Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park is a protected wilderness in Colorado that covers more than 1,000 square kilometers and includes mountain ranges, meadows, pine forests, and alpine tundra. The landscape contains dozens of summits above 4,000 meters, deep valleys with clear streams, and mountain lakes set among rock formations.

Mining companies and settlers pushed into the region during the 1860s after gold was discovered in the valleys, but conservationists successfully campaigned to protect the area, which became a park in 1915. Since then, the administration has worked to preserve wildlife while allowing visitor access, building new roads and trails decades later.

Several peaks above 14,000 feet carry names from the Arapaho language, and old paths through the valleys show where indigenous groups hunted game and gathered roots during summer. Today, hikers from around the world come to explore the same ridges where hunters once followed elk and women dried plants for winter.

Visitors should arrive early in the day to find parking, especially during summer months, and bring warm clothing because temperatures at higher elevations can remain cool even in July. Trails cross many elevation zones, so it is wise to walk slowly and carry enough water to avoid altitude sickness.

A paved road crosses the Continental Divide at over 3,700 meters elevation, making it the highest continuous paved road in the country. Drivers can stop at several points to see both sides of the divide, where rain flows either toward the Atlantic or the Pacific.