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Colorado's
Rocky Mountain Park |
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Dates: 6
days, 5 nights; Sun-Fri) |
Assembly Point:
Boulder |
Tour
Cost: $1,895 (includes all lodging, all meals, van shuttles, park entrance fees, leaders, trail maps & narratives) |
Rocky Mountain National Park is one of America's great scenic treasures. Within its borders are some of the world's most spectacular alpine features — towering above-timberline peaks that are snowclad year-round, countless lakes and beautiful mountain valleys. In so many ways, the park also is a celebration of Colorado, a state renowned for its high-mountain majesty, attributable in no small measure to the presence of 54 named summits exceeding 14,000 feet in elevation.
We've chosen a September date for our Rocky Mountain Park adventure for two primary reasons. The park's accessibility attracts substantial numbers of visitors during the peak summer period, visitors who vanish after Labor Day. Perhaps more importantly, autumn in Colorado is extraordinary. The changing aspen are magnificent; this is Colorado high-country gold at its best. And nowhere are the aspen more glorious in mid-September than in the high altitude setting within the park.
Our program assembles in Boulder early morning of Day 1 and we'll shuttle west into the high country to Brainard Lake, gateway to the Indian Peaks Wilderness. Our first hike climbs modestly above Brainard, reaching timberline rapidly. The climb intensifies as it courses through the alpine tundra with magnificent open views of the Great Plains to the east and the snowclad Indian Peaks to the west. Our destination is magnificent Mount Audubon, whose lofty summit promises views of two of Colorado's most famous "fourteeners" — Mount Evans and Long's Peak (7 miles).
We'll spend our first overnight at the Wild Basin Lodge and then head for the Wild Basin region of Rocky Mountain Park the following morning. From the Wild Basin trailhead, we'll follow the cascading course of the North St. Vrain Creek, so wild that it appears to be one continuous waterfall throughout its entire length. Little wonder that this trail is considered one of Colorado's best waterfall opportunities. We'll hike initially to Calypso Cascade prior to our view of thundering Ouzel Fall. We'll continue to a high ridge with outstanding views of Longs Peak and Mt. Meeker before we reach our destination of Ouzel Lake (10 miles). We're then off to Estes Park, where we'll spend the next two evenings.
We'll re-enter Rocky Mountain Park on Day 3 and hike from the Glacier Gorge trailhead, following Glacier Creek as it carves its course through the Gorge. Early into the hike, we'll encounter thundering Alberta Falls and then its on to some of the park's most renowned lakes. In rapid succession, we'll climb to the Loch, rise beyond treeline to Timberline Falls, scramble up a ledge along the falls to Lake of Glass and beyond, finally reaching our destination — incredibly beautiful Sky Pond, nestled in the shadow of Powell and Taylor Peaks. The views of all that we passed are breathtaking as they unfold in a panoramic fantasy in the course of our descent (9 miles).
Following a second night in Estes Park, we'll shuttle along Trail Ridge Road to a more moderate, but no less spectacular hike to Fern Lake. Initially, we'll walk along the Big Thompson River to Fern Falls. A final mile and we're at the lake with the rugged peaks of the Little Matterhorn and Notchtop as its dramatic backdrop (7.5 miles). It's on to Grand Lake on the park's western slope, where we'll spend our final two overnights at the new Gateway Inn. On Day 5, we'll challenge the East Inlet Trail that rises well above Grand Lake. Early into the hike, we'll visit popular Adams Falls and then continue on to Lone Pine Lake. A final climb to a rocky ridge is rewarded with a magnificent view of the fiord-like Lake Verna, our turnaround point for this hike (14 miles). Following our final overnight in Grand Lake, we'll shuttle back into the park to the Old Ute Trailhead at Poudre Lake and one final visit to the park's vast alpine world above tree line. We'll hike from Poudre's lakeshore through the fascinating rock spires and hanging gardens above the lake, emerge from the trees at timberline and continue on to Fall River Pass (5 miles). Following lunch in Estes Park, we'll return to Boulder and Denver.
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