Rocky Mountain National Park

 

On the final day of our trip, we made a game time decision to go to Rocky Mountain National Park.  It honestly wasn't on my radar on when I booked the trip - however, after having multiple people ask "Ooh, are you going to the national park?" I decided to give it some more thought.

Problem is...since COVID, you have to get a day pass well in advance in order to gain entry into the park. Of course, I missed that deadline. Sold Out! I saw on the website that they do open up additional tickets after 5pm on the day prior. 

Well, our day prior was our less than ideal horseback riding trip in Estes Park... It was a tough pill to swallow to consider driving all the way back to Estes Park - and then some - for another day of "family fun" in the park.

Tickets opened up, I logged in quickly enough to have access to a ticket, and decided to test our luck and get one...

So... my observation... people aren't talking about Rocky Mountain National Park enough. 

It. Is. Absolutely. Breathtaking.

Our first stop was Aluvial Fan... which started as this beautiful, manicured trail that winds back to something....

And that something was a gorgeous waterfall with boulders all around (for climbing, of course), this beautiful bridge, and a scenic view of a stunning valley that is surrounded by rocky mountains.

The Hatcher Family was back in action... and not just for the pretty pictures this time...

 

We continued along Trail Ridge Road.

Our next stop was Forest Canyon - it was equally stunning - overlooking a massive canyon with this itty bitty lake across the way, far up in the mountains. 

It really was a spectacular day

A quick stop at Horseshoe Park...

And then we reached Alpine Visitor Center, where we were able to get out and walk along a paved trail to a higher peak in the mountains.  I snagged my running buddy and we jogged up to the top.   

What a feeling ~

It was windy windy windy up there!

Above the timber line - and an absolute stunning drive.

On our way out of the park, we noticed this gorgeous meadow... couldn't resist getting a couple more pictures.

This will go down as one of my most favorite places on earth. It is every bit as spectacular as Yosemite (and that is saying a lot). I am so glad we didn't pass up this opportunity to go experience this incredibly magical place.  

RMNP - you have this girl's heart forever and ever 💞