Sprague Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park

My husband and I were thrilled to explore Rocky Mountain National Park after checking into the charming Stanley Hotel in Estes Park (as mentioned in my previous post). Although we have visited the park multiple times before (click this label to view related posts), our visits typically occurred during autumn. Thus, witnessing the park during the spring with its snow-covered Rocky Mountains was a delightful new experience.

From May 29 to October 22, 2013, the park has a timed entry system, with reservations made ahead of time, but the entry does not require a reservation before the hours of 9AM and after 2PM. We have lifetime Senior National Park Passes and we would be arriving in the park after 2PM so entering the park was fast and easy.

 

We drove towards the meadows as we knew we would see many elk in those locations.

While using my Nikon camera with a zoom lens, I stumbled upon many groups of elk in my field of view. 

These majestic creatures seemed to be quite famished after enduring a harsh and snowy winter.

In addition to record snowfalls this winter we have been having many days of rain which not only made the grasses very green but also made the rivers run fast and swollen.

The scenery is breathtaking in every direction!

We then drove to our favorite place to take a walk--Sprague Lake.

The lake is named for Abner Sprague, one of the original settlers in the Estes Park area.  

The walk around the lake is flat and easy, with benches along the way to sit and enjoy the views.

Usually, there are views of Hallet Peak from this side of the lake but the cold snow-filled mountains were producing many clouds.

This informational placard shows the view without clouds.

The mountain reflections were still stunning!

I enjoy this walk so much! 

This spring many visitors that arrive early have been seeing moose in the lake.  As exciting as that is always remember that moose can be very dangerous animals and they are best viewed from a very safe distance. At this time of the year, many have calves and that can make them even more aggressive.

We did not see any moose but I did see some geese and their adorable goslings!

The lake area was adorned with bright green aspen trees, flaunting their new leaves.

The walk is incredibly peaceful.

As we approached the end of the lake loop, I began to sense that we were being observed.

What do you think?

In my upcoming blog posts, I plan to share more sights of Rocky Mountain National Park. We embarked on a scenic drive from one end to the other, crossing the Continental Divide and passing through the Alpine Center area where we experienced snowfall. On the western end, we witnessed the aftermath of a wildfire that occurred a few years ago. I look forward to having you back to explore more of the park.

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