No matter when you visit Rocky Mountain National Park, you might find your perfect trail among these top 10 hikes. Most trails remain open all winter and spring (though not all roads do), when special equipment and experience may be necessary to travel on the snow. While the warmer months are most popular for hiking, the park is certainly a year-round destination. It’s best to be prepared for anything when hiking in the alpine. The weather in late spring and early fall is typically safer, but can still be volatile with occasional storms. If you hike any trail that rises to the treeline (roughly 11,000 feet elevation) or into any exposed areas, you should plan on being finished, or at least back in the trees, by early afternoon. Lightning is a very real danger at high elevations, and it often comes with intense wind, rain, and hail as well. It’s a weather pattern where moisture-laden air rises toward the sun, and builds into thunderstorms by the afternoon. If visiting any time July through September, you’ll have to contend with the summer monsoons. The bounty of trails means there’s plenty of room to spread out, and you only have to hike a little farther or faster than the crowds to get a slice of the Rockies all to yourself.Īnother major factor in your planning should be the weather.
The popularity of this park is no reason to stay away, though. Also, consider using the park’s free shuttle if you want to hike anywhere in the Bear Lake to Cub Lake corridor. You should arrive early to secure parking at any popular trailhead and have an alternate plan in case it’s full or traffic is backed up. Some areas of the park can get quite busy, so it’s important to plan ahead to get the most out of your trip. Alternatively, you could enter the park by hiking, requiring no entrance fee, from an auxiliary trailhead like Lumpy Ridge or Twin Sisters. You could go the touristy route, by driving into the park and taking the sky-high Trail Ridge Road, or starting a hike from the popular Bear Lake. Across all of Colorado, it’s tough to beat Rocky Mountain National Park in its diversity of trails and ways to access them.
0 kommentar(er)
