High Places and Switchbacks!

Trip Start Jun 01, 2009

Trip End Oct 16, 2009

Loading Map

Map your own trip!

Map Options

Show trip route

Hide lines

Flag of United States Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Monday, July 6, 2009

We are still taking advantage of some down time and traveled north of Denver to Boulder and then on to Estes to enter Rocky Mountain National Park. This is a beautiful park and best experience by car not large RV - if you're not hiking!. The roads are good and there are well marked pull-outs for viewing. My pictures attest to this! I've just posted a few! We are certainly appreciating our seasonal pass to the national parks!

We normally try and do some hiking in each of the parks we visit but the route was long today, and the elevation high, so we settled for a drive through. The Rockies are at their highest in the US in this park and the vistas fantastic.

The trip back to Denver, just outside the park was just as spectacular as the rest of the trip. The mountainside road is steep with many switchbacks but a great drive. One regret is not stopping in a small community, Tabernash, for some pictures. The intriguing buildings have haunted me ever since. They would make great paintings! I wonder if I am ever able to come back?

Once again we returned to find out that we had missed another major rainstorm - but we didn't miss the great cloud formations. The Colorado skies here are fascinating!

Slideshow

Post your own travel photos for friends and family Pictures

Entering the Park at Estes	A whoe day of mountains!	Looking down	We're climbing
Snow is getting closer	The trees are disappearing	Never Summer Mountains	It's cool but not cold
Snow and rocks	and wildlife nearby - look at that rack!	Looking down at the snow	clouds gathering in the distance
At the summit - 11,796 feet	Special roof construction	How do you beat this?	Antelope grazing near the road
At the continental Divide	Proof!	Now the descent and switchbacks	Down into trees again
In a valley near the head of the Colorado	The clouds are looming	Travelling through the valley	This is for my train buff friends
Can you find the switchbacks - we lost count!	Along hwy 40 near I-70	Evidence of mining	Denver Skyline
Elevators in Denver	The Skies here are Interesting	and varied	These just hung overhead
The elevator in Strasburg