Trails explore RMNP’s varied geography

Mt. Meeker and Longs Peak (l-r), the highest points in Rocky Mountain
National Park stand above scenic Lily Lake. The lake is adjacent to Colo.
Hwy. 7 south of Estes Park. NPS photo.

Rocky Mountain National Park marks only a small portion of Colorado’s Front Range. Indeed, those advocating establishment of the national park during the early 20th century sought to protect a million acres but only got a park a quarter that size. Still, at 415 square miles the park is quite representative of the Southern Rocky Mountains, which stretch from just northwest of Cheyenne south to Santa Fe and at its widest from the Great Plains to the desert along the Colorado-Utah border.

The park’s terrain is entirely mountainous and at a high altitude – the lowest point is at 7,860 feet, nearly a mile and a half above sea level. The highest point is Longs Peak at 14,259 feet, and more than 77 mountains soar higher than 12,000 feet.

Because of this, the park’s geography perhaps is best thought of vertically and in 3D rather than horizontally across a 2D map. Elevation is the main determinant of how different parts of the park appear.

Indeed, three distinct ecosystems make up the park. The lowest and most visited is the montane ecosystem, which ranges from 5,600 to 9,500 feet. There you can find mountain meadows and green forests of ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, and lodgepole pine. A great hike through the montane ecosystem is the Alberta Falls Trail.

Above it is the subalpine ecosystem, which begins between 9,000-9,500 feet and continues to about 11,000 feet. With higher snowfalls, the winters are longer and colder than at the montane elevations below. Trees here include the hardier limber pine, Engelmann spruce, and subalpine fir. The park's Bear Lake Loop explores the subalpine region.

The highest ecosystem is the alpine tundra, which begins at 11,000 feet. It’s mostly treeless with only the robust of plants able to grow there. A day hike cutting through this low-oxygen terrain is the Alpine Ridge Trail.

Through these ecosystems run 473 miles of streams, many feeding the park's 147 lakes. The park is the headwaters for several important rivers in Colorado, including the Big Thompson, Cache la Poudre and Fall, and for the most important waterway in the Southwest, the Colorado.

The diversity of landscapes across the park serves as the home for more than a thousand kinds of flowering plants, 280 bird species, 141 types of butterflies, and 66 mammals. At the park’s high elevation, though, only one kind of snake – the harmless garter – can survive. Most flora and wildlife here can be found well beyond the park boundaries.

Learn more about the park's day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at Rocky Mountain National Park.