slgwv's photos with the keyword: Rocky Mountain National Park

More elk (wapitii, Cervus canadensis ) chilling out in a meadow in Rocky Mountain National Park in the headwaters of the Colorado River. Telephoto view off US 34. The bulls in the enclosing photo are at right. Colorado River (running full!) in the background.

Elk (wapitii, Cervus canadensis ) chilling out in a meadow in Rocky Mountain National Park in the headwaters of the Colorado River. Telephoto view off US 34.

Alces alces. . The calf is off to the right, on his way over for lunch! Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, in the headwaters of the Colorado River off US 34.

Alces alces . Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, in the headwaters of the Colorado River off US 34. Telephoto view. The inset shows mama with the calf off to the right, on his way over for lunch!

A couple of bull elk (wapiti, Cervus canadensis ) with their antlers in velvet, taking it easy. Telephoto view. In the headwaters of the Colorado River, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, off US 34. These guys were part of a small herd, all relaxing in this meadow. The insets show some other views. The North American elk was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the European red deer, but it's now considered a separate species based on DNA studies (which have rearranged so much traditional taxonomy!)

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. The elevation here is about 11,700 ft. And yes, those white blurry objects in the field of view are snowflakes! I'm in a snow squall here.

Off Trail Ridge Road (US 34) in Rocky Mountain National Park, at an elevation of 11,716 ft/3571 m (per the USGS 7.5' topo map). The view could have been better today! The signs ask people to stay on the maintained trail to protect the tundra. Looking pretty much west.

A.k.a. US 34, in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. The road follows this ridge at an elevation of over 10K ft, topping out at Iceberg Pass (11,827 ft/ 3605 m) before dropping down to cross the Continental Divide at Milner Pass. We're obviously above timberline here, and signs exhort people to stay off the tundra (see left inset). Obviously the weather could have been better, but at least the cloud deck was high enough to give some views. I did get into a snow squall, however, a little farther down the road, and a few days before the summer solstice (see right inset)! As it was, the road had just opened--unusually late, as it's usually open for the Memorial Day weekend. In any case, it's a spectacular route, recommended if you're in the area.