Colorado Vacation and Rocky Mountain National Park Photography on Trail Ridge Road
74Alpine flowers in the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains Vacation
Many pictures of Rocky Mountain photography will be shared in this hub showcasing Upper Beaver Meadow and Trail Ridge Road while addressing one particularly scenic day that my mother and I enjoyed on a Colorado vacation some years ago in the month of July.
Four days of our vacation were being spent in Estes Park and each day we ventured out in different directions to absorb as much of the beauty as was possible in that length of time. Estes Park provided a breathtakingly beautiful portion of our eleven days spent in Colorado.
We had read about these different areas of the Rocky Mountain National Park ahead of time when planning this Colorado vacation.
Reading about things and personally getting to savor these spectacular sites along this scenic route tantalized all of our senses.
Hopefully the pictures in this hub will show what awaits visitors to this part of the world.
Upper Beaver Meadow in Rocky Mountain National Park
Beavers
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Colorado Vacation Spots
The first part of our day was spent exploring Upper Beaver Meadow by car and by doing a bit of strolling through the meadow.
Upper Beaver Meadow is on the East side of the Rocky Mountain National Park and sits at an elevation of around 7800 feet.
Elk and deer are frequently seen and other animals that are occasionally sighted include badgers, fox, coyotes, mountain lions and even bear.
The high meadow derives its name for good reason...evidence of beavers building their dams are easily spotted along the waterways.
These Rocky Mountain beavers are truly busy ones!
We saw evidence of quite a few dams in existence and actually saw some busy beavers swimming and diving down into the water around one of their dams with a branch in tow.
My mother and I wondered just how often these waterways take a new path through the meadow due to the beaver's actions?
Obviously the water would follow a path of least resistance.
Additional Upper Beaver Meadow photos are below...
Scenery in Upper Beaver Meadow with Beaver Dams
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Beaver animals
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aspen trees
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The trees one commonly finds ringing Upper Beaver Meadow are aspens which have leaves that turn a glorious golden color in the Fall as well as Douglas fir and lodge-pole pines.
Upper Beaver Meadow in Rocky Mountain National Park
Riding horses in Upper Beaver Meadow
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One could obviously spend much more time in Upper Beaver Meadow.
Some people were enjoying this special area by riding horses.
Hikers can enjoy taking different trails.
One of them takes one to Deer Ridge Junction and is 1 mile in duration. If one wishes to go a bit further, a 2.7 mile trail takes one to Morraine Park. For those enthusiasts who wish to experience even more, a 6.5 mile hike takes one to Trail Ridge Road.
Speaking of roads, the road into Upper Beaver Meadow is dirt and goes just a little over 1 1/2 miles to the end which is how my mother and I viewed the meadow.
In the winter, the road is closed to automobiles but can still be accessed by walking in with skis, snowshoes and the like.
People who like to fish can find plenty of trout. Rainbow, cutthroat, brook and German brown trout have all been caught in the park's streams, rivers and lakes.
My mother and I were about to take one of the most spectacular 40 mile drives ever...the Trail Ridge Road.
Elk Bugling in Rocky Mountain National Park
Scenery near the bottom of the Trail Ridge Road near Estes Park
National scenic byway
U.S. 34 is the numbered highway that takes one on this spectacular sightseeing journey on the highest continuous paved road in the United States.
From the literature that we picked up, it said to allow four to six hours to drive to the Alpine Visitor Center at the top of Trail Ridge Road and return to Estes Park.
Obviously being a bit of a "camera bug" I knew to allow the maximum or even more time to enjoy this wondrous drive which takes one through multiple life zones.
As we kept driving and going up in elevation the trees started becoming more stunted in growth and eventually ceased growing altogether.
This is one trip that can only be enjoyed in the summertime because deep snowdrifts generally have the upper elevations of Trail Ridge Road closed the rest of the year.
The lower portions of this road are at 8,000 feet elevation and over 10 miles of it are at elevations of over 11,000 feet with the highest altitude reaching 12,183 feet above sea level.
Tourists on the Trail Ridge Road
There are multiple parking areas provided for one's vehicle as one traverses the Trail Ridge Road.
One can gaze upon the surrounding scenery from different vantage points and take pictures as I happily did.
Scenery from Trail Ridge Road
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A Tour of Trail Ridge Road
Scenery near the top of Trail Ridge Road
Alpine flowers
Alpine Visitor's Center
At the uppermost elevations of Trail Ridge Road whether one initiates the drive from the east entrance of Estes Park or from the west entrance near Grand Lake, one finds the Alpine Visitor's Center.
This is a great stopping point where one can get out and walk and view the amazing alpine tundra vegetation.
The profuse vegetation blankets this high elevation of the Rocky Mountains Continental Divide in the summer with thick and often multi-colored flowers which can be seen at close view.
The visitor's center offers people a place to not only get out and stretch their legs, but it also provides a place in which one can purchase food and refreshments; use restrooms, and buy souvenirs if desired.
My mother chose to stay down at the Alpine Visitor's Center while I walked up higher and took these photos of the tundra plants.
Living in Houston, Texas which is not that far above sea level, we really noticed the difference in altitude!
At those sky-high elevations most people took their time in walking and one could easily become sunburned if one spent much time there on a bright day such as we enjoyed.
Tundra area above Alpine Visitor's Center
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saxifrage
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Alpine flowers
Some of the plants that grow on the tundra include anemone, saxifrage, dwarf and alpine clovers, snowball, sky pilot, snowball and king's crown according to some literature that we acquired.
Plowing Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park
Scenery on Trail Ridge Road
Trail Ridge Road
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Lava Cliffs
We were to see many more gorgeous views as we followed the Trail Ridge Road back down, often pulling over to take more pictures.
One of these was at the Lava Cliffs turnout. From this vantage point different mountains can be viewed...Desolation Peaks at 12,949 feet; Mount Chapin at 12,454 feet; Mount Chiquita at 13,069 feet and Ypsilon Mountain at 13,514 feet.
Whoever named Mount Chiquita ( Chiquita in Spanish meaning "very small" ) must have had a sense of humor!
Apparently at some times of the year people actually do technical climbing on these 300 foot tall lava cliffs! But it was July at the time of our visit and they were still closed due to snow.
Lava Cliffs on the Trail Ridge Road
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More snow was to be seen and enjoyed at these high elevations of the Trail Ridge Road even in July!
Snowfield in July on the Trail Ridge Road
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The following pictures will show more of what we got to see as we descended the Trail Ridge Road.
Views we saw while descending the Trail Ridge Road going back to Estes Park, Colorado.
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Trail Ridge Road in Six Minutes
Lower part of the Trail Ridge Road
Rocky Mountain National Park
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Hope you enjoyed this Rocky Mountain photography as taken on my mother's and my Colorado vacation the one day we spent enjoying the Upper Beaver Meadow and the amazing Trail Ridge Road. If you did, please leave a comment below. Many more days of our Colorado vacation will be shared in other hubs.
Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park
Trail Ridge Road - Does this look like a day you would enjoy spending in the Rocky Mountain National Park?
See results without votingIf you like to write and wouldn't mind earning a little extra money for your efforts (at no cost to you) click here and join our friendly community of hubbers. Hope to see your articles soon!
Other Colorado hubs by Peggy W...
- Garden of the Gods - Spectacular City Park in Colorado Springs
- Colorado Travel ~ Pictures of Grand County Colorado ~ Dining at Grandlake Lodge
- Colorado Springs Vacation Pictures ~ Sightseeing Bus Tour of Pikes Peak
America the Beautiful! - Pictures of U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs
- Pictures in Loveland, Colorado - A Sculpture and Art Lover's Paradise
- Rocky Mountains Vacation ~ Continental Divide ~ Fall River Road with Pictures
- Pictures of Cripple Creek in Colorado ~ Historic Old Gold Mining Town
- Pictures of Teeth Chattering Visit ~ Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado
- Pictures of Indian Dancing ~ Cliff Dwellings at Manitou Springs, Colorado
- Pictures of Historic Georgetown in Colorado - Famous Silver Mining Town
If you enjoyed seeing the Rocky Mountains with photos & videos from the perspective of traveling the Trail Ridge Road...please take time to leave a rating regar
CommentsLoading...
Hello Peggy W,
Yup! You have lots of scopes to capture great moments when you have such a wonderful background all around. And the photos have been well captured. Some of them just look like landscape posters. Thanks once again for sharing the album with us.
Hello brandrocker,
Yes, 4 of our 11 day vacation was spent in Estes Park allowing us the time to explore the Trail Ridge Road and other parts of the Rocky Mountains. It was so beautiful! Glad that you liked the photos and videos. Thanks for your comment.
Beautiful hub. You must have spent four terrific days of your life there. Memories glitter. Really enjoyed viewing the pics and the videos.
Hi doodlebugs,
I hear you! Ha! Since I am not a skier, Spring, Summer and Fall would be my preferable time to visit Colorado also. Thanks for commenting on this Trail Ridge Road hub in the beautiful Rocky Mountain National Park.
Great photos in your Hub. I don't want to meet one of the snowblowers on the road, so I'd prefer to visit Colorado in the summer. (Not much of a cold weather person).
Hello Emile R,
How fortunate you were to have been able to spend time living, camping and exploring the beautiful State of Colorado. Nice to know that this hub brought back some happy memories for you. Thanks for your comment. :))
I enjoyed your hub immensely. I used to live in Colorado and we spent every weekend camping and exploring the wonders of that great state.I've missed it and your hub brought back some beautiful memories.
Hi applecsmith,
Lucky you to be visiting Colorado every year! Such great scenery there! Glad that you liked this hub about the Trail Ridge Road. Hope that you enjoy it as much as my mother and I did when we saw it. Thanks for the comment. :))
This is a beautiful hub and the pictures are gorgeous. I love visiting Colorado every year but I have yet to experience some of these locations. I've bookmarked for future reference. Voted up and sharing!
Hello hungryin,
Glad to hear that you liked seeing these photos of Trail Ridge Road in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Thanks for your comment.
It was beautiful to see and watch the pics,
It was beautiful to see and watch the pics,
Hello TheMonk,
It was amazing to see those beaver dams...and so many of them!...in Upper Beaver Meadow. Nice to hear that you enjoyed this photography taken in the Rocky Mountains. You know what they say..."a picture is worth a thousand words." Thanks for your comment.
I´m not really into landscape photography. However, your photos did impressed me! I particularly liked the Upper Beaver Meadow with Beaver Dams. Fantastic!
Hi DaltonPark,
So happy to hear that you have not only enjoyed the Trail Ridge Road but also the Old Fall River Road in the Rockies of Colorado. We traveled both while on vacation and I also shared pictures of the Fall River Road in another hub. Such glorious scenery! You were blessed to have grown up in that area. Thanks for your comment.
Beautiful pics! I grew up in northern Colorado, and your hub made me rather homesick! As a kid, we would go up to Trail Ridge a few times every summer and hike around, in addition to camping all over the Rockies throughout the summer. I would recommend to people that when they go to Trail Ridge from the Estes Park side to take Old Fall River Road, if they are feeling adventurous and the weather permits. This is the winding dirt road 'back way' up to the visitor's center on Trail Ridge. This way gives you a lot of chances to see wildlife, and gets you away from all the tourist traffic on the main road during summer weekends.
Hello KoffeKlatch Gals,
So happy to hear that you enjoyed the Rocky Mountain photography on Trail Ridge Road. It was a scenic part of our Colorado vacation and one well remembered. Thanks for the comment.
Peggy, gorgeous pictures. Thanks for the scenic tour it was great fun.
Hi James,
Thanks for viewing some of this Rocky Mountain Photography taken on the Trail Ridge road and also Upper Beaver Meadow. Glad you liked the pictures shown here from my mother's and my Colorado vacation trip some years ago and appreciate the comment.
The "Upper Beaver Meadow" shots are spectacular! "Scenery viewed from a parking area near Trail Ridge Road" unbelievably beautiful.
You are quite the photographer. Thank you for this exquisite gallery!
Hi jaclin,
Yes, we had some wonderful times together on vacation and also in life. She was my best friend as well as being my mother. I lost her just 13 months ago and still miss her!
I have much more to write about our vacations...even this one spent in Colorado. Have started breaking them into shorter segments so that they do not get too long. So stay tuned...there will be more from Colorado in the future.
It is nice going through photo albums and writing about things that we got to enjoy doing together...same as with your Dad. My Dad died many years ago. My mother was widowed for 28 years.
Thanks for your comment.
Once again an inspiring hub with some fantastic photographs... I was thinking as I was reading it that you appear to have made some amazing trips with you Mom - then I read above that this was your second to last trip with her... I can imagine that writing you hubs and sharing your photos must bring back some wonderful memories of time spent with her. Having lost my Dad five years ago - I love doing scrapbook pages of times spent with him...
Hello oliversmum,
Happy to be able to share this Rocky Mountain photography from my mother's and my Colorado vacation with you. Seeing the alpine flowers growing at 12,000 feet elevation was a treat as was so much else on that great trip.
Even without a fear of flying it is impossible to get everywhere in the world to see it in person. Like you, I enjoy reading and seeing photos from others who write about different areas that I have never visited.
Thanks again for your comment and vote up. Much appreciated! :)
Peggy W. Hi.Thank you for taking us on a spectacular holiday.
The scenery is beautiful and your photographs are magical.The flowers and the wildlife would be something to see in person.
I just wish it was not so far away, and my fear of flying would go away.
Thank you again.I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and looking at the photographs.Voted up. :) :)
Hi Hello, hello,
This one day of my mother's and my Colorado vacation was packed with beautiful experiences. Getting to do some Rocky Mountain photography was a treat for me and to do it from the very high Trail Ridge Road at those lofty heights was amazing. Glad to hear that you liked seeing the pictures and hearing about it. Appreciate the comment.
You are so lucky to see so much beauty. Thank you so much for showing it to us.
Hi Cheryl,
Our Colorado vacation was the 2nd last one my mother and I got to take together. I cherish those memories of us seeing the sites along Trail Ridge Road and experiencing the Rocky Mountains together. Thanks for your comment.
Peggy,
This is a very lovely and colorful hub on your Colorado vacation. Your photos and videos are really great. I would love to experience the beauty of Trail Ridge Road and capture the beauty of the Rocky Mountains. A great hub.
Hi Prasetio,
So very happy to share one day of our Colorado vacation with you! It would be wonderful for you to experience Trail Ridge Road and get to do some of your own Rocky Mountain photography. Knowing you...it would make for a fantastic hub! You always see the beauty in things, big and small. God bless you!
Hello Jeff,
Since you have been to Upper Beaver Meadow and Trail Ridge Road, you first-hand know the beauty of the Rocky Mountains. Climbing them...that is something else that the majority of people never attempt. You are quite the explorer and athlete! Thanks for the comment.
Hi Micky,
Wow! That would be quite a bike ride going up the Trail Ridge Road! If you think you are sore going up Mount Mitchell...OUCH!...in the Rockies! I wouldn't want your saddle sores! :-)
Wow... I can't say anything. Peggy, this is special place and totally beautiful. I liked your report about Rocky Mountain. You have great journey. Well done. I love all stunning pictures here. I hope I can visit this place someday. Vote up as usual. God bless you!
Your best friend, Prasetio
I've climbed three 14er's in Colorado, and backpacked, as well as been to the places in your hub. Love the pictures and videos. You do a nice job of capturing the spirit of the place. Even though I've climbed mountains from Alaska to South America, the Rockies in Colorado never lose their appeal.
Very nice Peggy! I would love to climb this on a bicycle. 12,000 ft.! Our Mount Mitchell is almost half that and it's the highest on the east coast. Beautifully done Peggy!
Hello agusfanani,
Oh yes...beavers can literally change the course of a river with their dams if left intact. We certainly saw a great number of them in Upper Beaver Meadow while on our Colorado vacation in the Rocky Mountain National Park. Thanks for your comment.
DjBryle,
Thanks for taking a look at our Colorado Vacation on this one day that included the Trail Ridge Road. It offers such grand vistas and makes it perfect for taking some Rocky Mountain photography. Glad that you liked it and thanks for your comment.
I enjoy this hub very much, the views are wonderful and I didn't know that beavers are such good engineers ! Thank you Peggy W.
Wow! Such a lovely place. It would be so great to spend some time and relax there... the flowers are beautiful. Thanks for sharing these images with words that makes visiting the place even more interesting. I missed my virtual tour with you, Peggy! 'Been too busy lately, but this virtual tour really helped me unwind and put up a cheerful mood for a better day! Thanks! God bless! =)
Hi dahoglund,
It is amazing to see snow in July but taking into consideration the elevations of the Trail Ridge road in the Rocky Mountains, I guess it is not all that unusual. Thanks for viewing this portion of our Colorado vacation taken some years ago and leaving a comment.
I remember traveling through the mountains in in July of 1960 going to Los Angeles for my brothers wedding. i was so impressed to find snow in July.
Hi Billy,
That's an idea! Add a song to this hub. How about John Denver singing Rocky Mountain High? (Smile) Glad you liked this hub showing more of my mother's and my Colorado Vacation...especially the Trail Ridge Road. Thanks for your comment.
Peggy thanks for sharing some more beautiful photos from your rocky mountain journey - I keep hearing Joe Walsh's Rocky Mountain way now as I read through in my head :)
Hi Pamela,
I know what you mean. Colorado is so beautiful and vacationing there is such a delight. Glad you liked these Rocky Mountain photography images on Trail Ridge and elsewhere. Thanks for your comment.
Peggy, I haven't been to Colorado for a number of years and your pictures make me want to return as soon as possible. The pictures are stunning as Colorado is such a beautiful state. It sounds like your vacation was just wonderful. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Hello AskAshlie3433,
Like you, we almost moved to Colorado Springs once, but those plans fell through. Glad that you enjoyed these Rocky Mountain photography pictures on Trail Ridge and Upper Beaver Meadow on our Colorado vacation. Now that you mention it, our ears were popping a bit! I had forgotten that. Thanks for the speedy first comment.
What a beautiful place Peggy and such a great review. I bet you had a ball. I always have wanted to go there and I actually had plans to moove to Aspen but it didn't work out. That was a snow covered road! Wow, a couple of feet at the least. Great collection of pictures. Love the one with the sign. That is way up there. I bet your poor ears were a popping. Great hub and great read Peggy. Best to you and take care.
Peggy W Hub Author 3 months ago
Hello again bandrocker,
As you can see, we really enjoyed our time spent exploring the Trail Ridge Road and taking photos in the Rocky Mountains. Thanks again for your visit & comment.