Cross Country Travels: Rocky Mountain National Park and Colorado

The next big stop on my cross-country trip was to Colorado and the Rocky Mountain National Park.  And let me warn you, I found the drive up and over the Rocky Mountains quite terrifying.  More on that in just a bit.  The entire Colorado experience was much different than I had anticipated yet beautiful and worth a visit, especially during the fall.  And it was here that my parents joined me and Sampson for the rest of the trip so I loved having them with us.  Here are the adventures we took in Colorado.

The Cross Country Series:

Planning for My 7,000 Mile Cross Country Trip
The Packing Essentials: How I Prepared for My Cross Country Trip
My Cross Country Trip: Getting From SC to Montana
Glacier National Park and Montana
The Yellowstone Experience
Grand Teton National Park and Wyoming
Rocky Mountain National Park and Colorado
Hot Springs National Park and the Journey Home
Tips on Traveling Cross Country with Your Dog

The Week’s Activities and Adventures:

Here’s a quick look at the schedule for this week:

• Day One: Grand Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park, and Lake Estes
• Day Two: Flatirons Visa in Boulder, CO and Denver, CO
• Day Three: Back to Rocky Mountain National Park
• Day Four: Downtown Denver
• Day Five: Air Force Academy and Colorado Springs

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Day One

Grand Lake, Colorado

After spending the night in Saratoga, WY, it was just a short drive to the Colorado border. As you cross over the state border you’re greeted with the ‘Welcome to Colorful Colorado’ sign. 

From there I headed to our first stop, Grand Lake, Colorado. It’s a charming little lake town at the base of the Rockies that reminded me a lot of Lake Lure, NC.  Since we were visiting during the off-season, there weren’t a lot of people which I enjoyed.

I parked along the road in front of the shops and then headed towards the lake. The lakefront area is just a short walk from where you park with a small beach area and public dock.  After walking to get a little exercise we headed back to the main street to find somewhere for lunch.  I found a great barbecue place that had dog-friendly seating outside.  Afterwards I grabbed some ice cream and then we headed towards Rocky Mountain National Park.

Rocky Mountain National Park

From the National Park Service:
Rocky Mountain National Park’s 415 square miles (265,807 acres) encompasses a spectacular range of mountain environments. From meadows found in the montane life zone to glistening alpine lakes and up to the towering mountain peaks, there is something for everyone to discover. Along the way explore over 300 miles of hiking trails and incredible wildlife viewing.

From Grand Lake, it’s just a short drive before you see the park sign.  After a few pictures, we headed to the park but had to turn around at the entrance. As it turns out, I failed to realize they required time entries before 2pm.  RMNP is one of the many national parks that requires timed entry reservations to manage the high volume of cars.  So, be sure to check beforehand to make sure you can get in when you want.

Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long. We then were on our way for what I thought was going to be a delightful drive around the Rocky Mountains towards Estes Lake.  Spoiler alert: I was terribly wrong.

The Terrifying Trail Ridge Road

I still to this day am not quite sure how I misread the Google map I studied beforehand so terribly wrong.  For whatever reason I was under the impression that I would be driving along the bottom of the Rocky Mountains, around them, to Lake Estates.  My plan was to drive around the RMNP since my parents and I would be returning to visit the park together.  As it turns out, the only way to do that is about a three-hour drive south and completely out of the way.  I knew none of this as I drove blissfully onto Trail Ridge Road.

That Unexpected Elevation

The drive started off like I had imagined with a picturesque scene.  Winding roads lined with evergreen trees and blue skies.  However, about 15-20 minutes into the drive, I suddenly realized that we were indeed driving up and over the Rockies towards the 14,259’ elevation peak.  Yes, that’s right, 14,259’ elevation.  And don’t dare ask me how I missed this not so small detail.

Everything physiologically that could go wrong did once we were above the tree line. All I could see was the road directly in front of me, and sky.  No guard rails, no trees, nothing but my life flashing in front of me.  Did I mention I have a fear of ledges?  And that I was driving solo with Sampson asleep in the back seat?  Yeah, to say I was freaking out is an understatement.  If you’re interested in seeing how much I freaked out, check out this story on Instagram.

And if you want to know what a change like that in elevation does to a person, check out this article.

The Slow Drive Down

With no options in front of me except to keep going, I drove as slowly as possible until I reached the Alpine Visitor Center at the top.  I started to get out and ask someone to kindly drive me down the other side but instead decided to keep going.  Since I knew there was no chance I would be driving back up that mountain with my parents and since I made no stops on the way up, I did find a couple of places to take in the sights starting with Forest Canyon Overlook. 

After catching my breathe and both Sampson and I stretching our legs, I started the descent which was much better than the way up.  We made a quick stop at Many Parks Curve Overlook before making our way to Estes Park, Colorado where we spent the night.

Estes Park, Colorado

Truth be told, we didn’t do much of anything once we arrived in Estes Park.  I was so out of sorts about the drive over the Rocky Mountains that I was really just happy to be alive.  I checked into Murphy’s Resort which was a short walk to the lake so Sampson and I spent the late afternoon walking around.  This is a cute little motel with a vintage feel to it.

Day Two

The next morning, we went back to the lake and walking along the paved sidewalks to watch the sunrise before packing up to head out.  My parents were flying into Denver so we took a couple of detours before heading to the airport.

Flatirons Vista

This neat stop is a 3.5 mile loop trail near Boulder, Colorado.  It’s considered an easy route and one of the reasons I chose it was of course because it’s dog friendly.  While it was indeed a pretty easy hike it was an especially hot day and Sampson was struggling.  So, we cut out hike short and instead drove through a couple of small towns before heading towards Denver.

Denver, Colorado

Colorado was full of surprises or perhaps I just didn’t do as well as I thought with my preparations.  I didn’t quite grasp how incredibly big and busy Denver was until I headed first towards the airport to pick up my parents and then to our house right in the middle of traffic near downtown.  I mean seriously, y’all.  There was so much traffic.  I felt like I was in the middle of a speedway race, all of the time.

We got settled into our rental house which was close to Washington Park although we somehow never made it to the actual park.  I did, however, take Sampson on several walks each morning and evening around the historic district we were staying in.

After getting settled into the house and stopping by the grocery store, we decided to have a low-key evening at the house to end the day.  I did go online and was able to get reservations for the Rocky Mountain National Park for the next day so we switched our plans up a little for the next day.

Day Three

Rocky Mountain National Park, Again

My parents had never visited this park and since I knew my dad really wanted to see it, we made it the day’s destination.  I told them upfront that we wouldn’t be able to drive up and over the mountains again. This was fine with my mom since she’s not a fan of heights.  Despite those limitations, we did get to see some pretty areas starting with Bear Lake.  We first went to the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center before entering the park and heading towards Bear Lake Road. This road requires a timed entry and at the end is a large lot where you can park.  My parents first went to see the lake while I walked Sampson around the parking lot. Then my mom watched Sampson for me so that Daddy and I could walk around the lake a little more.

We then headed towards Trail Ridge Road making stops at a few of the overlooks before stopping for a picnic lunch at Hidden Valley.  I’ve said this before but nothing feels more American to me than a picnic lunch out of the back of your car at a national park. 

I then got brave enough to drive back to Forest Canyon Overlook so my parents could see it and they were fine with ending our journey there.  So we headed back down the mountain and made the two hour drive back to Denver, arriving at the house in the early evening. 

Day Four

Downtown Denver

This day’s activities were centered around the downtown area of Denver and have I mentioned I’m not really a big city kind of gal?  Sampson also didn’t do well in big cities but thankfully he hung in there long enough for us to hit some of the main attractions like Union Station and Larimer Square. 

We hopped in the car and headed towards the Botanical Gardens. While my parents visited the gardens, Sampson and I walked around the neighborhoods and into Cheeseman Park which was beautiful. 

Before heading back to the rental house we drove across town to the Potter Highlands Historic District. I always like to see as many historic houses as possible and Denver had a lot of beautiful homes.

The good thing about traveling with my parents is that we were all ready to call it a day pretty early.  I know some people enjoy having every minute of every day filled but I really don’t.  Especially since I had been traveling so long and still had about another week left.  So, the relaxing evening at home to pack and rest was just what we all needed before heading to Colorado Springs the next morning.

Day Five

Colorado Springs

We got up early the morning and headed towards Colorado Springs to visit some family we hadn’t seen in quite a while.  On the way we made a quick stop by the Air Force Academy which was a neat place to see. 

From there we arrived at the first destination in Colorado Springs. I dropped off my parents and Sampson and I killed some time in historic Old Colorado City. 

It was a super quick visit before picking up my parents and heading towards our second stop. We joined more family for lunch about 45 minutes northeast of Colorado Springs.  We spent the afternoon catching up with them before saying our goodbyes and heading to Limon, Colorado for the night.

My Overall Colorado Experience

As much as I hate to say this, I didn’t love Colorado as much as I was expecting. It was beautiful for sure and I have no doubt my first experience driving the terrifying Trail Ridge Road didn’t help. But more so than that, I was surprised at how crowded it was everywhere we went. Perhaps I got spoiled with the slow pace of Montana and Wyoming for the weeks prior? There are still some places I’d love to visit in other parts of Colorado. But as for Denver, I think one visit will do it for me.

In my last post of this series, I’ll share out last major stop, Hot Springs National Park, before heading home. And much to my surprise, it was one of my favorite stops.