Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [344]
The Nearest Airport. Visitors arriving by plane usually fly into Denver International Airport (☎ 800/AIR-2-DEN; TDD 800/688-1333; www.flydenver.com), 90 miles southeast of the park's east entrances. It's served by most major airlines and car-rental companies. See the list of reservation numbers in the appendix (p. 660–661). From the airport, travelers can also get to Estes Park on Estes Park Shuttle (☎970/586-5151; www.estesparkshuttle.com).
INFORMATION
Contact Rocky Mountain National Park, 1000 U.S. 36, Estes Park, CO 80517-8397 (☎ 970/586-1206; www.nps.gov/romo). You can also get an abundance of information on the Internet. Your first stop should be the park's main website, but also check out the park's Environmental Education Department's website, www. heartoftherockies.net. The park's visitor centers (see below) sell U.S. Geological Survey topographical maps. Also available is Hiking Rocky Mountain National Park by Kent and Donna Dannen, which gives detailed trail descriptions. You'll also find a wealth of detailed information about the park in Frommer's Rocky Mountain National Park, which was written by the authors of this chapter.
The Rocky Mountain Nature Association, Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park, CO 80517 (☎ 800/816-7662 or 970/586-0108; www.rmna.org), offers a great variety of trip-planning tools. The association sells a number of park maps, guides, books, and videos. Videos and DVDs are also available from a number of private companies. Our favorite is INTERpark, Inc. (☎ 800/ 687-5967 or 970/564-9985; www.petro glyphtrail.com).
VISITOR CENTERS
When entering the park, it's wise to make your first stop one of the visitor centers. Except as noted, all can be contacted through the main park phone number (☎ 970/586-1206). Visitor center hours vary seasonally and are based on available staff; the following hours are subject to change. Visitor centers are closed on December 25.
The Beaver Meadows Visitor Center, on U.S. 36 on the east side of the park, has a good interpretive exhibit that includes a relief model of the park, a new 23-minute film on the park, a wide choice of books and maps for sale, and knowledgeable people to give advice. A self-guided nature trail just outside the visitor center identifies many of the park's plants. It's open daily from 8am to 4:30pm, with extended summer hours.
Just outside the park on U.S. 34, just east of the Fall River entrance on the east side of the national park, is the Fall River Visitor Center. In a beautiful mountain lodge–style building, it contains exhibits on park wildlife, including some spectacular full-size bronzes of elk and other animals, plus an activity/discovery room for children, an information desk, and a bookstore. In summer it's open daily from 8am to 6pm, and in winter it is usually open weekends from 9am to 4pm. Next door is Rocky Mountain Gateway (☎ 970/577-0043; www.rockymountaingateway.com), a large and somewhat pricey souvenir and clothing shop that also contains a cafeteria-style restaurant that serves snacks and sandwiches.
The Kawuneeche Visitor Center is at the Grand Lake end of Trail Ridge Road (☎ 970/627-3471). In addition to exhibits on the geology, plants, animals, and human history of the park's west side, there is a small theater where a film on the park is shown, and a short self-guided nature trail. The center is open daily 8am to 4:30pm, with longer hours possible in summer. Kawuneeche (kah-wuh-nee-chee) is an Arapaho word that translates as "valley of the coyote."
The Alpine Visitor Center, at Fall River Pass, has exhibits that explain life on the alpine tundra and a viewing platform from which you are almost certain to see elk. Next door is the Fall River Store, open in summer, with a snack bar and large gift shop that has an especially good selection of souvenirs, gifts, arts and crafts, and clothing, at surprisingly reasonable prices. The center is open late