Several interesting trail trips near Estes Park village and in the lower altitudes of the park are available. These are especially pleasant early or late in the season when many of the higher trails are snow-blocked. Gem Lake is reached by a 2-mile trail (3 hours or so) which begins about 1 mile from town on the Devils Gulch Road. This trip presents interesting rock formations and fine panoramic views. Twin Sisters is a high, isolated mountain south of Estes Park, reached by a trail beginning on State Route 7. A good hike for about 7 hours takes one to the top of this mountain and back in a leisurely manner. The view of the plains from Twin Sisters is extensive, and treeline flowers add color to the trip. There are several other hiking trails in this area.
Trails near Trail Ridge Road.
At Deer Ridge, a trail leads to the commanding summit of Deer Mountain, which is a fine, early-season hike although dry in midsummer. On the tundra, a trail leads from Rock Cut on the road to the Memorial Peakfinder. A trail also leads from Iceberg Lake to Fall River Pass. At Milner Pass a trail leaves the highway, passes through an especially beautiful forest, and reaches the top of Specimen Mountain. This hike affords matchless scenic views, particularly of the Never Summer Range, fine displays of wildflowers, and possible glimpses of bighorn. Near the spot where Trail Ridge Road begins the ascent of the western slope, a trail leads up the Colorado River to the ghost town of Lulu City, and branches continue to Poudre Pass, Thunder Pass, and beyond.
Many of these trails—and others—can be covered by visitors on summer trips with the park ranger-naturalists. These escorted hikes help you to get your bearings in the park, as well as understand the natural features encountered along the route. If you are interested in hiking, you should join a few of these naturalist trips. In this way, you quickly realize the possibilities for your unescorted hikes, if you prefer to travel on your own. The park ranger-naturalists will help you plan other hikes and will do all they can to make your trail trips safe, interesting, and enjoyable.
This outline of trail-trip possibilities is only a beginning. There are also trips to Lawn Lake, Tyndall Glacier, Windy Gulch, the North Fork of the Thompson River, and Chasm Lake. Information on the far more difficult mountaintop trips is not included here. If you expect to ascend such mountains as Longs Peak or McHenry’s Peak, be sure to consult the park ranger at the nearest ranger station or go to the chief ranger’s office in Estes Park village. Routes to be followed may vary from week to week because of changes in snow conditions; ask park rangers for up-to-date information. Remember to get a fire permit if you plan to camp out on the trail.
SUGGESTED READINGS
This booklet may help your understanding and appreciation of Rocky Mountain National Park, but in its limited pages only a superficial treatment can be given. The following publications—nearly all of them available for reference or purchase at the park museum information office or Fall River Pass exhibit room—have been found helpful sources of more detailed interpretation of the story of this park.
Birds
Niedrach, Robert J., and Robert B. Rockwell, Birds of Denver and Mountain Parks. Denver Museum of Natural History, 1959. Peterson, Roger Tory, Field Guide to Western Birds. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, 1941.