USA Guide
The Rockies
Rocky Mountain National Park
You don't have to go to Rocky Mountain National Park to appreciate the full splendor of the Rockies; it's simply one small section of the mighty range, measuring roughly twenty-five by fifteen miles. A tenth of the size of Yellowstone, it attracts around the same number of visitors – around three-and-a-half million per year, and with the bulk of those coming in high summer, the one main road through the mountains can get incredibly congested. However, the park is undeniably beautiful, straddling the Continental Divide at elevations often well in excess of ten thousand feet. A full third of the park is above tree line, and large areas of snow never melt; the name of the Never Summer Mountains speaks volumes about the long, empty expanses of arctic-style tundra. In the park's lower reaches, among the rich forests, are patches of lush greenery; you never know when you may stumble upon a sheltered mountain meadow flecked with flowers. Parallels with the European Alps readily spring to mind – helped, of course, by the heavy-handed Swiss and Bavarian themes of the region's motels and restaurants.
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