Epic Rocky Mountain National Park

There are 63 National Parks in the US. We’ve been working our way through seeing as many as we can. On a recent trek we visited Rocky Mountain National Park for the first time. While all national parks have their own unique sites to see, we believe that RMNP is one of the most spectacular parks of all.

We did our research ahead of time, to make the most of our time. Here are our 10 must do and see stops in RMNP.

#1 Bear Lake Road - In the peak summer months (as of 2023) timed passes are still necessary to get into the park and another pass is necessary for Bear Lake Road. It’s essential to get on the NPS website (HERE) well ahead of a trip and reserve for these. It’s worth it, as the mountains, waterfalls and hikes are amazing along Bear Lake Road.

#2 Bear Lake and Glacier Gorge - Once you have pass in hand head down to Bear Lake at the end of the road. It is a beautiful drive thus the reason for the timed pass.

We parked at Glacier Gorge and hiked down to bear lake. It was a 3/4 mile walk, with a bit of hilly terrain. It was beautiful.

Bear Lake is one of the most picturesque places in the entire park.

The walk around the entire lake is fairly flat and only a 1/2 mile. It just gets prettier from every angle. Bring water to drink as the elevation of this park is at almost 9,500 ft.

One last picture beside beautiful Bear Lake.

#3 Sprague Lake - This small lake is a 1/2 mile all around so it can be walked in a short time. At one point, this was a resort site owned by Abner Sprague, who ran it with his wife from 1910-1940. In the far background sits Hallett Peak, a point along the continental divide.

What’s great about this walk around Sprague Lake is that it is mostly on a wooden boardwalk, making the trail very accessible. It was so quiet on the afternoon we were there, making us wonder if the timed passes had gone too far, keeping too many from enjoying the park.

There are so many more hikes along Bear Mountain Road if you’re feeling adventerous. In fact, every hike we took, RMNP classified as a “stroll.” Too funny, but we didn’t care, we loved seeing so much of the park.

#4 Old Fall River Road - This list is in no particular order, but the Old Fall River road was our favorite part of the park. This is a one-way dirt road, that highly recommends 4WD, however we did see small sedans along the road. It’s 11 miles winding you up an almost 3,000 ft elevation gain.

The road starts just above the Fall River entrance. It is very narrow at times but making it comforting to know it’s just one way traffic!

The dirt road is well graded and mostly a smooth ride. You can start to see the climb out of the forest into the high alpine terrain. No filter on this picture. A benefit of going early in the morning (besides avoiding the crowds) is that the skies are so clear before the afternoon clouds build up.

Breakfast With A View

Since it’s only one way, find a safe space to pullover and enjoy the scenery for a bit. We’d started out pretty early on this trip, so we just had our small breakfast on the side of the road.

The views are absolutely spectacular. The road finally ends at the Alpine Visitor Center. Can you imagine working here with this spectacular view at an altitude of almost 12,000 ft?

Almost to the top where there was still snow on the ground in July. Check out the road, still pretty easy with 4WD.

These incredible views and photo ops are only found on Old Fall River Road. A must do trek while in Rocky Mountain National Park.

#5 Chasm Falls - When on the Old Fall River Road, this is a must stop. You can’t miss it as there is a big sign and a parking lot.

There is a short hike to the bottom of the falls. It’s a bit steep but there are stairs, so hold on the railing if necessary.

The falls were running hard due to the snow melt so they were spectacular.

#6 Alpine Visitor Center - How about these views from your workplace? This seems to be the most popular visitor center in the park, complete with a large gift shop and cafe. It’s also the end of the Old Fall River 11 mile dirt road trek.

Somewhat situated in the middle of the park, near the highest points, this visitor’s center is accessible to all. We even saw bicyclers and hikers making their way here.

There was a great exhibit showing all the wildlife found in the park. Additionally, Rangers behind the desk were very busy answering guests questions. It was a very active place!

And while here, there is a short hike to one of the highest points in the park.

View from the top. 360 views at 12,000 shows the magnificence of this 265,000 acre park.

#7 View the Wildlife (safely) - Everyone has seen the stories of silly tourists getting too close to wildlife, where injuries can occur for both the tourists and the animals. There are ways to view the wildlife safely. Here are some pictures of wildlife we saw in RMNP from a distance.

Below, this guy was walking in the early morning alongside the road. Using the zoom feature, I was able to get this picture right from the car window.

You have to keep your eyes open but the wildlife are out there. We drove slowly while elk walked down the street. We ran into a marmot hanging out on the dirt road on Fall River. The most exciting thing we saw was a herd of bull elk at the top of the ridge near the Alpine Visitors Center. Apparently they walked right over the pedestrian path before we arrived, so we just got pictures as they moved on. Then we saw several herds of female elk resting together out on the hillsides.

Elk Alongside the Road

Marmot Along Old Fall River Road

Herd of Elk at the top of Alpine Ridge

Female Elk Resting Together

Later that evening we went into Estes Park for dinner. There were several elk just wandering through the condo area. Again, this photo was taken far away using the zoom feature.

#8 Holzwarth Historic Site - The Holzwarth family made their homestead on this land originally in 1917. You could call them entrepreneurs, as how they used the land evolved over the years. They were mostly known for the Trout Lodge they operated from 1920 well into the 1970’s. The land was turned over to the National Park in 1975

Worth A Stop

There is so much more history here with a multi-generational family that spent decades here. In addition to the Trout Lodge, they ran a “dude ranch”, as the ultimate getaway high in the Colorado Mountains.

If you have the time, jump in on an interpretive talk with a Ranger. They are free and the Rangers are so knowledgeable. We learned so much more about the Holzwarth family, in that the father, John Holzwarth was originally a saloon keeper in Denver when prohibition began. Also, being of Jewish descent, they suffered challenging times during WWII, but persevered and kept their land and business throughout.

This particular Ranger talk was only about 20 minutes but a great introduction to the site.

Some of the original farm equipment left in the beautiful Kawuneeche Valley.

This house was one of the original houses on the property, known as “Mamma’s Cabin. They’ve been restored a bit and you can walk through them.

Even a Taxidermy Shop

If you visited the “Dude Ranch” of course you’d want to stuff your prize hunt.
So much interesting history here!

#9 Find the Perfect Picnic Site - This park has a ton of terrific picnic spots. Just find one and imagine your own picnic.

#10 Trail Ridge Road - This is a spectacular drive that takes you along the top of the ridge at some of the highest points in the park. It happens to be the highest continuously paved road in the US. It connects one end of the park to the other, but is only open for a few short months in the summer.