Super day with our guide Mel! Picked up in Denver, we got on the road to Boulder, where Mel spent time learning what each of us might like to do with the day. As first-timers to the park, we all agreed that RMNP "greatest hits" would work for us all. We got all sorts of local color driving through Boulder and into Lyons, where we stopped at St. Vrain Market and Barking Dog for coffee-both great little spots. Back in the van past Planet Bluegrass (yes!) and up in to Estes Park. We got a drive by and some history on the Stanley Hotel before hearing in to the park via the Fall River entrance. First stop, after being cautioned that nature is fickle, we got a moose and five big horn sheep. Super pictures right off the bat. From there, we had an awesome picnic lunch and quick but scenic walk in Hidden Valley.
After that, we went uphill on the Trail Ridge Road and checked out some more sights including the continental divide and Longs Peak. We had another chance to take a longer walk and saw some mule deer. The views were just amazing. Highly recommend! We saw some other sights and got some good pictures before heading back down, where we stopped at Sprague Lake where we got a really nice walk around the lake and some more great views. Can't write about all the great things we saw, but it was an amazing day.
We were back in Denver by 5:00, tired, but with a great experience. I can't recommend the private tour highly enough. We never felt rushed, we learned so much more than we would have on our own, and our guide, Mel really made the day for us. All in, super easy, super well-organized, super professional.