Rocky Mountain National Park

As a kid, my parents took me to Rocky Mountain National Park. We enjoyed camping, hiking, seeing the beautiful mountain sights and viewing wildlife. As an adult I continued visiting the park. When I lived in Fort Collins I took my boyfriend there. Kyle and I decided that we wanted to get married in August. At first we wanted to get married in Yosemite but Rocky Mountain National Park was a special place for me. In Colorado, you can solemnize your own marriage where you don’t need to have any witnesses or presiding authority. We signed our marriage certificate at Lake Haiyaha on August 21, 2011.

●over 300 miles of hiking trails, 150 lakes, and 450 miles of streams

●The park contains over 60 named peaks higher than 12,000 feet.

●The highest point of the park is Longs Peak, which rises to 14,259 feet above sea level.

1.       Sprague Lake: located on the south side of Glacier Creek, half mile walk around the lake

2.       Bierstadt Lake: lies on a large moraine near Bear Lake Road on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park, 1.4 miles one way, 9,416 feet

3.       Bear Lake: is in the heart of the park; the lake lies below Hallett Peak and the Continental Divide.

4.       Nymph Lake: a lake of beautiful yellow lilies, views of Longs Peak and Hallett Peak, at the end of Bear Lake Road, .5 miles one-way, 9700 feet

5.       Dream Lake: high alpine lake east of the continental divide, accessed via the Bear Lake trail, at the base of Hallett Peak

6.       Emerald Lake: in the valley between Hallett Peak and Flattop Mountain, 1.8 miles one-way, 10,080 feet

7.       Lake Haiyaha: 3.9 miles round-trip, Haiyaha is an indigenous Indian word meaning rock, Hallet Peak and Otis Peak stand over Lake Haiyaha

8.       Trail Ridge Road: crests over 12,000 feet including many overlooks, connects Estes Park and Grand Lake.

9.       Moraine Park: wide-open plain carved out by glaciers thousands of years ago