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| Rocky Mountain National Park | ||
| Tourist info web | www.nps.gov/romo | |
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The Rocky Mountain National Park is a national park in Colorado and was founded in 1915.
background
getting there
By plane
On the Denver International Airport, who also works with Lufthansa directly from Frankfurt am Main or Munich is attainable. The airport is relatively uncomplicated and therefore recommended as a direct flight. It is 125 kilometers by road from the airport to the entrance to the national park and 135 kilometers to the car park in the middle, for which it is best to rent a car.
In the street
You can travel to the park either directly via Loveland (Highway 34) or coming from Denver / Boulder via Lyons (Highway 36) to Estes Park. There is a factory outlet in Loveland - there you can stock up on clothes if necessary.
mobility
If you come via Lyons, you can stay cheap and good in the only motel in town. Apartments are rented there that are no longer in the latest style, but have a fully-fledged kitchen (stove, microwave, toaster, coffee maker and large refrigerator). From Lyons you can get to the park in 20 minutes and avoid an expensive overnight stay in the park. The Fall River Road is only recommended if you want to make a round trip and have to go back. However, if you want to drive through and want to continue over the Great Lakes to Gransby, you should definitely take the Ridge Road. The view is indescribable! At the top of the pass you should struggle up the approx. 100 m to the viewing plateau (if you are not used to the altitude you gasp for air), but the view rewards you for the effort. You can also watch marmots there. At the top of the ridge it can be quite stormy and - even if temperatures of 30 ° C prevail in the valley - it can be quite fresh.
The Fall River Road is a dirt road with partly large potholes - with a car it is partly quite a slalom ride. The road leads almost to the top through the forest and you only sometimes have a view of the valley. No comparison to Ridge Road! A good option for a loop, however.
Those who drive through to Gransby via the Great Lakes should note that there are only a few motels in Gransby that can be fully booked even in autumn. Don't get there too late.
Shuttle buses
The National Park Administration operates three shuttle bus routes that start from the Park & Ride in the middle of the park: the Hiker Express connects this with the Beaver Meadows and Estes Park visitor centers, which Bear Lake Route leads to Bear Lake and the trailheads for the Bierstadt Lake and Glacier Gorge trails Moraine Park Route to the campsite of the same name and to the Fern Lake and Cub Lake hiking trails.
The Hiker Express runs daily from the end of May to the beginning of September, then only on the weekends until the beginning of October. The other two lines run daily from late May to early October. The Hiker Express runs every half hour from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., every hour from 7.30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Bear Lake Route is served from 7 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. every 10–15 minutes, the Moraine Park Route from 7 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. every half hour.
Tourist Attractions
Preparations
plants
Animals
Birds
Mammals
- coyote
- Red fox
- Gray fox
- Bighorn sheep
- Black bear
Reptiles
activities
- fishing
- Rockclimbing
- Cycling tour
- hike
shop
In Estes Park there are supermarkets, petrol stations, post offices etc. Of course every kind of souvenir shop - the prices vary from expensive to normal. There is everything there that you can buy anywhere else.
kitchen
accommodation
Camps in the park
- Aspenglen Campground. Price: Price: $ 20 per tent / per night.
- Glacier Basin Campground. Price: Price: $ 20 per tent / per night.
Outside the park
Lovelland (Highway 34) has several motels. From there you drive about 30 minutes to the park. Lyons (Highway 36, about 20 minutes) has 1 motel and various guest ranches. The motel has 6 apartments that are well equipped with a kitchen. Opposite in the Oscar Blue you can eat excellent and inexpensive with home-brewed beer.
security
The roads are wide enough to drive safely. However - as is usually the case in the USA - not always secured with guard rails. The Fall River Road is designed as a one-way street, unpaved, therefore dusty and has many potholes. In order to let the following traffic pass you have to drive into the sometimes short and narrow passing points.
trips
Web links
- official website (In English)
