Even though this Park is not as well-known as some of the other famous Utah Parks, it was filled with canyons, cliffs, towers, domes, and arches and left us really impressed! The area was named for a line of white domes and cliffs of Navajo Sandstone, each of which looks somewhat like the United States Capitol building. Our first few stops included the Twin Rocks, Chimney Rock, Panorama Point and Goosenecks Overlook trail. We had to drive down a 1 mile dirt road to get to Goosenecks Overlook. After parking, a short walk from the parking lot brought us to a spectacular overlook where we looked virtually straight down into one of Capitol Reef’s canyons. The fences proved really handy to keep Daivik – our 2-year-old at bay! This viewpoint is also very popular with photographers during unset. The Sunset Point Trail is unmarked, but located next to the trash cans. Even though, we missed being here at sunset, we got some really good shots.  Our next stop was a quick one at the ‘The Castle’ viewpoint, after which we headed to the Visitors center to learn a little more about Capitol Reef.

One of the highlights of the day was our 2.4 mile round-trip hike to Hickman Bridge. More notably this will always be remembered as the first real hike we did with Daivik. Even though we had prepared ourselves well, we were unsure how he would react to the long walk under the hot afternoon sun. Within a few minutes into the hike, we knew there was no cause for concern. The little guy had us totally impressed with his hiking prowess and walked/ran/jumped/climbed for most of the 2.4 miles. As and when we got a break from trying to control a very enthusiastic kiddo, we enjoyed the scenery every bit. The trail began in a beautiful spot by the river and climbed steeply through several switchbacks, till we got a very good view of the Fremont river valley. Walking further, we got some lovely close up shots of the Capitol Dome. During most of the remaining hike we were surrounded with eroded rock formations of many colors, with larger domed summits in the distance. Finally we arrived at the Hickman Bridge which is a large, elegant natural arch far above the Fremont River, surrounded by the great white domes of Navajo sandstone. This is what characterizes the national park and it was a moving experience to stand there all by ourselves and enjoy the whistling of the winds through the canyon, broken intermittently by the sheer joy of a toddler.

The trip back to the car was a lot quicker as we were mostly walking downhill. Vaishakhi and I took turns in seeing the next couple of viewpoints which included the Benuhin Cabin, the Petroglyphs and the Fruita historic district because Daivik (probably tired from the hike) was taking a late afternoon nap happily cuddled up in his car seat. By the time he was awake we had taken the scenic drive all the way up to Capitol Gorge, where I did a small hike across the narrow wash bottom while being surrounded by the majestic canyon walls. That was the last stop at Capitol Reef for us and we started tracing our way back towards the park exit.  We had planned to do a quick stopover to have coffee/ice cream at Grifford Farm house, however unfortunately that had closed by the time we got there. It was almost nearing dusk, so we decided to call it a day and start heading towards Circle D Motel in Escalante (about 50 miles). The drive southwards on highway 22 through large tracts of aspen forests was a sight to behold in the October sunset.  We made a quick stop over at Larb Hollow Overlook and Homestead Overlook, and reached Escalante just as nightfall was setting in.

One of the main highlights of the park is the Trail Ridge Road – this is the highest paved through-road in the country, with a peak elevation of 12,183 feet. Running for 48 miles between Estes Park on the park’s east side and Grand Lake on the west, Trail Ridge Road more than lives up to its reputation. Eleven miles of this high highway travels above the treeline and offers thrilling views of the fantastic scenery all around. Due to its altitude, it is also covered in several feet of snow during the winters and is closed for almost 8 months of the year (mid-October to June). The road only remains open for the first 8.5 miles from the Beaver Meadows entrance till the ‘Many Parks Curve’ point for the remaining 4 months.

The fact that we would not be able to drive through the complete stretch of the Trail Ridge Road was a strong deterrent, that had me almost reconsider the whole trip. However, there were so many other positives of being here during the winters that still made this trip worthwhile!

This region transforms into a winter wonderland after the first few snowfalls in the season and the mountains change into snow capped peaks that glisten in the winter sun. As it gets colder, the lakes start freezing and transform into ice fields that you can skate on. The trails are all mostly open, however there is snow everywhere. How cool is it to have a snowball fight and be able to make a snow angel while on a trail! The visitors also dry up during the winters, which allows you to enjoy all of these in relative solitude. Also, less visitors mean greater chances of seeing wildlife, which there is plenty of in Rocky Mountains National Park.

For day 1 we had a quick breakfast at the ‘Coffee on the Rocks’ and then drove inside the park to make our first stop at the Beavers Meadow visitors center. After picking up the park map and having a quick chat with the rangers, we headed down the Trail Ridge road. Along the way we stopped to do the Upper Beaver Meadow trail, which starts from the main road and is a relatively flat 1 mile trail. There are some great views of the flat meadows all through, and the trail also has several picnic benches along the way to catch a breath and enjoy the views. After the hike, we drove through the Deer Ridge junction all the way to the Many Parks Curve point. Pictures speak louder than words, so here’s a sample of what we witnessed.

We were convinced that we must return here during the summers one day, to witness the rest of the astounding scenery on the Trail Ridge road! After starting to head out, we also made a quick stop at Hidden Valley which transforms into a ski and snow sled area in the winter months. The days start getting rather short by the end of November, so it wasn’t long before the sun started going down. We took the road though the Fall River visitor center to head out of the park and get back to Estes Park for the night.

Our plan for day 2 was to primarily spend time on the Bear Lake road. Luckily, the entire length of this road was open to cars and we decided to make the most of it! We got into the park through the Beaver meadow entrance station and headed straight to Bear Lake which lies 9 miles from the turn-off at Highway 36.

During the summer season, it is advisable to take a shuttle to get here as parking is limited at this extremely popular site. Even though it was the off season, this place was packed by the time we got here. We did manage to find parking easily though and geared up for all the wonderful hikes around this area.

The Bear Lake hike is a 0.8-mile loop around the lake with 30 marked spots along the way, and begins just beyond the Bear Lake Ranger Station. As the trail circles around the subalpine lake, it passes through a forest of spruce, fir, lodgepole pine and aspen, and is supposed to offer some amazing views of Hallett Peak and Longs Peak reflecting off the lake. We saw no reflection as the lake was frozen solid. We did enjoy walking and sliding on the slippery ice though. After the shenanigans on the ice, we completed the hike and had a great time counting down the markers and exchanging pleasantries with fellow hikers along the way. After this, we also did the slightly longer trails leading up to  the Emerald Lake. Along the way we passed by the Nymph Lake, Dream Lake and Haiyaha Lake and had stunning views of the mountain scenery all around.

After a couple of hours in this area, we got back into our cars and headed for Sprague Lake which lies just a few miles north east on the Bear Lake road. The lake is named after Abner Sprague, one of the original settlers in the Estes Park area. Sprague began building a homestead in Moraine Park in 1874. His ranch would eventually become a resort that was used for hunting, fishing, ranching, and even golfing. The relatively flat trail around the lake is about 0.9 miles long and offers several benches to sit back and enjoy the peaceful scenery and panoramic views of the Continental Divide, including Half Mountain, Thatchtop Mountain, Taylor Peak, Otis Peak, Hallett Peak, Flattop Mountain and Notchtop Mountain. Along with this splendid view, we also saw a family of 3 navigate the solid frozen lake on their skis! We soaked all of this in and enjoyed a picnic lunch on one of the many benches along this trail.

Our last stop of the day was at the Moraine Park road, very close to the Moraine Park Discovery center.  We spent some time here just watching the creek flow and some elks graze while the sun slowly went below the horizon. Even though it was cold, we were fortunate to have bright and beautiful days that stayed clear of any winter storms. That really made a difference as we were able to make the most of the limited opportunities within the park during the winter months.

Sandboarding is a sport similar to snowboarding that involves riding across or down a sand dune while standing on a board, either with both feet strapped in or while standing loose, without bindings; while sand sledding is sitting on a sled and coming down the dunes. I have never done sandboarding or snowboarding before and it did seem a tad bit adventurous; so we decided to stick to sand sledding and we had one of the most fun filled days of the trip!

If you have your own sand boards or sleds and are carrying them with you, then you are all set. However, if you are like me and are not a regular ‘sand surfer’, then the Kristi mountain Sports in Alamosa is a great place to rent the equipment for the day. That’s where I found myself first thing in the morning. After getting an adult size sand sled and kid size one for my 8-year-old, we set off for Sand Dunes National Park. We also remembered to carry a picnic lunch with us, as there are no food options available inside the Park.

Great Sand Dunes is about 40 miles to the north east of Alamosa. Right before you enter the park, you will have some great views of the sand dunes from Highway 150 which leads directly into the park. After spending some time at the Visitors’ center, we headed straight for the dunes with our sand sleds. There was ample parking when we arrived, and a short walk from the parking lot leads you right to the sand dunes. We hiked for a little bit on the sand, and found ourselves a relatively secluded dune. It was cold, but a bright and beautiful day, and we soon realized that as much fun it is coming down on the sled, it is just as much tiresome climbing back up! While Vaishakhi and I took turns, Daivik never seemed to run out of energy and had the time of his life!

We had our picnic lunch on the dunes, hiked to different areas in the dunes, and did some more sand sledding. Finally, after a few hours, we decided it was time to explore the other parts of the park as well, before the sun started coming down. We got back on the main park road, and headed to the small parking lot for the Montville nature trail. This is a 0.5 mile loop trail that features a river with a cute footbridge and several flora and fauna along the way. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, nature trips, and birding and is accessible year-round. A lot of the trail was covered in snow and we had the whole route pretty much to ourselves the whole time we were there.

We made a final stop at the Visitor Center on our way out, the sun was almost touching the horizon and we were able to get some great shots of the Dunes. Completely exhausted, we made it back to Alamosa, just in time to return the sand sleds (they also have a drop-off facility, in case you make it after closing time) and hit the indoor heated pool in our hotel.