Rocky Mountain National Park

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The Rocky Mountain National Park is located in Colorado. It is one of most visited parks in the United States with 4.5 million visitors a year. It is one of the highest national parks in the U.S.

Geology

The park includes the Rocky Mountains. Most of the park is designated as wilderness to help protect it. Over time, mountain tops have been flattened by erosion but glaciers have left valleys and lakes. The oldest rocks found in the park are 1.7 billion years old.

Wildlife

The park is home to elk, moose, mule deer, white tailed deer, pronghorn, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, black bears, grizzly bears, gray wolves, coyotes, cougars, bobcats, Canada lynx, and wolverines.

Things to Do

Visitors can hike, take a drive on Trail Ridge Road, take photos, picnic, camp, fish, horseback ride, camp in the wilderness, mountain climb, and more. There are over 355 miles of hiking trails including flat lakeside walks and steep mountain climbs.

Fun Facts

Drivers climb over 4,000 feet in only a few minutes while driving on Trail Ridge Road.

It is home to only one reptile, the garter snake, which is not poisonous.

It is home to many butterflies.

Source: National Park Service https://www.nps.gov/