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| Rocky Mountain Iris and Golden Banner bloom in a Rocky Mountain National Park meadow. Photo courtesy of Rocky Mountain NPS. |
The grasses and forbs in these meadows provide food and habitat for an incredible number of animals. In fact, if you want to spot wildlife at the park, the meadows are a great place to do so.
Rocky Mountain’s meadows attract elk, deer, both Wyoming and golden mantled ground squirrels, as well as a variety of migrating birds and insects. Several animals use the meadows seasonally as winter buries their mountainside homes in snow. Among them are bighorn sheep, black bear, and mountain lion.
Locally called “parks,” these meadows typically formed when glacial lakes drained at the end of the last ice age. This can leave many meadows with sandy topsoil and a generally flat terrain.
Several scenic mountain meadows, full of wildlife and wildflowers, can be found in the national park. Most of these can be reached via a day hike. They include:
• Big Meadows – The largest montane meadow in the park, it’s an excellent place to spot moose, elk and deer grazing in the grass or the fen. The 3.6-mile round trip Green Mountain Trail heads to a clump of boulders at the meadows’ edge. The path is a segment of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail.
• Long Meadows – Stretching two miles between Timber and Onahu creeks, this is an isolated meadow. Small streams in the meadow create a small marshy area. The Timber Lake Trail runs 7.6-miles round trip primarily through forests to the meadow.
• Upper Beaver Meadows – This broad meadow offers great views of Longs Peak and mountains on the Continental Divide. The 5-mile Upper Beaver Meadows Loop circles and also cuts through the grassland. Hike the trail clockwise.
• Hollowell Park – This large and marshy meadow along Mill Creek is known for moose and packs a lot of local history. Ranchers and sawmills could be found in the area through the early 1900s. The Hollowell Park Trail runs 2.75-miles round trip to Mill Creek Basin.
• Shipler Park – A small meadow sits along the Colorado River at the base of Shipler Mountain. The La Poudre Pass Trail crosses the meadows on the way to the historical mining ruins of Lulu City, which is 3.1 miles from the Colorado River trailhead.
• Kawuneeche Valley – A large meadow fills this area, whose name comes from the Arapaho word meaning “valley of the coyote.” The aptly-named Coyote Valley Trail runs through part of the meadow. Visit in spring when an array of wildflowers bloom.
Learn more about the park's day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at Rocky Mountain National Park guidebook.
