Showing posts with label YMCA of the Rockies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label YMCA of the Rockies. Show all posts

Sunday, October 11, 2026

Snow Mountain Ranch Part 2


 As I wrote in my last blog post, at the end of September, my husband and I stayed for the first time in a lodge at the YMCA of the Rockies Snow Mountain Ranch, in Granby, Colorado.



We had a glorious view from our room's back porch, with golden fall colored aspens all around and the mighty Rocky Mountains in the distance.


Since we arrived in the early afternoon, we drove to Rocky Mountain National Park to enter through the West entrance. The park has timed entry during the busiest times of the year, but everyone with a pass can enter after 2 PM, and my husband and I have lifetime senior passes that allow us to visit any US National Park for free!



We passed ranches along the half-hour drive to the park...



...with many cattle grazing alongside the road.



As we passed Lake Granby, which is usually the third-largest body of water in Colorado.  We could see how low it was due to the prolonged drought Colorado has been experiencing this year.


We saw lots of fall color along the drive, but also began seeing burned trees from the terrible 2020 wildfires--the East Troublesome Fire, and the Cameron Peak Fire,  which burned a total of 370,000 acres in Colorado.


Both wildfires entered the western part of  Rocky Mountain National Park and burned 30,000 acres there.


As we drove further into the park, the forest returned to normal and the views were beautiful!


The weather was changing--we could see rain in the distance--but we stopped to walk a trail that led to the Colorado River. This 1,450-mile-long (2,330 km) river, the Fifth-longest in the United States, drains an expansive, arid watershed that encompasses parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states. You can see a short video I took of the river at this link on YouTube.


We drove up Trail Ridge Road toward the Never Summer Mountains viewpoint. They are a small volcanic range along the western edge of Rocky Mountain National Park, and we enjoyed the views. The elevation at the Never Summer Mountain viewpoint is approximately 12,520 feet (6858 meters). This viewpoint offers stunning panoramic views of the surrounding landscapes, including the diverse terrains of the Never Summer Wilderness.

As the hour was getting late, we decided to drive back toward Snow Mountain Ranch.




Some beautiful mountain views...


...as we drove back down to the Kawuneeche Valley.

The Holzwarth Historic Site is located here, but we have visited in the past, so we did not stop again this time.



We did stop to visit the Kawuneeche Visitor Center, one of many visitor centers within the park. It has information and maps,  backcountry camping permits, exhibits, a Rocky Mountain Conservancy bookstore, park films, and ranger-led activities.


Please click on this photo x 2 to enlarge it to read the information.

I found this placard with information about the difference between the east and west sides of the portion of the Continental Divide located in the park. 


We drove back to the lodge at Snow Mountain Ranch, where we had dinner in the cafeteria for a small fee. The food was good and plentiful, and it was "all-you-can-eat" "home-cooking" style cuisine. We really enjoyed the assortment of salad fixings and the main entree. We looked forward to the next day, when we would explore the area--my next post.

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Sunday, October 19, 2025

A Fall stay in the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park

Fall is a beautiful season in Colorado, and every year my husband and I try to take a few days away to enjoy the scenery in a different part of the state. This year, we decided to go to Estes Park and stay in the YMCA of the Rockies, Estes Park,  which is located just a few miles outside of Rocky Mountain National Park.  

We stayed once before in a cabin in the YMCA of the Rockies in 2013, which was the first year we moved to Colorado--click here-- to see that blog post. We usually drive the Peak to Peak Scenic Highway to Estes Park, which is a two-hour drive from our house, but this year we first dropped our daughter off at Denver International Airport as she had to travel for a business trip. The drive from the airport was only one and a half hours, and it also turned out to be very scenic as we got close to Estes Park.



Situated about 90 miles northwest of Denver, at 7,522 feet (2292 Meters) above sea level, Estes Park sits in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. The town has majestic views spanning in every direction.



The YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park is bordered on three sides by Rocky Mountain National Park and nestled within 860 acres of towering ponderosa pines and awe-inspiring mountain vistas.



 The YMCA of the Rockies is a wonderful place for families to stay, as there are many activities as well as on-site dining options.  We like its quietness in the fall and its close proximity to the national park.


The grounds are beautiful and have wonderful hiking trails, a general store, cafes, buffet dining, sports fields, a pool, horseback riding, miniature golf, archery, fishing, crafts, and so much more!


There are many different lodges and cabins on the grounds. 
 On this visit, we stayed in the Wind River Lodge, which sleeps four, as the room had two queen-size beds. Our balcony view was of the Mummy Range



After checking into the lodge, we drove back into town. We parked at the Estes Park Visitor Center, where we took a walk along the Big Thompson River, which has its headwaters in Forest Canyon in Rocky Mountain National Park.



I captured this amazing zoom view of Longs Peak from a high point in Estes Park. Longs Peak is the tallest mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park, standing at an impressive 14,256 feet (4345.22 m).



One of the most exciting experiences we had during our stay at the YMCA of the Rockies was seeing a herd of wild elk grazing on the grass outside the buffet restaurant on the grounds.



The female elk cows and calves were very hungry!

 We made sure to stay a safe distance away from them, and I used my camera's zoom to take these photos.



Then our excitement rose when we saw this giant stag among the herd!

 This herd was his harem, and he was very protective of them. The elk rut in Colorado usually begins in mid-September and lasts for a month.



Although the Elk buck stopped to eat at times, he mainly pranced around his harem, telling them by his actions that he was their protector and the boss.



Meanwhile, the elk cows ignored him and kept eating!




We were excited to drive into Rocky Mountain National Park to see the beginning of the fall foliage emerging, as our visit took place in the third week of September.  I'll show some of those beautiful sights in my next blog post!

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