I’ve been
hiking in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Park for years. I thought you might be interested in some of
the pictures and videos I’ve taken. I’ve
arranged them by seasons so you can see what it looks like throughout the
year. All of the videos are of water
because I like hiking near water.
I’m not a
professional photographer with an expensive camera. What you see here is what you’ll see if you
visit RMNP with a point-and-shoot camera or with your phone. Some of the videos were made with an old
camera so the resolution isn’t the best.
Videos are at the bottom of the page.
This page is
very plain, no graphics. The pictures
are the thing here. I hope you enjoy
these images of Rocky Mountain National Park through all four seasons.
Spring
Spring is when
the snowmelt is at its highest. In early
spring, we still have a lot of snow. At higher elevations, we can have three
feet of snow in June. Some hiking trails
are inaccessible until July because of the snow. Water comes down the mountains like a freight
train in May and June. Hiking in an
early spring snowstorm can be an adventure, as long as it’s done safely.
Normally I try to take
pictures without people. But in this
picture of Alluvial Fan, the people provide perspective.
This is Chasm Falls. It is on old Fall River Road, a winding dirt
road that goes up to the visitor center at the top of the mountain. In the spring it’s closed to vehicular
traffic but you can hike to Chasm falls on the road. This shot was taken at the top of the falls, the
next one was from below the falls.
If you hike when it is rainy and misty, you often have the trails to yourself.
Ouzel Falls is not the most spectacular waterfall in the
park, but it is one of my favorites because you can get close enough to stand
in the spray. And even though it’s not
the tallest waterfall, it’s still impressive.
The hike to Ouzel takes you by some smaller waterfalls and cascades
(Copeland Falls, Calypso Cascades). The
picture below is Ouzel, the one below that is a smaller fall along the way.
Summer
I the
summer, July through September, the water dries up as the snowpack melts
away. But some places still have
impressive water even in the summer months.
I normally leave animals out
of my pictures. But this was taken on
the Deer Mountain trail. Where, not
surprisingly, you might see deer.
This little bridge is on the trail to lake Haiyaha. Yes, we call this a bridge here. This is one of the areas that is difficult to reach until summer. There is one spot on the trail that I’m just not willing to try even with snowshoes.
A mountain rainbow on a foggy, misty day.
Fall
Fall in the
mountains doesn’t have large amounts of water.
Some of the mountain peaks still have snow fields. And we can get fresh snow at the tops of the
mountains in September. Some of the roads such as the upper portion of Trail
Ridge Road in RMNP will close in September due to snow. But fall is when the aspens change color. The trail to Bierstadt Lake is one of the
best hikes to see fall foliage. But it’s
so popular that you may find parking difficult if you don’t arrive early. Of
course, if you don’t want to hike, you can find a lot of roads that will take
you to impressive foliage, such as Peak-to-Peak highway (Highway 72) and
Highway 285 through Kenosha Pass.
This one is Bear Lake. I really like the trees reflecting in the
water. This contrasting color is created
by stands of aspens among the pines.
This picture isn’t in the park, it’s of Kenosha Pass. Just to provide a different view of the
aspens.
Winter
In the
winter, of course, we have snow. And we
can have a lot of it. Some of the
pictures I’ve taken are of places that just are not accessible in the winter. There isn’t as much water in the winter, but
the snow itself can make some beautiful landscapes. And sometimes the snow shows you things you
wouldn’t otherwise see. We were hiking
on new snow one day, the only tracks there were ours – and those of a cougar,
whose tracks cut across the trail.
Water flowing under snow near Sprague Lake.
Videos
Standing in the spray at
Ouzel Falls
A cascade
on the way to Ouzel Falls
A spring snowmelt
cascade beside the trail