Parks & Peaks with Peter

Get out there and Carpe Diem

Rocky Mountain National Park

Itinerary-At-A-Glance

Location: Colorado

8-Day Itinerary for Rocky Mountain National Park

Timeline: Saturday, July 11 to Saturday July 18, 2020

On this trip I was joined by two good friends, George and Sandy for a week of fun in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP).

This trip will hold special meaning to me, as it was my first trip since the outbreak of Covid-19 and I was very grateful that they both accepted a bit of travel risk for the loftier cause of Parks & Peaks with Peter. And, the best part; it is great to be in the company of good friends.

Our RMNP visit was divided into two. The first half of our trip was exploring the east side of the Park, with a focus on hiking, and a road trip. During the second half, we explored the west side and its environs, enjoying such activities as fly-fishing, cycling and hiking to the summit Mount Elbert, the highpoint of Colorado and second highest peak in the continental U.S. (elevation 14,433 ft).

Generally, the best time to visit the park is during the summer months (June to September), when snow is minimal and trails and attractions are accessible. However, this is also the busiest season but we expected and found smaller crowds given the pandemic.

What’s Special at Rocky Mountain

  • Hiking – stunning vistas at high altitude; alpine lakes; waterfalls; Continental Divide; headwaters of the Colorado River; Longs Peak, an iconic 14 thousand-footer.
  • Driving –  Trail Ridge Road (48 miles criss-crossing the NP), highest continuous paved highway in the U.S.
  • Diverse Ecosystems – wetlands, forests, moraine and alpine tundra in elevations from 7,860 ft to 14,259 ft
  • Wildlife – bighorn sheep, moose and elk
  • Fly-Fishing – Sasquatch Fly Fishing – highly recommend!

Lodging and Dining

Estes Park, on the east side, is the gateway town and offers numerous and diverse options; on the west side, Grand Lake is the principal town, offering a more limited choice. Here’s where we stayed and dined:

  • Murphy’s Resort, 1650 Big Thompson Avenue, Estes Park, CO. 1-970-680-4954, [email protected]. We rented Mountain View with full kitchen, private hot tub and outdoor grill. There is also an outdoor pool for guests.
  • Historic Rapids Lodge, 210 Rapids Lane, Grand Lake, 970-627-3707, [email protected]. The nicest place in town and had a terrific, surprisingly “upscale” dinner on the outdoor patio at riverside.
  • Rodeway Inn, 1128 US Highway 24S, Leadville, CO. 1-719-486-3310. Cheap and cheerful, clean and functional. Perfectly suitable for the night before the big summit attempt of Mount Elbert.
  • Smokin’Daves BBQ & Brew, 820 Morraine Ave, Estes Park, CO 80517, 970-577-7427 Long wait times (no reservations) so opt for take out (within 15 minutes). Great ribs.
  • Doma 1898, 207 N Main St, Breckenridge, CO 80424, 970-453-1525. I first enjoyed Doma 2 years ago on a ski trip to Copper Mtn and was delighted to return for another excellent meal, dined on the front patio.
  • Treeline Kitchen, 615 a Harrison Ave, Leadville, CO 80461, +1 719-293-2200. Highly recommend. Rooftop dining and large first floor, high-ceilinged dining room, and bar. Perfect dinner spot before our summit attempt of Mount Elbert, we dubbed “The Last Supper.”

Cultural Imperatives

Due to COVID, we chose not to experience the below attractions in Estes Park but hope to on a future trip:

  • Stanley Hotel: tour the hedge-maze from The Shining; check out the Whiskey Bar; open till 11:00 PM
  • The Park Theatre: movies at the oldest running movie house in USA
  • Estes Park Aerial Tramway: goes to summit of 8,900 ft. Prospect Mountain; open daily until 6pm; usually a wait.

We did enjoy and do recommend strolling the small downtown areas of Grand Lake, Frisco and Breckenridge. (You can skip Leadville.)

Daily Itinerary

Day 1: Hike #1 – Ouzel Falls via Wild Basin Trailhead (Saturday, July 11)

  • 8:00 AM: Fly Boston to Denver, arrive 10:35 AM
  • Pick up rental car and drive to Estes Park (approximately 1.5 hrs drive) to checkin to Murphy’s Resort
  • 2:00-3:00 PM: Drive into RMNP with pre-purchased Park passes
  • 3:00-6:00 PM: Hike to Ouzel Falls [5.4mi r/t, 3.5hrs, start 8,500ft; end 9,382ft] incl. Copeland Falls and Calypso Cascades via the Wild Basin Trailhead. Good lower-elevation, acclimatization hike.
  • Evening: Grocery Shopping at Safeway (1/2 mile from Resort), dinner and relax at resort. Enjoy outdoor pool, private hot tub.

Day 2: Hike #2 – Sky Pond (Sunday, July 12)

  • 5:30-7:00 AM: Make breakfast and pack lunch; drive to Glacier Gorge trailhead. It was full at 6:30am! So, we drove to another trailhead which added a mile onto the hike each way. No big deal.
  • 7:00-4:00 PM: Hike to Sky Pond [8.4mi r/t; 5.5hrs; start 9,1757ft; end 10,877ft]; lunch on a hilltop overlooking the Pond. Stunning.
  • 4:00-6:00 PM: Visit NP Visitor Center and get stamped; check out ranger programs. Drive back to Estes Park
  • Evening: Same as last night.

Day 3: Road Trip: Trail Ridge Road (Monday, July 13)

  • 6:00 – 7:30 AM: Early breakfast, pack lunch and drive to Fall River VC
  • 8:00 AM – Noon: Drive Fall River Road to Alpine VC (get stamped) – take in Sheep Lake, Alluvial Fan and Horseshoe Falls (2mi r/t), Chasm Falls , and short hikes to various overlooks. We saw moose and marmots up close.
  • Noon – 1:00 PM: Alpine VC (get stamped, again), visit the NP store; take in the scenic vistas.
  • 1:00-3:00 PM: Drive Trail Ridge Road westward to Millner Pass/Continental Divide and Lake Irene for picnic lunch.
  • 3:00 – 6:00 PM: Trail Ridge Road back to Estes Park – stops included Tundra Communities Trail 0.6mi r/t, 30 min.) to explore alpine tundra and short hikes at 3-4 overlooks. Tremendous views.
  • Evening: Another home cooked meal and relaxation.

Day 4: Hike #3 – Continental Divide & Flattop Mountain (Tuesday, July 14)

  • 6:00-7:00 AM: Make breakfast and lunch and drive to shuttlebus pickup. (We learned that you can park near the trailheads and take a sparsely-populated shuttle to the popular trailheads.)
  • 7:00-3:00 PM: Hike from Bear Lake trailhead to summit of Flattop Mountain [8.8 mi r/t; 7 hrs; start 9,475 ft.; end 12,324 ft.]; lunch on summit; don’t forget to straddle the Continental Divide!
  • Late Afternoon: Rest and recovery
  • Evening: Same as last night except we did take-out ribs & sides from Smokin Daves.

Day 5: To the West Side (Wednesday, July 15)

  • Early check out and drive Trail Ridge Road to west side
  • 7:00- 3:00 PM:  Fly fishing on the Colorado with Sasquatch Fly Fishing. Drive Trail Ridge Road and follow outfitter to the trailhead of the short hike to Colorado River.
  • 3:00-5:00 PM: Drive on to Grand Lake and explore the town and lakeshore
  • Check in: Historic Rapids Lodge, 210 Rapids Lane, Grand Lake, 970-627-3707
  • Evening: Dine at the Lodge and stroll around town

Day 6: Relax and Cycle (Thursday, July 16)

  • Check out: Historic Rapids Lodge, Grand Lake
  •  8:30 AM – 10:30 AM: Drive to Frisco
  • 11:00 AM: Pick up rental bikes at Rebel Sport
  • 11:30 AM – 3:30 PM: Cycle from Frisco to Breckenridge, lunch at Doma 1898, then cycle back to Frisco
  • 3:30 – 5:30 PM: Explore downtown Frisco, then drive to Leadville
  • 5:30 PM: Check in to Rodeway Inn, Leadville
  • Dinner:  Treeline Kitchen for our “Last Supper”
  • Evening Activity: Pack up for Mount Elbert and early to bed for big day

Day 7: Hike #4 – Colorado’s Highpoint: Mt. Elbert (Friday, July 17)

  • 5:45 AM: Drive to Mount Elbert Trailhead just outside of Leadville (tip: an early start is important in order to be off the long, exposed summit range before afternoon thunderstorms roll in)
  • 6:00 -3:00 PM: Hike to summit of Mount Elbert (9mi r/t, 8 hrs, 4,400 vertical ft. from 10,040 to 14,433)
  • 3:00 – 5:00 PM: Drive to Boulder, stay with friends

Day 8: Explore Boulder (Saturday, July 18)

  • Before flying back, we took the opportunity to explore downtown Boulder – Pearl Street Mall is attractive and has interesting boutiques – and drove up into the foothills above town.

——————————————————

How you can help?

Rocky Mountain Conservancy  – consider a gift to this non-profit which promotes stewardship of RMNP through eduction and philanthropy. Or, when visiting, you might attend their field-based classes.

Resources

Books

Hiking Rocky Mountain National Park: The Essential Guide, Erik Stensland, 2019. The most comprehensive, well organized and useful book out there. If you want to smartly select hikes, this is the resource for you.

Your Guide to the National Parks, Michael Joseph Oswald, 2017. Simply the best comprehensive resource for each of the NPs. I always start with this text as step 1 in considering what I’d like to experience at a particular NP. This is the resource that suggested fly fishing the Colorado.

Rocky Mountain National Park, National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map. I purchase one of these for each of the NPs I visit so I can plan sensibly how to sequence the activities I wish to do.

Websites

About Peter Hinman

National Parks lover and adventurer