In Depth

The 240-mile grand loop from Denver via Boulder, Estes Park, Grand Lake and Idaho Springs offers one of the most impressive circular trips in the nation. It cuts across the Continental Divide over one of the country's highest continuous roads, reaches Grand Lake, crosses the Divide again at Berthoud Pass, traverses the Denver Mountain Parks and returns to Denver.

The park's valleys are about 8,000 feet above sea level, with the peaks rising thousands of feet higher. Longs Peak attains a height of 14,259 feet. Within the park, more than 75 named peaks reach elevations of 12,000 feet or higher. The range lies north and south, with the gentler slope on the west. On the east side the descent can be extremely precipitous, with sheer drops of 2,000 and 3,000 feet into rockbound gorges.

Seen from the eastern valleys, the range rises in bold relief, rugged in outline and crowned with snow. The west side, lush with wet meadowland, has many streams and natural lakes. The park is surrounded by the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests , while the southwest corner adjoins the Arapaho National Recreation Area.

The records of glacial action on these mountains are so clear that even the untrained eye recognizes them. This is particularly true on the eastern side, where the moraines are enormous. Four of the park's many small alpine cirque glaciers—Tyndall, Andrews, Rowe and Taylor—can be seen at the heads of some of the high mountain canyons at about 12,000 feet.

The park is a wildlife sanctuary. The lofty rocks are the natural home of the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. Elk and deer are numerous, and coyotes are often seen by park visitors. Black bears reside in the park and are sometimes seen. Mountain lions, bobcats and smaller carnivores, however, are seldom seen by visitors. Birds also can be observed.

Those bizarre sounds you may hear echoing throughout autumn evenings are more than likely bull elk calling to each other to attract a harem of cow elk during rutting, or mating season. During this time of year, elk descend from the higher elevations to valleys and meadows, and you'll usually see them at dawn and dusk at such locations as Moraine Park, Horseshoe Park and the Kawuneeche Valley. Observe these animals from a distance, and do not make loud noises in their presence.

Wildflower viewing is spectacular from late May to early August and can be found at varying elevations, with dozens of varieties contributing to a vibrant palette of blue, yellow, pink, purple and white. The Tundra Communities Trail presents the opportunity to view colorful plants and wildflowers unique to the alpine tundra during a half-hour walk. Visitors are required to keep to the marked trails to preserve the fragile alpine plants.