Rocky Mountain National Park
Location: North-central Colorado. Area: 358 square miles. Season: June 1 to October 1. Address of Supervisor: Estes Park, Colorado.
Railroad Connections
Rocky Mountain National Park is the easternmost of the great scenic Parks and the most accessible to persons in the East, as its eastern border is only a few hours from Denver.
The town of Estes Park, which is just east of the National Park, and which is the starting-place for all points in the eastern portion of the Park, may be reached from Denver by automobile or by train and automobile. The trip may be made by motor in one direction and by railroad and automobile in the other. The fare is $9.60 for the round trip by any of the routes. The railroad routes are by the Union Pacific to Fort Collins or Greeley, thence by automobile; by the Colorado & Southern to Boulder, Loveland, Longmont or Fort Collins; and by the Burlington by way of Longmont or Lyons. The western portion of the Park may be reached from Granby, on the Denver & Salt Lake Railroad. Round trip from Denver, $8.10. From Granby stages run to the town of Grand Lake, which is just outside the Park. Round trip fare from Granby, $3.50.
Tourist rates to Denver are as follows: From Chicago, $32.50; from St. Louis, $27.50.
Automobile Routes
From the Lincoln Highway the best route is by way of Greeley and Loveland. Distances: Cheyenne to Greeley, 55.2 miles; Greeley to Estes Park, 54.5 miles. There are two routes from Denver—via Longmont and Lyons, 69.3 miles, and via Boulder, Boulder Cañon, and Lyons, 73.3. The best scenery is along the Boulder route.
Hotels
All the hotels in the Park are along the eastern boundary near the town of Estes Park; there are also other hotels outside the Park and near the town. The camps within the Park and the rates are as follows:—
| Lawn Lake, Bradley & Patrick | $3.25 a day |
| Bear Lake, A. E. Brown | 2.50 a day |
| Glacier Basin, A. E. Sprague | 2.50 a day |
| Fern Lodge, F. W. Byerly | 2.50 a day |
| On Thompson River, Byerly and Rogers | 2.50 a day |
| At timber line on trail to Long’s Peak, Enos A. Mills | 3.25 a day |
The address of all these camps is Estes Park, Colorado.
The rates at the hotels near Estes Park are as follows:—
| Brinwood Hotel | $2.50 to $3.50 a day; $12 to $20 a week |
| Brown Tea Pot Inn | $2 to $4 a day; $12 to $25 a week |
| Columbines Hotel | $3 a day; $14 to $20 a week |
| Elkhorn Lodge | $3 a day and up; $16 a week and up |
| Fall River Lodge | $2.50 to $4 a day; $12 to $25 a week |
| Forks Hotel | $2 a day; $10 a week |
| Hewes-Kirkwood Ranch | $2 to $3 a day; $14 to $18 a week |
| Horizon Hotel | $2 to $3 a day; $12 to $18 a week |
| Horseshoe Inn | $2.50 to $4 a day; $12 to $25 a week |
| Hupp Hotel | $3 a day; $12 to $15 a week |
| Lester Hotel | $2.50 to $3.50 a day; $12 to $20 a week |
| Lewiston Hotel | $3 to $5 a day; $20 to $35 a week |
| Long’s Peak Inn | $3.50 to $6.50 a day; $15 to $40 a week |
| Moraine Lodge | $2.50 a day; $12 to $20 a week |
| Park Hotel | $2 to $3.50 a day; $10 to $20 a week |
| Rockdale Hotel | $2 to $3 a day; $11 to $20 a week |
| Stanley Hotel | $4 a day and up |
| Stead’s Ranch and Hotel | $11 to $16 a week |
| The Crags | $2.50 to $5 a day; $14 to $35 a week |
The following hotels are at Grand Lake near the western boundary of the Park:—
| Lehman’s Hotel | $2.00 a day |
| Langles Hotel | 2.00 a day |
| Kauffman House | 2.50 a day |
| Narwata Hotel | 2.50 a day |
| The Rapid Hotel | 2.50 a day |
Trips
There are no scheduled trips in this Park and special arrangements must be made. Horses cost $2.50 a day. The most important trips are the following:—
| Miles | ||
| From Estes Park to | ||
| Hallett Glacier | 11.25 | |
| Lawn Lake | 8.8 | |
| Specimen Mountain | 20.2 | |
| Fern Lake | 10.25 | |
| Sprague Glacier | 13.5 | |
| Bear Lake | 8.5 | |
| Black Lake | 12.0 | |
| Flat-Top Mountain | 11.2 | |
| Loch Vale | 10.5 | |
| Glacier Gorge | 10.2 | |
| Long’s Peak | 15.5 | |
| Chasm Lake | 13.4 | |
| From Grand Lake to | ||
| East Inlet (Lake Verna) | 7.5 | |
| Flat-Top Mountain | 12.5 | |
| Specimen Mountain | 16.5 | |
| Nanita Lake | 8.25 | |
Fishing
There is good fishing for native, Eastern brook, and rainbow trout in the lower portions of all the streams and in some of the lakes, although the fish are small. The best lakes are Lawn, Fern, and Odessa. Early in the season during high water the fish will take worms only. The flies generally used later are the coachman, royal coachman, brown hackle, and gray hackle. Grasshoppers are used when they can be obtained. Fishermen must obtain Colorado fishing license costing $1 for residents of the State and $2 for non-residents. Licenses may be obtained in Estes Park.