Rocky Mountain National Park “Mtn to Sky + Bear Lake Road” Premier ¾-Day Tour with RMNPhotographer
The Tour Requested by Guests
RMNPhotographer Tours created the “¾ Day Mountain to Sky + Bear Lake Road” because guests requested it.
So many
RMNPhotographer Tour guests want to travel the highest highway in America, Trail Ridge Road. They want our guide to drive them up to the tundra above 11,500 ft. and visit the Alpine Visitor Center. They love the Mountain to Sky Tour, but also wanted to experience Bear Lake Road.
Bear Lake Road is a special destination to the hiking mecca of Rocky Mountain National Park. The pristine thirteen mile road leads to a dead end at Bear Lake’s 9,440 ft., but along the way there is Moraine Park and Sprague Lake.
Moraine Park, like Horseshoe Park, was created by the receding ice of glaciers. In the fall, Moraine Park is a significant location for the elk rut. Hundreds of elk gather, and the bulls fight for the right to mate with the cow elk, using the stabbing point of their antlers to chase other bulls away.
Capture an Image of an Elk Bugling
One guest, Cheryl, asked for a unique tour. She wanted to capture images of a bull elk bugling in Moraine Park. We adjusted the start time from 8:00 am to 6:30 am, and she had her camera set as the sun woke the elk and the activity began. The elk bugle is an eerie, high-pitched sound that is a mating call, signaling the bull’s virility and desire to mate. It is a loud, high-pitched scream followed by a series of grunts that can be heard from as far away as two miles.
That morning, the elk moved closer, our cameras were up, and Cheryl was able to capture several images of the elk in action. She was thrilled with the experience, the images captured, and the memories she would forever have. From there, we headed up Bear Lake Road.
The Mountain to Sky Tour + Bear Lake Road includes:
- Touring through RMNP on Trail Ridge Road, the highest highway in the United States (12,183 ft.), to the Alpine Visitor Center.
- Seeing snow-covered mountain vistas and lush green valleys, alpine lakes, rolling streams, and waterfalls.
- Seeking bighorn sheep, gentle deer, dynamic elk, and massive moose allowing you to capture magnificent cell phone or camera photos.
- Returning to tour Bear Lake Road, the most popular area in the park including Moraine Park and Sprague Lake.
Fall Foliage Colors were Bursting
As it happened to be a fall morning, Cheryl and I continued up Bear Lake Road to capture images of the foliage colors. The aspen trees were a magnificent display of bright yellows highlighted with orange and red. These were set off by the deep greens of the mountain pines and the dynamic backdrop of Hallets Peak and the continental divide. Cheryl was in awe of the amazing fall colors images she captured.
Finally, we stopped at Sprague Lake, and as we walked the 0.7 mile trail around the lake, a bull moose wandered from the forest into the lake waters. For an hour we watched the massive animal feed on the grasses grown below the water’s surface. As he ate, he would lift his head and water would stream down over his antlers.
These are the experiences we have on our
RMNPhotographer Tours. As the premier tour company in Rocky Mountain National Park, we listened to our guests and added the ¾ Day Mountain to Sky + Bear Lake Road Tour. We want the experience to be what our guests want, so we stop and stay as long as you want. With Cheryl, it was an hour and a half of taking pictures of elk bugling during the rut. All the while, I shared the history of Moraine Park and my knowledge of RMNP.
