The Rocky Mountain National Park is in Colorado.
The nearest big city is Denver. It has the most rugged mountains
in North America. The mountains make a ridge that is 10 miles long about
11,000 feet high. It also has glaciers, rivers, lakes and fascinating
wildlife. Visiting Rocky Mountain National Park feels like being on top
of the world. At the summit it is 12,183 feet above sea level.
It is so cold that you could have a snowball fight on the fourth of July!
You’ll be able to see clouds if you get above the timber line. One
third of the park is about the treeline so that is why it has been set
aside as a national park. It became our country’s tenth national
park in 1915.
During the time of dinosaurs the area used to be
a shallow sea. The first mountains were islands that rose out of
the water. Over the years the mountains were worn down by wind and
rain. Then the mountains would rise up again. Each time the
rock got rougher, some of the rock is as old as the rock at the bottom
of the Grand Canyon - 2 billion years old. Glaciers made deep canyons.
The first white settlers were Jopel Estes and his family.
There are many habitats in the park: mountains,
ponds, the Colorado River, meadows, alpine tundra and forests. Many plants
that grow in the Arctic live in the park. Some of the animals are:
Gray jays, otters and deer.
Here are some places to visit in the park:
Trail Ridge Road - It is the highest paved road in America.
Trail Ridge Road crosses the park from east to west, taking you over the
Rockies. This road follows a prehistoric trail that ancient people
used to walk on.
Horseshoe Park - You can see bighorn sheep and elk.
If you go at night you can hear elk buglemaking.
Hidden Valley Creek - You will visit ponds to see beavers
and alder trees.
Many Parks Curve - You will see mountain meadows from
the melting glaciers. You will be near the Timberline where the temperature
is below zero and there are 100 m.p.h. winds.
Rock Cut - You will climb 12,110 feet and probably get
dizzy.
Things to do are: hiking, backpacking, camping,
pony rides, fishing, crosscountry skiing, snowboarding and snow shoeing.
There are motels near the park.
Park rangers have a lot of responsibility.
They need to explain rules to visitors and give out maps. They show
how people dressed a long time ago. Around the campfire they tell
stories about the history of the park. They have lots of rescue tools
like: rock hammer, pitons and carabiners. It must be hard work to
be a park ranger!
|
|
