Trail Ridge Road Reopens

Every year Trail Ridge Road, the main thoroughfare through Rocky Mountain National Park, attempts to reopen on Memorial Day Weekend. For several weeks before, road crews plow through up to 20 feet of snow, clearing the way for visitors to access the entire park. David and I headed up Sunday morning to get a break from the heat and see the winter wonderland in the mountains.

This was our second year driving Trail Ridge Road after the reopening, and it was just as breathtaking as we remembered. It’s pretty incredible going from the heat wave in the plains to 30-degree temperatures in the alpine tundra – and all within an hour from our house! We made it up to the Alpine Visitor Center, which was unfortunately closed due to a power outage. But next to the building, in a massive wall of snow, the park rangers carved out “NPS 100” in honor of the 100^th birthday of our national parks.

About a week ago, Rocky Mountain posted a video on Instagram of elk walking through the shallow waters of Sheep’s Lake in Horseshoe Park. So before heading back home we took a detour to check it out, and sure enough there was a herd of elk grazing in the meadow by the small lake. We sat on a bench, took a few photos, and just watched them for the rest of the morning. We pinch ourselves every time we get moments like this, grateful we actually get to live here and share this amazing national park with such beautiful animals.