Rocky Mountain National Park

I

Introduction

Rocky Mountain National Park, national park established in 1915. Located in north central Colorado, the park preserves a magnificent section of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, one of the highest areas in the United States. It features some of the most spectacular mountain peaks in Colorado, with more than 50 peaks above 12,000 ft (equivalent to 3,658 m). Longs Peak, the highest point in the park, is 4,346 m (14,259 ft). The park is noted for its lakes, streams, glaciers, tundra, subalpine meadows, and abundant plant and animal life. The Continental Divide crosses the park, and there are differing weather patterns on the eastern and western sides. The west side of the park is wetter and contains more lakes and streams than the drier east side.

II

History

During the last ice age glaciers formed U-shaped valleys and created much of the park’s rugged beauty. Native American groups, such as the Ute and the Arapaho, lived in the region during the 18th and 19th centuries. The United States acquired the area in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. Early settlers included Joel Estes, who came to Colorado in 1859, and the earl of Dunraven, an Irish nobleman who amassed land in the Rocky Mountains during the 1870s for a personal hunting ground and feudal estate. Disputes over land rights, and the increasing number of tourists visiting the area, led Dunraven to sell off all his lands by the beginning of the 20th century. A movement to preserve and protect the area’s natural beauty began in the early 20th century. Rocky Mountain National Park was established through the efforts of inventor and hotel owner F.O. Stanley and naturalist Enos A. Mills, considered the “father” of the park.

III

Flora and Fauna

The park includes 700 species of plants. The lower slopes and valleys, at 2,000 m (8,000 ft) above sea level, feature lodgepole and ponderosa pine, blue spruce, Douglas fir, juniper, and aspen. Above this elevation, subalpine forests contain Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir, as well as an abundant wildflower, the blue Colorado columbine. Above the timberline, where trees do not grow, are extensive areas of tundra. Lichen, mosses, and hardy flowering plants grow profusely on these high, treeless expanses, forming a vegetative cover that resembles the Arctic.

Wildlife in the park includes elk, deer, beaver, mountain bighorn sheep, black bear, lynx, antelope, and coyote. The park is also home to such birds as the golden eagle, the white-tailed ptarmigan, and the rose finch.

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IV

Other Points of Interest

Trail Ridge Road, a 77-km (48-mi) scenic highway linking the eastern and western sides of the park, is the highest paved roadway in the United States, reaching a maximum elevation of 3,713 m (12,183 ft). The road offers magnificent views of the Rockies as it passes through tundra areas and crosses the Continental Divide at Milner Pass at 3,279 m (10,758 ft). Rocky Mountain National Park provides 571 km (355 mi) of hiking and riding trails. The Moraine Park Museum, in the eastern part of the park, presents exhibits about the geologic history of the Rocky Mountains. The Alpine Visitor Center, located on the Trail Ridge Road, features exhibits about the park’s alpine tundra ecosystem. Administered by the National Park Service. Area, 107,577 hectares (265,828 acres).

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