Grand Lake, Colorado
Grand Lake is the largest natural body of water in Colorado. It is adjacent to the western entrance to RMNP, which surrounds the lake on three sides.
Adams Falls
We loved our afternoon of floating in our inflatable kayak with the sail boats.
Benson Sculpture Garden
Located in Loveland, Colorado, Benson Sculpture Garden has provided a beautiful and unique outdoor setting for showcasing sculpture since 1985. Currently, there are 154 pieces of sculpture on permanent display by world renowned artists. This, free to the public, 10-acre park includes handicap accessible sidewalks, a public restroom and several picnic areas.
This “public treasure” annually draws tens of thousands of visitors from around the globe. It has been recognized as “one of the 200 most important modern and contemporary art sites around the world” and as “one of the 20 must-see contemporary art sites across the USA”.
In the evening, Scott makes hot dogs in the fire pit for supper.
RMNP: The Hikes
We completed seven of the top ten hikes within Rocky Mountain National Park. The three we did not attempt were much too long for our abilities. Below is a quick description and picture of each hike. You may click each title or accompanying picture for additional pictures we took while on each hike.
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Loch Vale:
This 6 mile hike is wonderful and so worth the heavy breathing. Alberta Falls is on the way to this scenic spot. Because of the elevation increase, I had to put on my coat.
Nymph/Dream/Emerald Lakes with Bear and Sprague Lakes added on
All told this is about 4.7 miles for all these hikes. The first lake on the hike is Nymph Lake which is beautiful with the lily pads floating on the surface. Dream Lake follows and is a good place to fish. Dream Lake is so clear that you can see the hills above reflected in the water. The destination spot was Emerald Lake. There was still snow in the mountains surrounding this lake.
We also took in Bear Lake and Sprague Lake during this hike. We had to park at Sprague Lake due to the crowds and the trailhead started at Bear Lake. Both are lovely with easy trails and are usually filled with tourists.
This 5.5 mile round trip hike features the beautiful Ouzel Falls. We were so close to the falls we were getting misted. Copeland Falls is the less impressive waterfall on this hike.
2.3 miles one way. This hike features Cub Lake covered in water lilies that were blooming in lovely yellow flowers.
This is a killer 8.5 mile round-trip hike with a 2,360 foot elevation and a scramble to the peak. We almost didn’t get to see the lake as the snowy, narrow path nearly convinced us to stop. Some fellow hikers gave us their grampons and we were off. I am not sure-footed so this was an adrenaline rush that I did not want. Chasm Lake was gorgeous and Scott made a little friend. You can see the clouds in the horizon so we hustled down to avoid the afternoon showers that are very common.
Mills Lake from Glacier Gorge Trail
A 2.8 mile hike to Mills Lake with the backdrop of Longs Peak (the highest peak in the park). On the way Alberta Falls is a nice place for pictures. (Which we saw on the Loch Vale hike).
We capped off our hikes at RMNP with our longest hike yet. The scenery was good but hiking the always rocky terrain of the trails was tough on the body. 9 miles is probably more hike than I want to do for future reference.
RMNP: Trail Ridge Road
We spent a month in Loveland, Colorado to explore Rocky Mountain National Park. Our first adventure in the area was the scenic drive on Trail Ridge Road. Trail Ridge Road is the most popular scenic drive through RMNP. It is the world’s highest continuous paved highway, topping out at 12,183 feet. The 48 mile road connects the park’s gateways of Estes Park and Grand Lake.
Here is some wildlife we saw along the drive:
Comfortable seat and nice view
View from the top and above the clouds…
Grand Lake…
Estes Park is the home of a famous building. Do you recognize it?
How about now?
The hotel where the Shining was filmed is here with a make-shift maze like in the movie.
Red Rocks Amphitheater
Red Rocks Amphitheater is known for its great acoustics. Performers from all over come to this nearly 10,000 seating capacity venue. We almost skipped a show here since most of the bands we wanted to see were already sold out (and we looked months prior to arriving). We decided instead of a live performance we would take in a movie – Rogue One. And we are so pleased we did. Prior to the movie two local bands played as well as a comedian.
The cityscape in the background, the people in the crowd, as well as the movie itself, made for a wonderful time. The sound was definitely better than a movie theater.
We went back later to explore the formations and the Colorado Music Hall of Fame with our pal Doug.
Garden of the Gods
We liked Garden of the Gods so much we went twice, once with our friends and again with Buddy. Garden of the Gods is a public park located in Colorado Springs. It was designated a National Natural Landmarks in 1971 and is completely free. You can hike, bike, horse ride, picnic, or just marvel at the beauty of the red rocks.
Garden of the Gods Park got its name from two surveyors who helped to set up Colorado City One of the surveyors, M. S. Beach, suggested that it would be a “capital place for a beer garden”. His companion, the young Rufus Cable, awestruck by the impressive rock formations, exclaimed, “Beer Garden! Why it is a fit place for the gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods.”
The Gods Assembled
Siamese Twins
Kissing Camels
Balanced Rock
The Keyhole
Three Graces
Cathedral Spires
Sleeping Giant (not Buddy the rock formation behind him)
Pikes Peak and the dreaded Manitou Incline behind us.
The elusive Molly with Doug
