Destination Rocky Mountain National Park

Site C240 at Moraine Park Campground

As summer is beginning to wind down, we enjoyed the sights and sounds of Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) this weekend.  We are fortunate to live less than an hour and a half away, so it is a frequent day trip and camping destination.

We stayed at Moraine Park Campground for 3 nights and used it as a base to explore the park and hike.   The sites at the campground are well spaced, surrounded by forest, and many have spectacular views of Longs Peak.

Big Horn Sheep

Near the top of Trail Ridge Road

We took a 48-mile day trip over trail ridge road, across the Continental Divide to Grand Lake.  This is always a beautiful drive and often affords views of elk herds, big horn sheep, and other wild game. Eleven miles of Trail Ridge Road rise above tree line providing sweeping views of the Rockies.  At its highest point (12, 183') the highway cuts through mountain top tundra and past snow fields that remain through the summer.

Alberta Falls

Friendly Marmot 

RMNP has 355 miles of hiking trails.  We took advantage of only a very small portion with a 1.7 mile roundtrip hike to  Alberta Falls.  It is a very popular trail and crowded on the weekends.  Still, it is worth the trip and a nice stopping place for a picnic lunch to people and nature watch.

Weather in the park this time of year is hard to predict.  During our stay, it was warm/hot during the day, but it dropped down into the 40s at night.  I was glad I brought some extra layers for warmth.

Again, the Camplite trailer performed well and was very easy to tow, even at altitude.  Hoping to get in another trip or two before calling it quits for the season.

 If you go:

South side of Loop C

Moraine Park Campground is one of the largest campgrounds in the park.  It has a mix of flush and vault toilets.  There is no electricity nor water at the individual sites, but water spigots are scattered throughout the campground.  Showers can be found in the town of Estes Park at Dad's Maytag Laundry and Showers for $6 per person.  In my opinion, the best sites are in loop C along the south edge of the campground.  Many overlook Moraine Park and have Long's Peak as a backdrop.