Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Bierstadt Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bierstadt_Lake,_Rocky_Mountain_National_Park,_USA.jpg
K.lee


Rocky Mountain National Park is a national park in the north-central part of Colorado. Established on 26 January, 1915, the park covers 265,769 acres (1,075 sq km) and features majestic view of the mountain range.

As the Rocky Mountain National Park straddles the Continental Divide, it has an eastern and a western portion, each with its own character. The eastern side of the park is drier while the western side is wetter and more lush.

Dream Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park
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Ben Bigham


The tallest peak in Rocky Mountain National Park is Longs Peak, at 14,259 ft (4,346 m). It is also the only peak in the national park to exceed 14,000 ft. The park has numerous streams and some 150 lakes. Hiking trails totaling 359 miles (578 km) allows visitors to fully explore the park.

Due to its different elevation, Rocky Mountain National Park has a variety of vegetation. In the lowest parts you find montane forests and grassland. Higher up are different types of pine forest, with ponderosa pine preferring the drier areas while douglas fir at higher elevation. Above 9,000 feet (2,700 m) the montane forest graduates to subalpine forest with conifers such as Engelmann Spruce and Supalpine Fir. Above 11,500 feet, the terrain is one of alpine tundra.

Visiting Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Rocky Mountain National Park is located to the northwest of Denver. From the city, (view Google Map) take Interstate 25 heading north until Exit 243, then head west on Colorado Highway 66 for 16 miles till the town of Lyons. There, continue on W. Main St. (US Highway 36) in a northwest direction. This leads to Estes Park at the national park.

The national park is open all year round. It has five visitor centers, each with its opening hours. Beaver Meadows Visitor Center is located three miles west of Estes Park. It is open daily, with opening hours varying from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm in winter to 8:00 am to 7:00 pm in summer.

Entrance fee is $20 per vehicle, valid for 7 consecutive days. Fee-free days are Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday, National Park Week, First Day of Summer, Public Lands Day and Veterans Day.

Rocky Mountain National Park, off Bear Lake Road
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Charles M. Sauer

List of National Parks in the United States

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Thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye. My hobby is to research information about places, and share the information with people on this website. I started this website on 5 January 2003, and since then, have written about over 20,000 places, mostly in Malaysia and Singapore.

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