Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park

The Best of the Rockies Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), in Colorado, shows off the best of the Rocky Mountains. The park includes 415 square miles (668 sq km) of natural beauty. The air is fresh and clean. It features mountain lakes that mirror high peaks above them. The park is home to mountain lions, moose, marmots, and many other wild animals. Its sights are within reach of nature lovers, whether they are traveling by car or walking in hiking boots.

Young Mountains Rocky Mountain National Park is a small part of the Rocky Mountain Range. The Rockies, as they are called, stretch 3, 000 miles (4, 828 km) from Canada to New Mexico. Compared to other mountain ranges, the Rockies are young. They were pushed up between one hundred and sixty-five million years ago. Later on, glaciers moved downhill and carved out their peaks.

The Rocky Mountains form much of the Continental Divide. This is a rocky spine that runs along North America and divides the way water flows. Water on the western side of the divide flows west toward the Pacific Ocean. Water on the eastern side flows toward the Atlantic Ocean.

From Moose to Marmots Rocky Mountain National Park has several different environments. It has wet areas and forests of pine and aspen trees. Mountain wildflowers dot grassy meadows with bright colors in summer. The trees stop growing at about 11, 500 feet (3, 505 m). This is called the tree line. Higher than this, the weather is too stormy and the soil too rocky for trees to grow. Different areas in RMNP provide homes for different animals. Elk and deer feed along forest edges. Moose wade in watery places and chomp plants there. Bobcats and mountain lions live in the park, too, along with a few black bears.

Some animals live above the tree line. They include bighorn sheep, Colorado's state animal. Marmots are one of the largest members of the squirrel family. They can be spotted on warm, sunny rocks, squeaking loudly if danger is near. In rocky places, pika dash around. They look like big hamsters but are related to rabbits.