In life, some things just never change: the beauty, climate and abundant wildlife of the Rocky Mountains are truly spectacular works of nature. On your next family getaway, rediscover the beauty of this country in Estes Park, Colorado.
WALK ON THE WILD SIDE
Magical things start to happen when fall comes to the Rocky Mountains. Aspen trees turn golden and magnificent elk descend from the high country to the meadows of Rocky Mountain National Park ($15 entrance fee per vehicle, good for seven days; call 970-586-1206), located within driving distance of Fort Collins, Boulder and Denver. You won't have the park completely to yourselves in October—thousands of people visit during elk breeding season—but it's still far more peaceful than in summer.To get the full effect of being nestled in the mountains, stay at Moraine Park Campground ($18 per tent site; 970-586-2251). Daytime temperatures are in the 50s, and it can get downright chilly (in the 30s) at night, so bring lots of layers and toasty sleeping bags. If camping isn't your style, Estes Park, Colorado, the park's gateway city, offers several rustic lodges, averaging around $90 nightly (try Castle Mountain Lodge; 800-852-7463).
After securing your campsite Saturday morning, beat the crowds with an early arrival at Bear Lake trailhead, where self-guided trails lead to gemlike lakes and streams lined with soldierly columns of lodgepole pine. On the half-mile Bear Lake nature trail, you can stroll around an Alpine lake and learn about glaciation and sub-Alpine life. Longer hikes will take you past waterfalls (get a folder at the trailhead and pick a trail that suits your family's abilities).
After refueling with a quick lunch in town (try Poppy's Pizza & Grill—sandwiches around $7; 970-586-8282), head back to camp for a nap—you'll want to be fresh for an exciting evening of wapiti watching. (Wapiti is a Native American name for elk.) Elk are most likely to be spotted at dawn and from late afternoon till dusk.
It's hard to miss the elk this time of year. Bulls weigh up to 1,100 pounds and sport 5-foot racks of antlers. The park offers a number of elk-themed activities through the first weekend in October. You'll learn all you ever wanted to know about elk, and then some. Call 970-586-1206 for information
If you visit later in October, when the elk are still around but the park-led activities have stopped, pack a picnic dinner and stake out a spot at Horseshoe Park, a favorite elk hangout. Pick up the brochure CALL OF THE WAPITI at park entrances and at the visitors center. Stay by the roadside (these are wild animals) and don't startle the elk with flashbulbs. Be quiet as mice and, come dusk, you may hear the elk's eerie "bugle." This love song (actually a warning to other bulls to stay away, but we prefer the romantic version) begins as a roar, builds to a high-pitched squeal, then drops to a grunt, grunt, grunt. As far as we know, only one other wild species makes this call: very young children.
If you're not in the mood to rustle up campfire grub and s'mores at the end of a long day in the woods, opt for dinner in Estes Park. Try The Grub Steak (bronzed rainbow trout, around $16; kids' chicken tenders, around $5; 970-586-8838), one of the many Western-flavored restaurants in town.
On Sunday, put your most intrepid driver behind the wheel for the white-knuckle 45-mile drive along Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous highway in America. Allow 3 to 4 hours for this trip, which peaks at 12,183 feet above sea level; this will give you time to stop and look at glacier-carved summits and wildflower-studded valleys. Here, above the tree line, you're on the roof of the Rockies. (Trail Ridge Road closes in mid-October.) For more information, call Estes Park Chamber Resort Association and Visitors Center, 500 Big Thompson Ave., Estes Park, CO 80517; 800-44-ESTES.
Diane Bair and Pamela Wright write from their office in Newburyport, Massachusetts.
Please keep in mind that phone numbers, addresses, and prices are subject to change. Updated August 2005.
