@NP.Adventuring - Rocky Mountain

Rocky Mountain National park Website

This was the last stop on our 5 park journey for 2018 and it definitely didn't disappoint. Rocky Mountain is like Yosemite in that a lot of the hikes available are not for young children but there was still plenty for us to do and see. We stayed here for a couple days so we tent camped at the Aspenglen campsite on the Northeast side of the park.. The campsite was really nice and it was a welcomed change from the hotel we had been in for the last week. We saw tons of elk around the park along with some deer and even some wild turkey.

The busiest hike we did was Bear Lake. This is the one everyone wants to go do. The parking lot at the lake and even the shuttle parking lot down the mountain were both full before lunch. They were telling people to turn around at the parking lot entrance but I said I was going to drop the family off closer to the trailhead so they let me in, and I was able to find a spot as someone was pulling out. The lake was beautiful and the hike was an easy .6 mile loop that's mostly flat and has plenty of shade.

We also hiked around Sprauge Lake and played around climbing on the Alluvial Fan at the Roaring River. What is an alluvial fan you ask? Well it's "an accumulation of sediments shaped like a section of a shallow cone, with its apex at a point source of sediments, such as a narrow canyon emerging from an escarpment." The water was cold but the kids didn't mind, they spent hours playing in the river and throwing rocks. There was a cool discovery center that the kids really enjoyed and lots of other fun little hikes and places to explore.

We took the Trail Ridge Road to exit the park on our way home. That was one of the most scenic drives I have ever been on, and one of the highest as well. The highest point on the road is 12,183 feet above sea level.

This park rates at 5 out of 5 stars based on our standard criteria.

Rating Criteria: Fun, Scenic, Ease of Travel, Wildlife, Crowds