Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP)

Campground visitor

View from Many Parks Curve

We arrived safely at Estes Park, CO on Wednesday after a night's stopover at Glendo, WY.  For the first time since May, we traveled in rain, and we've experienced our first real rain since we were in Medora, ND in July.  As dirty as it made the truck & trailer, it also put a fresh coat of snow on the mountain ranges of RMNP for everyone to enjoy.  Unfortunately, that fresh pack of snow is keeping the Trail Ridge Road across the park closed just west of Rainbow Curve parking area, so we haven't been able to drive across the park, yet.

Since arriving we've tried to acclimate to our new height above sea level.  We're currently parked at about 7,750 ft and even though there's no trail or pathway, we're about a quarter of a mile from the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center.  (We're also about a mile and a half from Smokin' Dave's BBQ!)  As you can tell from the photos, the color change is in full swing.  And this seems to be the last big weekend for Estes Park.  It's the Elk Festival this weekend.  And while the campground's not full, it's close to full.

Another view (Longs Peak) from Many Parks Curve

We've also took the (almost) four mile walk around Estes Lake and visited the downtown river walk.  The Estes Park Visitor Center is convenient & packed with useful information.  So we usually go there, park, and walk wherever we want to go. 

So we're still trying to plan the next few days.  Trying to find hikes in the park that we can survive is somewhat of a trial.

I also wanted to drive the Old Fall River Road (the original park road), but it's closed at the Endovalley Picnic Area, too (and probably for the season.)  Anyway, that's where we're at for the moment.  We plan to be here until Thursday, then move to Colorado Springs for that weekend to visit friends.  Later, David

Alluvial Fan

Lake Estes and Estes Park, CO