While we had to flee Utah to escape the summer heat, that didn’t necessarily mean our National Park quest was at an end. While we were camped out at Stillwater Pass, we were just minutes from “The Land of Extremes”: Rocky Mountain National Park.
Things to do at Rocky Mountain National Park
In addition to hiking and camping opportunities, Rocky Mountain National Park has several unique attractions for the historians and biologists in your family.
Holzwarth Historic Center
The Holswarth Historic Center was a bit of a surprise. We’re no strangers to reenactments and found great joy in locations as diverse as Camlann in Washington to the “Disney” Jamestown in Virginia. In Rocky Mountain National Park, we were treated to the preserved sites of Never Summer Ranch, Holzwarth Trout Lodge, and the homestead of the Holzwarth family. The staff of this area dressed in clothing appropriate to the 1910-1970’s, when the location was active, and they loved to tell stories of the history. One of the most impressive artifacts was the iron stove. While not that impressive from a modern perspective, knowing that that stove had to travel by rail, then by wagon from Denver to the Ranch, a distance of over 60 miles; that was impressive.
Trail Ridge Road
Trail Ridge Road is the main road through Rocky Mountain National Park, but it winds up and down through the peaks, offering beautiful panoramic views of wildlife and geologic time. Following the path, the kids and Dad were able to easily trace the changing biomes from the tree-dense montane at the entrance to the subalpine transition zone and, finally, the vast expanses of alpine tundra at elevations of 10,000 feet! The cherry on top is the Alpine Visitor’s Center, whose self-contained power and water systems are only open in the heat of summer as winter snows routinely bury it. Speaking of heat. While Mom was at the bus comfortable in 70-degree heat, the kids and Dad were regretting not bringing our jackets as we hiked up to 12,000 feet at Milliner Pass at 40 degrees!
Whatever you look for in the national parks, Rocky Mountain National Park has something for you.