Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Visiting Rocky Mountain National Park ...

I'll be in Boulder for a few days this month. The only day I have to hit the park is Sunday September 17th. I'm hoping to get some good video and pictures of elk rutting. With just one day to explore can anyone share some SPECIFIC spots or roads to try? Thanks.

Bob

You can do the entire park in one day. You'll find Elk.

Forget the park. You will likely see more elk on the golf course in Estes Park.

All kidding aside, try Moraine park early in the day or near sunset. There is usually a good sized herd in there. Look for Moraine campground to find the area. Sprague lake is a great spot to find a moose walking around in the water (You can wade across the entire lake). West Horseshoe park is another good place to catch elk bugling and sparring. During the heat of the day, drive up to the top of Trail ridge road. There is a wide alpine area near the top that generally holds a few hundred head.
Enjoy your visit.

If you get to Estes early enough there is a cinnamon roll maker that opens at 7 am, usually sold out by about 8 or 9. They are just outside the northern entrance to the park. 920 US-34 BUS, Estes Park, CO 80517. Well worth the early start.

Good advice thus far. Not sure where you're from, but altitude sickness is a real thing, and the park is over 14k' ASL.


Okie John

Ignorance is a real thing too.

The park starts on the outskirts of Estes Park.... which is under 8,000 feet.

You can drive Trail Ridge at 11,500'.... but "the park is over 14k" is pure dipshittery.

Here is a good place to start....


If you are in Estes for one day you will be able to see plenty of elk. They are everywhere. You could make a wildlife documentary in the McDonald's parking lot. Moraine park is a great place to see them as well on the west side of the park near the Continental Divide.

There are so many elk that they've talked seriously about importing wolves to thin them out. Last I heard, they've retained some small bit of sanity and haven't done it.

Thanks for the intel. Just what I was after.

Bob

Thanks. I camp for 9 days every year at 10,000 feet. Appreciate the heads up.

Bob

Go in the North entrance thru Estes Park. That road will take you to Horseshoe Park. Usually a big herd there. .After that, continue to the top of the hill,turn left at the T intersection and that will take you back down close to Beaver Meadows .When you get to the bottom land,take the right that will take you along the north edge of meadow towards the stables.Then take a left before the stables Come back out, go further down the road and take the next right, turn right again,that will take you along the south side of the meadow.

Those two are the biggest gatherings usually of elk herds in the rut.

Expect crowds of really stupid people and you need to be there before 1st light. by 9-10 am,they are back in the timber.

Poppy's Pizza. In Estes. Enough Said.

-Jake

Good catch. I should have said, "The Visitor's Center in this park where I nearly blacked out is at 14k' ASL."


Okie John

Thanks. Just what I needed! I'm driving down from SD. My daughter is flying down from Seattle. We're going to a concert Saturday night for her birthday. I'm hoping to make an early loop and be back to the hotel by 10:00-11:00 to spend the rest of the day together. Thinking if I can be out of the hotel parking lot by 5:00 Sunday morning, that should work.

Bob

I think you need to invest in a new altimeter. Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park is the only peak over 14,000'. Its highest point is 14,255' high and it has a sub-peak, Southeast Longs, which is 14,060' high. There is not a Visitor's Center on top of either of these peaks, There is also no road access to Longs Peak, nor are there any roads near it.

Trail Ridge Road is the highest road in the Park, and it tops out at 12,183'.