Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [345]
The Lily Lake Visitor Center is along Colo. 7 about 7 miles south of Estes Park. In addition to information on the national park, it has exhibits and information on activities in the adjacent Roosevelt and Arapaho national forests. It's open in summer only, daily 9am to 4:30pm.
The Moraine Park Museum is a great spot for families. It is located on Bear Lake Road in a historic log building that dates from 1923. It has full visitor-center facilities, in addition to excellent natural-history exhibits that describe the creation of the park's landscape, as well as the plants and animals of the park. There's also a nature trail outside. The center is open daily 9am to 5pm in the summer only.
The Holzwarth Trout Lodge Historic Site is off Trail Ridge Road—it's a half-mile walk—about 7 miles north of the Grand Lake entrance station. It consists of several historic buildings, including a lodge, with displays of furnishings, tools, and other items from when it was a busy dude ranch. Guided tours are available. The site is open in summer only, daily 10am to 4pm.
FEES & PERMITS
Park admission costs $20 per vehicle for up to 1 week; $10 for bicyclists, motor-cyclists, and pedestrians. Camping in developed campgrounds costs $20 per night during the summer and $14 in the off season when the water is turned off, usually from late September to May. Required overnight backcountry permits cost $20 from May through October and are free the rest of the year (see "Exploring the Backcountry," below).
SPECIAL REGULATIONS & WARNINGS
Rocky Mountain National Park's high elevation and extremes of climate and terrain are among its most appealing features, but also its greatest hazards. Hikers should try to give themselves several days to acclimate to the altitude before seriously hitting the trails, and hikers with respiratory or heart problems would do well to discuss their plans with their physicians before leaving home. Hikers also need to be prepared for rapidly changing conditions, including sudden afternoon thunderstorms in July and August. If lightning threatens, stay clear of ridges and other vulnerable high points.
SEASONS & CLIMATE
Even though the park is open year-round, Trail Ridge Road, the main east-west thoroughfare, is always closed in winter. Assume that you will not be able to drive clear across the park from mid-October until Memorial Day—even into June, snow can close the road for hours or even a day or more. That's not to say that intrepid travelers can't enjoy the park in winter. All park entrances are open, trails accommodate snowshoers and cross-country skiers, and roads to a number of good view points and trailheads are plowed. Those with the proper skills and equipment can cross-country ski into the high country, although they need to be aware of storm and avalanche dangers. Always check with rangers before setting out.
Weather is a key factor that will affect your trip to the park in any season. In summer, temperatures typically climb into the 70s (20s Celsius) during the day and drop into the 40s (single digits Celsius) at night, but because of the park's high elevation and range of elevations, temperatures vary greatly. The higher into the mountains you go, the cooler it gets. Rangers say that for every 1,000 feet in elevation gain, the climate changes the equivalent of traveling 600 miles north. The tree line in the park—the elevation at which trees can no longer grow—varies but is at about 11,500 feet.
Winters usually see high temperatures in the 20s and 30s (below 0 Celsius) and lows from 10°F below zero (-20°C) to 20°F above (0°C). Spring and fall temperatures can vary greatly from pleasantly warm to bitterly cold and snowy. For this reason, spring and fall are when you need to be flexible and ready to adjust your itinerary to suit current conditions. Particularly at higher elevations, wind-chill factors can be extreme. Hypothermia can be a problem at any time, even