Explore Rocky Mountain’s great meadows

Rocky Mountain Iris and Golden Banner bloom in a Rocky Mountain
National Park meadow. Photo courtesy of Rocky Mountain NPS.

Among the most pleasant scenes at Rocky Mountain National Park are the many montane meadows. Generally found in valleys between 5600-9500 feet elevation, these grass-dominated sections of the valleys usually are too wet or too dry for trees to grow.

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.

How to spot wildlife on a day hike: Choose when, where you’ll walk

When spotting wildlife, such as this desert
tortoise at its burrow entry, make sure to
keep your distance.

Patience in search required
but often proves rewarding

The following originally appeared as an article, by Hikes with Tykes author Rob Bignell, at Seattle Backpackers Magazine.

Spotting wildlife certainly marks one of the highlights of any day hike, especially when with children. The graceful leap of a deer into the thicket, the curious habits of a rabbit or squirrel, the noble sweep of an eagle through the skies, all serve to astonish, entertain and teach.

Animals prefer to remain hidden (except for those pesky mosquitos, of course), so seeing them can be difficult. You’ll often have to be patient, even on trails in which wildlife sightings are touted in guidebooks and brochures. Still, there are strategies any hiker can use to improve the odds of seeing wild animals.

First, some trails provide better opportunities than others to spot wildlife. Paths alongside lakes and rivers are particularly good as many animals will come to the waterbody to drink. Trails alongside or through meadows also are excellent, for they offer wide open spaces to spot animals grazing in the distance or flying overhead.

The time of day and year you opt to hit the trail also can increase your chances of seeing wildlife. You can best spot animals if you go hiking during:
g Feeding times – Wildlife typically are more active at dawn and dusk. Knowing the types of plants some animals prefer will help you know when you’re in an area that animals feed.
g Migrations – You’ll be able to sight large numbers and a greater variety of birds passing through an area during spring and autumn. Wetlands and large bodies of water usually draw the most migrating birds.
g Greater Visibility – Green leaves in spring and summer tend to hide animals, but as leaves fall off trees and bushes during autumn, your field of visibility will increase.
g Newborn Presentations – During spring and early summer, mothers often take their slow-moving offspring out to explore the world. Watch for them at the edges of woods.
g Changes in Barometric Pressure – That means before and after a storm. Before a storm, many animals seek better shelter to outlast a shower; watch the skies for raptors that also know this and so go on the hunt at that time. Of course, you also must be careful to avoid lightning strikes and flashfloods.

Should you spot wildlife on a hike, always remember to keep your distance. If closing on them doesn’t scare them off, the animal probably will stand its ground and possibly even attack. In addition, it’s never cute to have a child get close to a wild animal for a picture when the creature bites or mauls them.

Don’t be tempted to feed wild animals either. Besides inviting an aggressive attack on you, it teaches animals that humans are a source of food, meaning some are less likely to hunt or graze on their own but instead become a nuisance and even a threat to people. Such is the case with many national parks bears, who’ve learned to raid dumpsters and tents and even break into vehicles for food.

Also, don’t pick up small wild animals, as their natural inclination is to bite and claw when held. Even if docile, it may bite when you get close. If it is sick and a bite occurs, you could contract a disease.

If there are reports in an area of a dangerous animal, especially one that has attacked people, don’t hike there in hopes of spotting it. While such attacks are rare, there’s no need to invite trouble.

Short of seeing wildlife, the next best thing is to catch signs of them. When passing patches of sand or dirt, watch for animal prints. Other signs of animals include scat, flattened plants where an animal may have rested, feathers, fur on fence posts, burrow holes, and scrapings on tree bark.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.