Hiking Rocky Mountain National Park Valley and The Alluvial Fan
In this adventure, Deanna and I are hiking Rocky Mountain National Park Valley and the Alluvial Fan. After we get done hiking we try to take a trip up Trail Ridge Road, at least as far as we could go.
Deer Mountain Trail
Since neither Deanna nor I had really hiked through the valley of Rocky Mountain National Park before, we decided we needed to get er done. We were really hoping to see more wildlife such as elk and possible big horned sheep.
Deanna didn’t bring her camera with her, so the only Elk we really saw during the day was towards a parking area not too far from the east entrance to RMNP. However, we did end up seeing some wild turkeys along the way along with one of them putting on a show fluffing up its feathers! I had never seen that in person before, so that was quite the experience. Again, another event we failed to capture on film or camera haha.
This trail had some small spurts of elevation gain, but nothing was very intense. I would rate it as easy, but it is a bit rocky and muddy in some places so make sure you bring suitable footwear.
Alluvial Fan
After hitting up a trail on the lower valley, we decided we wanted to head back towards the alluvial fan that has some amazing waterfalls in the spring time. Since the snow was just really beginning to melt in the area, the waterfalls down the alluvial fan were spectacular and gushing water.
Since another hiker urged us on, we decided to pursue a path along the alluvial fan up as high as we could go…safely. It was totally worth the extra effort to get up towards the top for the view and just seeing new parts of the rocky waterfall we hadn’t seen previously.
I recommend only hitting this area up during days with nice weather though because there are a TON of loose rocks and the trees that we crossed didn’t exactly look too sturdy either. So just use your best judgement when picking a path up to the top because it could be dangerous if the wrong choice is made.
Trail Ridge Road
Trail Ridge Road isn’t a hike through the wilderness, but it is definitely the coolest road I have ever been on in my entire life. We have been living on the road for the past year and still nothing tops this drive.
Unfortunately this time around, Trail Ridge Road was closed off for the higher elevations due to snow cover, but luckily the beginning portion just west of Estes Park was still cleared out for some epic views of the valley below. I believe on Trail Ridge Road you encounter elevations near 12-13 THOUSAND feet above sea level. I know you can drive up to other mountain peaks in the US, but this is the longest and highest I’ve ever been through.
We had to turn around in the middle of the road once we got up towards the top because there was a huge backup at the very last parking lot you can visit before they closed off the road. We’ve seen it before so it was no big deal to us, but hope others got the opportunity to see it as well. Simply breathtaking views.
OTHER NEARBY ADVENTURES
Great Sand Dunes National Park
Favorite Hike at Rocky Mountain National Park
NOTE FROM WRITER
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Adventure On!
