...of Rocky Mountain National Park

We live on the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park (official site) on the western side, where life is slower and cooler and the snows are a little deeper.

Trail Ridge Road crosses the Rocky Mountains through Rocky Mountain National Park. It is open approximately Memorial Day weekend to approximately mid-October, depending on weather. Snow, ice, poor visibility or other dangerous conditions can close it at any time, so call ahead. Be prepared for conditions to have changed between when you call and when you arrive. Mother Nature is in charge here, not people. It is currently closed for the season. During the summer of 2007 there will be a lot of work happening on Trail Ridge Road. Expect delays of 20-30 minutes, with no more than a total of 60 minutes if there are multiple delays. Overnight, the road will be closed across the tundra -- if you are going from East to West after 9 pm you'll have to use Old Fall River Road (one-way, uphill, one lane) between Horseshoe Park and Alpine Visitor Center; if you're headed from West to East you'll have to take the long way -- driving AROUND the park. The options were to close it at night or just close it for the summer.

There are many "Fee Demo" projects going on throughout the park, look for them when you visit. They are all intended to improve your experience in the park, so please be patient if things are a little untidy on your current visit.

Our windows look out onto the lodgepole pine forest of the southwest corner (more or less) of the Park. The last several years the forest has been under attach by the mountain pine bark beetles. Much of the forest has been killed by the beetles. All over Grand County you will see standing-red-and-dead trees or clear-cut areas. Unfortunately, this is part of a natural cycle that cannot be controlled or contained by humans. The face of Grand County is undergoing a lot of change.

We often see elk, deer, fox, or coyote as they pass through the neighborhood. Occasionally we see moose, bear or porcupine. The wildlife is an important part of our daily lives. We never know when we'll look out the window or come around a bend in the road and come face-to-face with one of our wild neighbors.

We just added a new member to our family - Max the Golden Retriever. He's about 2 years old and came to us through Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies. We're at least his third family - he was picked up as a stray & adopted to a family with horses. But, he wouldn't stop jumping the fences to go chase them.

Now, we've had Max a couple of years and he has relaxed into a great family pet. He'll still take off and run if he gets the chance, but has learned to appreciate a real home where he gets to be with us as much as possible. He's learned to play with toys, swim, and even seeks out loving; something he didn't seem to care much about when we got him.

We are only about a mile and a half from the village of Grand Lake, Colorado

Snowmobiling season is over for another year. Trail Ridge Road is no longer open to snowmobiles. In years past, you could ride from the Kawuneeche Visitor Center to Milner Pass (Continental Divide). Now, the only snowmobiling in the park is a small access corridor from Grand Lake to the North Supply Trail to access the groomed trail system in the Arapahoe National Forest.

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All information and photos on this site copyrighted and may not be "lifted" without my permission. Last updated 04/290/07 by DMason.

This site has been up since January 8, 1998

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