Rocky Mountain National Park, CO

​June 30, 2022

Well the day has come, when I arrived at Rocky Mountain National Park! Of course there is a long delay, a lineup for entry and you can’t get in the park unless you pre-ordered entry tickets, or have a camping reservation. There were at least two other checkpoints before I was allowed to enter into the campground. It’s almost like there was high security, but really it was just to manage the masses of people that come to visit this park or any other major national park, especially in the summer. I got to Bear Lake Corridor Trails, at 6:20am, to find parking, where I did a .5 mile loop trail, then Alberta Falls, for a total of 2.5 miles. On the way back I stopped for a .75 mile hike at Sprague Lake. It was so beautiful, and the weather was so perfect for hiking. And yes, there were tons and tons of people.


The Old Fall River Road just opened up on July 1. So I managed to get here for the inaugural drive through this 9 mile one-way stretch through the highest part of Rocky Mountain. it was limited to 25’ in length, so I qualified. There are no guard rails at all, just a drop off to take you straight down to the end of your life, or a nice soggy ditch with snow melt, so you don’t wanna get stuck in that either. There were a few pullouts, and some very inconsiderate drivers who didn’t understand that some of us need a little more space to get by. Duh. For the most part everybody crawled along at a moderate pace and you could just tell that the climb was getting higher and higher. I stopped at pretty Chasm Falls, then onto the Alpine Visitor Center. This center is located at 11,796 foot elevation, and is the highest visitor center among the national parks in the United States. It is above the tree line and there is a tundra overlook that you can climb to. However, even though I feel relatively acclimated, it feels as if I have had five glasses of wine. I climbed the tundra staircase just enough to get a better view of the small herd of elk on the ridge. I couldn’t take enough photos, as it was so beautiful with white puffy clouds and quite chilly, but yet fairly comfortable. I headed further down route 34 S, ears popping, with a few other lookouts and a brief stop at Timber Creek campground. The park Ranger was in the parking lot, where I quickly asked regarding campsite openings. I told her I understand you need reservations, but wondered if there were any last-minute spaces available. She was a bit gruff and annoyed at my question and reiterated…no reservations only, on the website. Glacier Basin had last minute spots available. If only the websites and cell service were prevalent everywhere, I certainly could take care of that. During the last two nights here, in the park, there were plenty of open camp spaces. People with reservations are often a no-show.

I exited the park on southern end near Grand Lake. I found dispersed camping in the Arapaho National Forest. Someone in a van was pulling out just as I was passing, to ask if he was leaving. He was, so I opted to take his spot. His name is David and he said he used to own a Travato. He now drives a customized van having moved on from the four-wheel-drive Winnebago Revel. It was interesting talking to him as he knew about the Travato Facebook page, and we also talked about Jo Jo. He had a sheltie mix dog that he lost last year who was 16 pounds with similar colors, like Jo Jo. There are ATV drivers but far enough away and this is a burned out section of the forest full of stark trees, but healthy under growth. And a lot of wildflowers. I found one tight cluster of columbine with at least 30 blooms! Gorgeous!  It’s just a reminder of how the miracle of mother nature restores. This would up being a decent and a free camp spot, as I prepare to return inside the park. I have two nights coming up which regrettably is over the holiday. I am sure this park is always filled, but I wonder what happens during a holiday. Time will tell!
































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