Greetings from Rocky Mountain National Park

In the early 1970’s, Eleanor and I and the 4 children vacationed in Colorado. We made the trip by car from our home in Lincoln, Nebraska – stopping occasionally for rest and food. As we crossed into Colorado, we played our favorite game. Whoever first sees the mountains, will get a half dollar. This kept the children occupied for a while. One of them did win after a few miles into Colorado. We arrived at our destination – the Rocky Mountain National Park – late afternoon. After a brief stop at the Visitors’ Center we proceeded to the neighboring YMCA Camp where we were going to spend a week in “Klenkataki”, a cabin reserved for us. The cabin was special since it was donated by our office to the YMCA. It had three bedrooms plus a living area, kitchen, bath and loft. It was situated in an ideal location where we could view the mountains in the Rocky Mountain National Park. During the day we spent most of our time hiking and fishing in the Park. Hiking to the top of Flat Top Mountain was a real challenge but worth the effort, the views were tremendous. You begin to realize how vast and majestic this Universe really is. Fishing in clear water streams was a delight for the children. Just sitting on the banks and listening to the water rush by was invigorating and peaceful. The children expressed genuine happiness at catching a fish that they could see in the stream. The weather in the Park was very pleasant but chilly at higher elevations. So during the hikes it felt good to have a jacket. At 4:00p.m. it rained almost every day. It was no problem if you planned of it – in fact we looked forward to it. In the evening, when we returned to the cabin, the children took great pleasure in feeding the chipmunks that were all around and seemed very friendly. The week went by quickly and everyone expressed their feelings about the great feeling they had experiencing nature and the natural world outside of Lincoln, Nebraska.

Sincerely,
Al

Rocky Mountain National Park

This dramatic landscape of towering mountains and alpine lakes encompasses more than 265,000 acres - 95% of which are designated wilderness. With this intentional focus on protecting this unique landscape, there are few developed infrastructure areas in the park, which leads to traffic problems in areas including the Bear Lake Road Corridor and right off Trail Ridge Road. Alpine tundra also encompasses approximately 1/3 of the park. Alpine tundra is a fundamental and fragile resource, which requires park managers to give this ecosystem increased attention for protection.

State(s): Colorado

Established: 1915

National parks represent the best of America. Why do you care about protecting and preserving them? Tell us why parks matter to you!

{{ active ? "Cancel" : "Begin"}}

Success! Thanks for sharing your story with us.

You’ll be notified by email when your story is approved and added to the collection on the My Park Story homepage.

In the meantime, you can share your own story page with your family and friends — and help us spread the word about these priceless memories and priceless places!

Here’s your unique story page link:

{{ storyUrl }}

* indicates Required fields

Click to choose a file to upload

Submitting your story means that you agree to our Terms of Service

More Stories

  • Greetings from Rocky Mountain National Park

    "8 Facts About the Rocky Mountains The Guidebook Won't Tell You." The title caught my eye as I scrolled through the article online. "The Park is a wildlife paradise," it proclaimed, painting a picture of a world where nature reigned supreme, untamed and thriving. Eager to experience this wild haven,…

  • Greetings from Rocky Mountain National Park

    Quick story, ‘88 seasonal support at RMNP. Met (worked with) my wife of now 33 years. Tremendous memories of Estes Park, Trail Ridge Store, and my love.

  • Greetings from Rocky Mountain National Park

    My solo trip to RMNP in the fall of 1969 was an experience that lead me to write a bookend have it published by Koehler Books about how wilderness essentially saved my after me experience in the marine Corps in Vietnam. I saw my first ever Elk on Timber Creek…

Donate

Preserve Our Parks

Make a tax-deductible gift today to provide a brighter future for our national parks and the millions of Americans who enjoy them.

Donate Now