One of my most favorite things to do is head out into the great outdoors and find an adventure. I’m lucky enough to have a husband who supports this passion so we headed down to Denver, Colorado this month to celebrate our anniversary and explore Rocky Mountain National Park!
Getting There
First thing to note, is that Rocky Mountain National Park is not actually in Denver. It’s a quick 1 1/2 hour drive northwest of the city, however the drive is beautiful and the traffic non-existent. We decided to enter the park through the city of Estes Park on Hwy 36. This brought us up through a few small cities and we were surprised to find that even though it was move-in week at Colorado University we didn’t get held up with traffic at all.
The first thing we did once in the park was stop off at the Moraine Discovery Center. They have a ton of informational displays and an entire mini-museum upstairs. The weather was a little overcast and grey as we entered the park, but the views were breathtaking none the less.
Wildlife
We headed down Bear Lake road and almost immediately encountered a couple of wild elk just munching away at some shrubs and trees along the road. As I hopped out to get up close and snap some pics the elk didn’t even bat an eye. I was maybe 20 feet away and probably could have gotten closer if I wanted. AMAZING!!
Trails
After our exciting elk adventure we continued on down and ended up at Sprague Lake. There was a small half mile trail around the lake that we decided to walk a few times. Every single time we went around, we saw something new and different. From soaring mountains to jumping fish there wasn’t a bad spot to be found.
After a few laps around the lake we headed out. We had seen a bunch of signs along the way letting us know that Bear Lake parking was full and that if we wanted to make it down there we would need to park at one of the many park and ride locations and take a shuttle down. Instead we decided to turn back and continue on Hwy 36.
We stopped off at Deer Ridge Junction and I was able to catch this incredible view of Horseshoe Park. In the distance you can see 6 separate mountains. Up close you get a shot of the amazing Mitsubishi Outlander Sport we drove while in Denver. I’m so impressed at the features new cars have and this one was no different. The Outlander Sport features an incredible panoramic sunroof which allowed me to spend as much time as possible in the sun as well as getting an epic view of everywhere we went!
We stopped off at Sheep Lakes to get out and explore once more, and the wide open spaces backed by the mountains was breathtaking! Although, we did not see any sheep!
I loved absolutely everything about our trip to the Rocky Mountain National Park and I am looking forward to heading back with the kids to spend some time camping in the park and seeing everything I missed this time! Have you ever been? What was your favorite part?
