Rocky Mountain National Park Ft. Black Canyon National Park. With the world gradually re-opening but still not being able to travel internationally, you really have to start looking into what the country you reside in has to offer while still following all the guidelines placed by the government. For those of you who do not know, I currently live in the USA and I guess one big benefit of living in such a huge country is that you can easily find a lot of things to do. Originally when the year 2020 started, my goal was to match the number of countries with my age number but who would’ve thought that instead, I would be matching the number of states to my age, which included a lot of national parks. I visited The Great Smoky Mountains National Park last month and now, Rocky Mountains National Park. After spending the majority of our stay in Colorado at the Rocky Mountains and Denver, we drove 4 hours down south to Black Canyon National Park in Colorado to camp out in the park all night, take some Astro pictures and stargaze.
Today I will go through:
1) City I stayed in
2) Hotel we booked
3) Trails you can hike
4) Overall Loop
5) Food
1. City I stayed in
For our stay in Rocky Mountain National Park: Denver, CO
- I went with my roommates whom I lived with back in undergraduate and since we all also wanted to see Denver, we decided that we’ll do a little bit of both. The main reason why we decided to stay in Denver was also because we were exploring the Rocky Mountains for a day but I kid you not, with the amount of hiking we did, I think that 1 day was more than enough. If you’re planning on exploring the Rocky Mountains for more than a day, I would RECOMMEND staying in Estes Park or Boulder City. They are the most adjacent cities to the national park entrance. Remember to book well enough in advance though because these small cities do get fully booked.
For our stay in Black Canyon National Park: Grand Junction, CO
- For the majority of the night, we were out in the actual park taking Astro pictures and just stargazing but we did have a 14+ drive to Yellowstone National Park the next day so we wanted to freshen up before we got on the road and thus we got a hotel in Grand Junction. Few things to note:
- DO NOT stay in Grand Junction.
- It’s 1.5 hours from the actual park but since we booked it at such last minute, we didn’t really have a chance. Everything around the park was full.
- Try to look for a place in either Montrose, Crawford, Olathe, or even Delta.
- We also stayed at the Travelodge by Wyndham and it was the worst hotel I had stayed in but since it was only a matter of couple hours, it didn’t matter to either of us. but if for some reason you do end up staying at Grand Junction, PLEASE, do me a favor and DO NOT stay at the Travelodge on Horizon Dr.
- DO NOT stay in Grand Junction.
2. Hotel we booked
For our stay in Denver, we booked Le Meridien.
- The hotel was really good about following all the COVID-19 guidelines which were really satisfying and comforting. The location was quite amazing as well, right in the heart of everything but there were a few things that my group and I found missing in a very exclusive hotel like this. Our rooms didn’t have basic things such as a refrigerator, a microwave, or even a coffee maker. With it being super hot in Denver, we really wish we had a small fridge to store our water bottles or a coffee maker so we could have a cup of hot coffee before we headed out for our 4 AM sunrise hike.
3. Trails you can hike
You’re at a national park so there is no limitation to how many trails you can hike but obviously, there are some that you must and there are some that can be on the list for next time. Our day consisted of 3 main hikes, all to different lakes. One better than the one we saw before.
1. Dream Lake Trail
The trailhead is called “Bear Lake Trailhead”. Put that on your GPS and it will lead you where the trail starts.
Destination: Dream Lake
Distance: 1.0 mile from the trailhead (15-20 minutes)
Skill Level: Easy-Moderate. There is some incline but nothing too harsh.
Pets: Not Allowed
2. Emerald Lake Trail
Blue lake surrounded by mountains. That’s all I’m going to say. You will really have to be here to see how beautiful it is.
Destination: Emerald Lake
Distance: 0.4 miles from Dream Lake (10ish minutes) 1.4 miles from the trailhead
Skill Level: Easy-Moderate. There is some incline but nothing too harsh.
Pets: Not Allowed
3. Lake Haiyaha Trail
This trail was really HARD. It was all incline with maybe some exception. The distance is not much but the hike makes it look quite a bit but the lake and views were amazing. Much worth it. I would say.
Destination: Lake Haiyaha
Distance: 1.5 miles from Emerald Lake (30ish minutes) 1.8 miles from the trailhead
Skill Level: Hard.
Pets: Not Allowed
4. Overall Loop
This was our overall loop. Bear Lake Trailhead > Dream Lake > Emerald Lake > Lake Haiyaha > Bear Lake Trailhead
5. Food
Denver is rich with culture and different types of food types. It’s sort of a melting pot for food. You can pretty much find any type of cuisine but here are some of my favorite.
- Mici Handcrafted Italian
- This place was REALLY good. This was our first meal in Denver and it did not disappoint. When you come here, you have to try their lunch special (M-F, 11 am-2 pm, Dine-in only) where you get to pick two between pizza, pasta, soup, or salad for ONLY $9.29.
- Cuisine: Italian
- Meal: Lunch (can also be a dinner place)
- Address: 727 Colorado Blvd, Denver, CO 80206
- Phone: (303) 322-6424
- Menu: Link
- What I got: I ordered the lunch special and got a Margherita pizza with a Caesar salad. It was so good that I already want to go back for more and for a price like that? Sign. Me. Up.
- Otra Vez Cantina
- This place looks really upscale from the outside but you can pretty much in there with shorts and no one is going to say anything. As the name mentions, it’s a cantina so it does have a full bar on site. It looks like one of those restaurants that turn into a nightclub/bar at night. I’m not sure if it does but it looked like it.
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Meal: Dinner
- Address: 610 16th St Mall, Denver, CO 80202
- Phone: (303) 226-1567
- Menu: Link
- Hours: Everyday 11 AM – 11 PM
- What I got: Vegetal Taco & Chimichanga, make sure to tell them that you want yours to be made vegetarian. They also have a good option for burritos.
- Tasty Thai
- Small place & locally owned. A bit further away from the heart of the city but it’s worth it. It’s right across the Denver Cathedral on Colfax Ave.
- Cuisine: Thai
- Meal: Dinner
- Address: 406 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80203
- Phone: (303) 813-1000
- Menu: Link
- Hours: M-TH: 11AM – 9:30PM, Fri & Sat: 11AM – 10PM, Sun: 11AM – 9PM
- What I got: Green curry with some vegetable fried brown rice. Green curry comes with regular rice
- Torchy’s
- Fast Food Mexican restaurant. Before I got to Denver, everyone told me to try Torchy’s because apparently, it was that good. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint.
- Cuisine: Fast Food Mexican restaurant
- Meal: Dinner
- Address: 1085 N Broadway, Denver, CO 80203
- Phone: (303) 436-1704
- Menu: Link
- Hours: Sun-TH: 10AM – 8PM, Fri & Sat: 9AM – 10PM
- What I got: I got their Spicy Queso (for those going “I can’t eat spicy food”, it wasn’t that spicy, you’ll be fine). Guacamole & Chips along with 2 Fried Avocado tacos.
- Donut Dispensary
- Handcrafted donuts in creative flavors & airplane-size liquor bottles in a colorful confectionery. You can get your favorite type of alcohol-infused in one of these donuts or just eat them regularly.
- Cuisine: American
- Meal: Dessert
- Address: 1553 Platte St #130, Denver, CO 80202
- Phone: (720) 428-8565
- Menu: Link
- Hours: Mon-TH: 7 AM – 4:30 PM, Fri-Sun: 7 AM – 7 PM
- What I got: CARMEL D’LIT
Below are some of the pictures I took when I was visiting Rocky Mountain National Park, Wyoming. Check it out & follow my journey @mrshutterup on Instagram. Lastly, feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions!
