Rocky Mountain National Park in the Winter

Jan 25th Rocky Mountain National Park in the Winter

Just inside RMNP Gate

Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the most visited National Parks in America! We have always spent at least a couple weekends up there camping each summer and fall, but never visited during the winter. This was about to change. On my birthday weekend, my hubby decided to surprise me with a short road trip to RMNP, it’s one of my favorite places in the whole world. We packed up the parrot, dog and ourselves and headed to the high country, brought along a wonderful lunch of raspberry iced tea, turkey sandwiches, Fritos, pretzels and red velvet cake. The views, the wild life, the park rangers and visitors alike are wonderful. The snow was less than we expected, but beautiful all the same. Rocky Mountain National Park majestically rises above Estes Park, Colorado. Last year RMNP celebrated its 100th Anniversary 1915- 2015. Now lets take a look at some fo the ecosystems in the park.

Frozen Bear Lake

Montane below 9,000 feet ecosystem is the park’s gateway whether you enter from Grand Lake, Estes Park or Wild Basin. On warm south facing slopes the ponderosa pines greet you with their sweet fragrance. A sunlight-dappled forest boasts trees up to 150 feet tall, and is home to the tassel-eared Abert’s squirrel. Otters and Beavers work and play in the montane streams. Elk are abundant throughout the park with an occasional moose, bear and other wildlife tripping through.

Sub-alpine 9,000 to 11,400 feet, snow that falls in the alpine zone whooshes down to the sub-alpine areas creating a wet ecosystem with over 30 inches of precipitation yearly. The trees here are sharp-tipped pungent Engelmann spruce and flat-needled fir trees that tower 100 feet toward the sky. The forest floor is covered with shrubs like wax currant, huckleberry, blueberry and Wood’s rose. Flora consists of Arnica, twinflower, purple elephant’s head and fairy slipper. But are just brown branches during the winter. I always loved the name fairy slipper, brought to mind colorful winged creature’s flitting among the wildflowers. In the winter, they’d have froze wings. Not good!

Near Moraine Campground

Alpine above 11, 400 feet, thin soil, strong ultraviolet light, buffeting winds and bitter cold define life on the tundra. Plants that survive here hug the ground in dense mats, preserving moisture with waxen leaf surfaces or trap warmth with hairs against stems and leaves. Wildlife in this harsh environment adapt or die. Marmots store fat and draw upon their reserves as they hibernate. During the summer, Big Horn Sheep graze

Ptarmigan

here, but are long gone by late fall. One resilient bird stays all winter in the alpine zone. Warmed by feathered eyelids,nostrils, legs and feet, the ptarmigan calls the Alpine zone home year around.

Near Bear Lake Road

There you have a little info about the park and it’s ecosystem. Rocky Mountain National Park has something to offer its visitors whether it’s Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall. Come explore!