Andrew and I got engaged in Rocky Mountain NP about 10 1/2 years ago, so it definitely holds a special place in our hearts.
We arrived late afternoon to Moraine Campground in Rocky Mountain NP. I went into town after setting up camp to rent ice cleats for everyone and warm winter boots for Andrew and James, who only had sneakers. The rental spikes and boots ended up being a smart decision.
We hiked the Emerald Lake trail, stopping at Bear Lake, Nymph Lake, and Dream Lake, but deciding to turn around at Dream Lake. Winter hiking was really fun! The ice cleats were perfect for hiking on the snowpack. My favorite part about winter hiking is that the trails are unmarked, and there are all sorts of shortcuts you can take (like just walking across the frozen lake). The trails being unmarked can also be a little unsettling too though if you don’t have a GPS. Luckily, there were enough people also on the trail who were able to direct us to the best trails. When we got to Dream Lake, we were met with a magical scene. Huge snowflakes had started to come down, and the lake itself was just beautiful.
It just so happened that my friend Vickie from grade school was doing spring break in Rocky Mountains with her husband at the same time! Vickie and Matt came up to our trailer to visit for a while. It’s been 10 years since we’ve seen Vickie, so it was really cool to have this chance meet-up. The kids talked non-stop about Minecraft.
The next day, we went back to town to rent some sleds and headed back into the park to the Hidden Valley snow play area. The snow was icy and bumpy, but we all had a great time sledding (which the kids have not done much of, if ever)! We returned all our rentals in the evening and left camp the next morning.
It definitely didn’t feel like enough time in the park, but we were also dry camping, and the sky was overcast much of the time (so not enough solar power to sustain us). I hope we come back here again in the future.
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