MichelleI met Alison & Joe (Sister and BIL) in Grand Lake, CO just outside the west entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. They rented a small house/cabin, and I stayed at the Stillwater Campground just 10 mins away. I had a nice campsite with a 180-degree view of Lake Granby/Shadow Mountain reservoir. A beautiful area and gorgeous lakes. Tons of wildflowers were blooming in the campground and sporadically throughout the national park. We had beautiful weather our entire stay!
Our first full day together we headed to the small town of Hot Sulphur Springs. After driving the previous day and getting set up at our respective places, we knew we’d want a little downtime to rejuvenate and acclimate to the higher elevation at 8000 ft. Hot Sulphur Springs has an older resort & spa centered around multiple hot springs pools… very similar to Pagosa Springs. I think there were 20+ pools at varying temperatures all built on a hillside. These hot springs were sulphur springs so it was quite strong smelling as it was in Pagosa Springs. Not all hot springs have sulphur and are, therefore, less smelly. But it doesn’t bother me much and you get used to it. We really enjoyed the relaxation and time together getting caught up. We stayed til we got hungry then headed into the town of Grand Lake for lunch. Of course I can’t remember the name of the restaurant but we all enjoyed the food. Afterwards we walked about town looking at all the shops. Grand Lake is built up for the tourists and is adorably cute with an alpine theme. It sits at the edge of ‘Grand Lake’ which is very blue in color and just a wonderful vista.
Day 2: Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) requires timed reservations which we had purchased months before, for entry on 3 consecutive days. One of those reservations (day 3) included the Bear Lake Road area on the eastern side of the park. But on Day 2 we had a reservation to just see the main park. I was so glad we stayed on the west side; not only because it was less touristy but there were meadows on this west side that always had Moose grazing. One positive thing about the reservation system is it cuts down on the waiting time to get into the park. No long lines. Back to the Moose… this day we probably saw 5-7 moose throughout the park, but most were in these meadows. Bull Moose with fuzzy velvety antlers were very impressive. On our drive along Trail Ridge Road, which is the only road crossing the park, we stopped at nearly every pull out to see the vistas and take pictures. What a stunning park and state! We stopped at several areas to walk short trails and at one place saw a herd of Elk. Since I have a sizable zoom lens, I was able to get some decent pics of these stately animals (see photos). Moose and Elk all in one morning! I was feeling pretty elated by that!
The Trail Ridge Road is the Highest continuous paved road in North America. The high point is 12,183 ft. That is high tundra country; cold and windy. And when I say windy, I mean it! There are no trees, but there’s some low bushes and stunted grass at this elevation. As we drove higher and higher, the pull outs became colder and windier. We stopped at the Alpine visitor center to eat our lunches and do a little souvenir shopping. There were still patches of snow there as Colorado was having snowstorms up to about 3 weeks prior to our visit. The snow on the mountains was such a highlight here since the snow melts completely as the summer wears on. The few highest pull-outs on this road were almost impossible due to the super high winds and bitter cold. A couple of times I was almost knocked over and had to hold onto the car or stand up against it to keep my feet on the ground!. Another time I could barely push the car door open into the wind. We looked pretty silly trying to get in and out of the car, and walk around, which gave us several good laughs! Even the Marmots looked cold up there! From here it was a beautiful downhill ride to the east side of the park. I can see why RMNP is so popular. It really is beautiful with so much to see and do. It’s not often you get up above tree level and get to see tundra. I especially liked that there were a number of easier hikes for those with less mobility or not in the best of shape. Even the easier hikes had spectacular views. Because of CO’s late snows, the amount of water (snowmelt) coming down the mountains was amazing. There was some flooding taking place in lower areas that caused closures of trails etc. Alongside the highway there were random waterfalls flowing down the hillsides in large swaths. We picked a perfect time to visit the park.
Day 3: Bear Lake Road is on the opposite side of the park from where we stayed. The reservation entry window is 2 hours long. We had to drive all the way to the east side and enter Bear Lake Road within that 2 hour timeframe. We didn’t hit much traffic so made it to Bear Lake Road in 1.5 hours. There was a shuttle you were required to take if going to Bear Lake. It was confusing at first because I thought you had to take the shuttle everywhere along Bear Lake Road, but it turned out you only had to take it to Bear Lake due to lack of parking and it’s enormous popularity. There was a super nice trail around Bear Lake with beautiful views in every direction. It wasn’t a long trail and fairly flat with some up and downs. Doable for us. Being short it allowed us to do another short trail leading to Alberta Falls. I was so surprised by these powerful falls. So many falls I’ve been to have been disappointing, so I really wasn’t expecting much. The trail was wide and easy (although I was huffing & puffing) with lots of shade along the way. When we reached the falls I was surprised by the number of people there. There were several viewpoints and lots of big boulders that people could sit on and watch the falls. And listen to them roaring over the cliff and down the mountain. Great place for a snack before heading back down to the shuttle. And everyone else had the same idea!
After picking up the car, we drove to Sprague Lake where we walked an easy trail around the perimeter. I loved this lake! Such a pretty blue with green trees all around the edges. Snow covered mountains were peaking up in several spots. One family we spoke with lived in the city and had never seen a national park. They were marveling at how incredible and beautiful it was here. I love seeing the excitement in the eyes of someone experiencing these wonders for the first time. It enhances how I see the wonders of nature! What a great day we had! Great weather, great experiences, and great company!
Day 4: This was our last day together before heading home. We were fairly spent from all the hiking and traveling the two days previous, however we decided to walk the short trail to Adams Falls just outside of Grand Lake. We were so glad we did this walk. Again, I underestimated what the falls would be like and they were spectacular. Different because this one tumbled down through a chasm of rock walls. There was a great overlook to see it from different angles which allowed me take a plethora of pictures. We continued walking the trail up the river and past East Meadow. Beavers had built some dams so there were pools of water here and there on either side of the river. Lots of green meadow grasses were growing up out of the water. I love the contrast between the green grasses and blue water (one of my favorite combinations). Alison, Joe and I had a final dinner together and said our goodbyes (although I would be stopping at their place on my way back to Washington). A fabulous trip that was all too short. I am truly blessed to have a sister and brother-in-law that I travel so well with. What better way to connect!
PS-I’ll throw in a few pictures of my drive to Boise and my stay there.
