:40 a.m.
At Shipler’s Cabin I took several photos of the ruins of the log cabin. We had passed the mine dump a few yards back along the trail. There is an old mining cart back under the trees, below the trail, and at the bottom of the mine dump.

We took a couple of minutes to rest and to drink some water and tighten the laces on our boots. There is also a privy here, tucked back in the trees; there is a sign along the trail. There were lots of mosquitoes and gnats, so we applied some insect repellant.

Little Yellowstone

11:20 a.m.
We stayed on the main trail when we came to the first junction for Lulu City and headed on up toward the Little Yellowstone. Along the way we climbed up a boulder strewn slope where the water tumbles down a series of cascades. There is a log bridge across the stream at that point. I am guessing that this is still the Colorado River (or what there is of it at this point).

Once at the Little Yellowstone we paused to take in the view and spoke with an elderly couple coming down the trail. Then we sat and rested for a few minutes and took in the scenery. The Little Yellowstone resembles (just a bit) portions of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone in Yellowstone National Park. We took a GPS reading just to see where we had gotten to along the trail. We could only get three satellites, so the reading was way off (when I checked the coordinates on my electronic topo maps it places us somewhere in southwestern South Dakota).

Lulu City Ghost Town

From there we headed back down the trail and took a side trail down into the meadow where the few remains of Lulu City are still visible. The town site was occupied for just over a year, back in the 1880s, so there were not many permanent structures to begin with. What we found were several log cabin remnants, each with trees growing up inside of what had been a living space. The trail winds across a meadow near the stream. There is also a privy (outhouse) in this area as well.

From the meadow the trail climbs steeply back up to the main trail. This was probably the steepest climb along our hike. Most of the trail was fairly flat, with occasional rises and falls that tended to keep all of one’s leg muscles working and relaxing. It is really a pretty descent trail, that I’d have to rate from easy to moderate over most of its length. The elevation (between 9,000 and 10,000 feet between the trailhead and Little Yellowstone) would add to the level of difficulty.

We spoke with a few hikers on their way in. As the day moved along there were more and more hikers along the trail. On the way in we only encountered a few other hikers.

1:27 p.m.
We’re back at the trailhead. On the way out we heard some thunder and got a few sprinkles, but it’s clearing up now. We ate lunch at one of the picnic tables near the trailhead. It was hard to relax, though, since there were lots of bugs and mosquitoes.

2:36 p.m.
From there we drove back at the trailer.

7:04 a.m.
I got pretty sweaty on the previous day’s hike, and got a little chaffed. So we decided to skip today’s planned hike to Cascade Falls (which would have been a 7 mile round trip hike). I like to enjoy our hikes and would rather do something else than force my way through another hike. We’ll do some short walks and more sight seeing.

9:25 a.m.
We drove down the highway toward Granby and had breakfast at Betty’s Cafe and Bakery. We sat at a table near the front window, where they had a hummingbird feeder. There were lots of little birds drinking their fill. We had a great time watching the little hummers come and go, chasing each other all over the place. Many would sit on the edge of the feeder to drink, and we could see their little throats pumping away. Some would also sit for a while on the hand rails coming up to the entrance porch.

We had a typical breakfast that was okay, then headed back toward Grand Lake Village. It was 62 degrees.

Adams Falls

We drove around the northern edge of the small tourist town to a large parking area at the trailhead for several hikes. There are restrooms there, but no drinking water.

We just did the short one mile round trip hike up to Adams Falls. It’s a nice little area with lots of rushing water through a narrow canyon. We did the little loop to up near the top and then back down the main trail.

There were signs along portions of the trail, especially near the overlook, that tell hikers to stay on the trail because they are revegetating the area. Of course, these signs only apply to certain people. Others are special and can ignore them. Here, as in other locations, we saw tourists and hikers who ignored the signs and trampled the forest growth so that they could climb down to better views of the rushing water. Selfish people like this really annoy me.

Alpine Visitor Center

From there we drove back into the Park and on up Trail Ridge Road to the Alpine Visitor Center. There weren’t quite as many tourists there this time; maybe because it was a bit earlier in the day. We went in and bought a couple of hiking books we had wanted, and a couple of long sleeved t-shirts for use this next winter.

10:47 a.m.
Once again there were elk below the Visitor Center, but I hadn’t brought my camera in. This is when the Ranger told us of the tourist with the heart attack along the Old Fall River Road on the day we tried to drive up.

Alluvial Fan

From there we drove on down the east side of the range and went directly to the Alluvial Fan area near the Lawn Lake Trailhead.

11:13 a.m.
We arrived at the Alluvial Fan and parked at the East Trailhead. The west trailhead was way too crowded. Then we walked the .2 miles to the cascades and the alluvial fan area where there had been a huge flood a couple of decades back. It’s amazing to see the amount and size of the material that broken dam moved on that day. It would have been something to see. Although, I'm sure those who lost their lives and were swept away in the rush of water and stone would rather not have been that close to the action.

11:31 a.m.
We walked back from the Alluvial Fan site. The whole area is full of tourists. It was hard to take a descent photo since so many felt the need to climb all over the rocks along the sides of the cascade. Ah well ... at least they were getting exercise.

Endovalley Picnic Area

11:37 a.m.
From there we drove on to the Endovalley picnic area for lunch. We found a nice shady picnic table across from the restrooms and below the Old Fall River Road. We had a nice lunch except for the mosquitoes. We saw a magpie much like those we have in Sandy.

Old Fall River Road

After lunch we bought a trail guide and then drove up the Old Fall River Road. Along the way we stopped at Chasm Falls and walked down to a trail to below the main drop. It’s quite a nice location and the amount of water cutting back into the rock face is quite amazing and exciting. I’ve always liked water falls, mainly because of the amount of energy they seem to exude.

Of course the entire length of the road was crowded with cars and tourists, so we didn’t get to pull out at some of the turnouts. There just wasn’t enough room. We did stop at the turnout below the spires, where there are several landslides visible across the canyon.

Though the narrow, one-way road was crowded, it was worth the time and effort.

The road comes out at the Alpine Visitor Center. We drove through the crowds of tourists there in the parking area, then on down the west side.

Beaver Ponds Picnic Area

We stopped at the Beaver Ponds Picnic area to see if maybe we could spot a beaver, but no luck. Just more mosquitoes. But the still water of the ponds reflect the Never Summer Mountains quite nicely.

Timber Creek Campground

We also drove through the Timber Creek campground. What must have once been a well shaded campground has become an exposed place to set down a tent and get through the night. Because of the beetles killing the pine trees the Park Service has had to remove all of the dead trees or risk having branches or entire trees fall onto sleeping campers. The major part of the campground is still closed, but there is evidence that work is still underway to clear more of the remaining dead trees there. It’s really sad.

Holzwarth Historic Site

From there we drove to the Holzwarth Historic site and walked out along the old road there to see the historic buildings. This was a dude ranch and lodge in the early part of the Twentieth Century, and some of the buildings have been preserved. Volunteer Rangers still live in some of the old buildings and give talks and will show you around the insides and outsides of the buildings.

We had a nice conversation with one of the volunteers there; he and his wife live in one of the restored cabins. Must be nice.

3:17 p.m.
We just finished the Holzwarth site. It was a 1 mile round trip walk on a flat road. On the way back we got to see a female moose grazing along the river. On the way in we got to watch several hummingbirds climbing way up into the sky and then dive-bombing the bushes below. I’m not sure why they were doing that, but it was interesting to watch.

From there we headed back to camp. The next morning we packed up and headed west, back to Utah.