Every time I have been to the park I hav been with a different friend, family member, or hiking partner to explore this rugged wilderness with, and every time I am left feeling thankful and blessed to be so close to some place so special. Living in Denver gives me many opportunities to see truly incredible places near home, and Estes Park, where Rocky Mountain National Park is located, is one of those magical places. Sadly, I don’t come here enough, but when I do, it is a special occasion. There are many ways to travel throughout the park - by car, bus, foot, bike, or even horseback, I am going to lay out the ways I have traversed through the park and give some insider recommendations!  Looking down into Rocky Mountain National Park! Know Before You Go:Entry PermitsNew in 2020 and remaining through 2021 is a permit system to enter the park. You must have a timed entry permit to make it through the Ranger's gates. Permits can be purchased, here: https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/timed-entry-permit-system.htm
Entrance Fees
Summer Vs. WinterRocky Mountain National Park is open year round from the east side, or Estes Park entrances, but certain roads close at the start of winter and the entrances from Grand Lake become far less in the winter. This includes leading up to The Alpine Visitors Center, which is also closed in winter. (It took me seven trips to the park to time make it there!)
I personally do not think you can go wrong in either season, but one time of the year definitely has more open and accessible - and that would be summer. To handle the influx of people in the summer, there are more visitors centers and restrooms open, and the towns are bustling with people and open shops. It's a plus and minus to have people and operating businesses, but its nice when you are with other tourists just bumping around! Things really pick up after Memorial Day and stay busy through August. I personally like May (if you are okay with the chill!)  Photo taken in March during my sister's spring break visit - click to read more! Driving Around The Park:The easiest way to the most of the park is drive yourself! There is a bus you can take from point to point but I have never personally ridden. I recommend starting from Estes Park and working over towards Grand Lake, or even turning around at The Alpine Visitors Center or at the winter gate of Highway 34. There is a lot more to do near Estes Park, and as of 2020 the wildfires have really closed off the western park of the park.  I usually just drive clockwise around Highways 36 and Highway 34 and only one time did I make it up the road during the right season to go to The Alpine Visitor Center.
Watch more from the time I drove my grandparents through the park! This is the only time I have ever drive all the way through to the Grand Lake side. Hikes I Have Been On Inside The Park:Brainard Lake
I say “trail”, because we would find out that we were not following the trail at all! Instead, we were just following another group's shoeprints in the snow. We knew that the lake is at the top of the hill, so we kept trekking and eventually made it to our destination and back onto the proper trail.
Bear, Nymph, Dream, and Emerald Lakes
We had intentions to hike all day and see as much as we could, but an afternoon storm drove us back to the trailhead just after noon.
Loch Lake
At Loch Lake, the winds were released, and we found ourselves in a tornado of whipping gusts. It didn't stop us from strapping on our skates and trying out the ice. The ice was extremely bumpy, because the water froze in place as the wind pushed it into waves. Needless to say, it was difficult to skate on, and compared to my friend Natalie who was a collegiate hockey player, I was an embarrassment! We let the wind push us around the ice until we nearly froze. Then, we took off our skates and quickly made it back to our cars.
Each of my experiences inside the park has been such an adventure, and I cannot wait to go back and explore even more. The park has so much more hiding inside its thousands of protected acres, and I cannot wait to see what I discover next time! See more from Colorado's other National Parks on my "Parks Page" |
 | Nothing could have kept me from completing the infamous Four Pass Loop in The Maroon Bells Wilderness in western Colorado. This loop has been high on my bucket list of Colorado hikes, so when my girlfriend invited me, I couldn’t turn down the invitation. |
Like I said, nothing could have stopped me from completing this hike. Not John being unable to join, not my pack weighing entirely too much, and not even my mental game getting me down and nearly causing me to quit. More on that later. This hike was extremely important to me, and I am so proud to have completed it.
Watch my entire hour-long documentation of our remarkable trip in my YouTube video below:
| The Four Pass Loop is a 26-mile roundtrip hike that entails almost 8,000 feet of elevation gain, passes two lakes, three “14’ers”, and is one of the most scenic places in the entire state of Colorado. We completed the loop the first weekend of August 2021, and it took us four days and three nights to make it all the way around. |  The only group photo we have. Taken at Crater Lake. |
Before we started the hike, we did a lot of preparing. Fortunately, my girlfriend planned out our entire route and the logistics of the hike itself which left me only having to pack my own gear and food.
My initial photo of my gear. It ended up being more than this, but not all of this pictured. Click to read more about my packing process!
To read about my entire packing process including my pack, first aide kit, and homemade dehydrated meals on my Camping Gear blog page here!
| We decided to start our hike from Crested Butte instead of the more traditional route from Aspen, because coming from Maroon Lake near Aspen requires a parking permit or a shuttle ride up to the trailhead. We really didn’t want to do either, so we decided to add a few extra miles and start form The West Maroon Trailhead outside of Crested Butte. |  Trail of the Four Pass Loop from AspenTrailFinders.com |
There were a few other trails we could have started from including trails from Snowmass and Marble, but they were many more miles long than the route we chose. Starting in Crested Butte only added three miles each way or 6 miles total.
Checkout this super awesome topographic trail map video I found on Aspen Trail Finders! This is not the route we followed. Instead we started at The West Maroon Trail and went clockwise, I still felt it was cool enough to share though.
Once my backpack was fully packed, I hit the road to meet everyone at the trailhead. It was over a five hour drive from Denver to the West Maroon Trailhead. Everyone arrived late at night, slept in our cars, and woke up early to eat a good breakfast and start the trail as soon as we could.
 Morning coffee at West Maroon Pass trailhead. |  Car camping set up at West Maroon Trailhead. |
Day One: West Maroon TH over Frigid Air Pass
(Miles 0 - 7.5)
The first part of the hike was stunning. The wildflowers were in full bloom, and we were surrounded by fields of purple and yellow as we started our ascent up the valley. It was surreal, while it lasted, for the first three miles.
 Flowers are Fleabane's, Larkspurs, and Artists Paintbrushes. |  I believe these are loostrife flowers.  Early along the start of the West Maroon Pass Trail. |
Eventually, we connected with the actual Four Pass Loop Trail, here at The North Fork Trail.
 We turned LEFT! | Beforehand, we had made the decision to work the loop clockwise. This meant that we would take a left toward Frigid Air Pass when we hit the T-junction. Once we turned onto The Four Pass Loop Trail, we didn’t leave it again until Sunday. |
| We could tell things would be a bit different from here on out. The trail became more rocky, and the color of the rocks changed to a deep red. Everything was different than the West Maroon trail we had been on earlier. We could see miles ahead to where we needed to go, but it was gradual, so it wasn’t too daunting. |  Approaching Frigid Air Pass. |
Frigid Air Pass:
 The base of Frigid Air Pass. | Frigid Air Pass wasn’t the most difficult, but none of the four passes would be easy. I didn’t know this yet. At this point, my friends had gotten quite a far distance ahead of me. I could still see them, but they were pretty much at the top of the pass while I was taking a break and just about ready to start from the bottom. |
They were much faster hikers than me, and my pack was much heavier than theirs and way too heavy. Read about the mistakes I made in packing my backpack for this trip in my “Backpacking Gear 2021” blog post here.
Selfie on my GoPro from Frigid Air Pass.
| The view coming over Frigid Air Pass would be one of my favorites. I had never seen The Maroon Bells (Maroon and North Maroon Peaks) before. When I crested the pass, I was welcomed by the most grand view of Maroon Peak in all its glory, and by my friends who were patiently waiting on me. |  |
We didn’t stay at the top long, because we could look down on where we needed to go and see that we still had four miles left to cover.
 Columbines in front of Maroon Peak. |  Hanging out at the top of Frigid Air Pass.  Selfie with Maroon Peak! |
We made our way down Frigid Air Pass and followed along The North Fork Crystal River until we found camp. We down our gear at a spot where the grass had already been worn, just above the river and near a beautiful waterfall.
We had plenty of time before the sun went down to cook dinner, set up our tents, and sit around the campfire for a little while!
We had plenty of time before the sun went down to cook dinner, set up our tents, and sit around the campfire for a little while!
If you would like to read about the dehydrated meals I created for each night, read my “Dehydrated Recipes” post here!
 Campsite #1!  Cooking alongside the creek. |  My dehydrated Pasta Primavera. Click for the recipe! |
Day Two: Trailrider Pass to Snowmass Lake
(Miles 7.5 -15)
We woke up nice and rested, cooked breakfast, and broke down camp before hitting the trail for day two.
We got a bit of a later start than anticipated, and were ready to go at 9 a.m. Our second day on the trail would be all-around wonderful. The trail was fairly gradual at the start, and we had plenty of time to prepare ourselves for the steepness of the second pass.
We got a bit of a later start than anticipated, and were ready to go at 9 a.m. Our second day on the trail would be all-around wonderful. The trail was fairly gradual at the start, and we had plenty of time to prepare ourselves for the steepness of the second pass.
 Amanita Muscaria mushrooms. |  Indian Pipes (not a mushroom)  Porcini Mushrooms. |
Trailrider Pass was nearly 2,000 feet of straight-up elevation gain in under two miles. It was not easy. Since our bodies were sore, we stopped a few times to take off our packs and fuel up, and the slow approach made the pass quite manageable.
Trailrider Pass:
| Just like the day before, my friends got way ahead of me hiking up the trail. They, again, were waiting for me at the top of the pass. This time, we could see down onto Snowmass Lake when we hiked over the pass, and it was remarkable. I couldn’t believe how different the view was from this pass compared to the last. As beautiful as the view was, I didn’t sit there to enjoy it long. I knew we would continue to have the view for the entire hike down the mountain’s face, so we quickly started hiking again. |  The top of Trailrider Pass. |
 One side of Trailrider Pass looking down towards Frigid Air. |  The other side of Trailrider Pass looking at Snowmass Lake. |
As we walked closer to Snowmass Lake, the water became bluer and bluer, and its turquoise color was almost hypnotizing. We stopped to take lots of pictures and checked our maps while we were at the top part of the lake.
Snowmass Lake!
Where the trip took a turn...
Up until this point, I had been hiking with my girlfriend and her boyfriend. We had one more girlfriend who was planning to come up from the Snowmass Trailhead and meet us at Snowmass Lake that night. We arrived at the lake a few hours before the time we set with our friend. The couple wanted to leave a note and tell our friend that we continued on the trail, but I made the decision to wait at the lake.
The turn off the trail toward Snowmass Lake - also where I separated from my friends for the night.
 Snowmass Peak from Snowmass Lake. | I walked down to Snowmass Lake right as the sun was starting to set. I probably had about 20 or 30 minutes before the sun went behind the mountains. It gave me enough time to cook dinner, filter water, and find a campsite. Snowmass Lake requires camping in designated areas which made finding a place to camp a bit difficult. Luckily, a nice group made room for me and my friend who had not yet arrived. |
It was starting to get dark, so I decided to get my tent setup. While in the process, my girlfriend walked by! I flagged her down, and we ate dinner, shared pictures, and pretty quickly went to bed.
 Our campsite in the designated campground. |  Where I cooked dinner next to Snowmass Lake. |
Day Three: Buckskin Pass to Crater Lake
(Miles 15 - 24)
| Our alarms went off at 5:00 a.m. sharp, and we were instantly up and moving. We wanted to meet up with the couple camping one and a half miles down the trail before they took off, so we were hiking by 6:30. We hit the trail without any breakfast to rush to our friends, and this lead to a not-so-great morning. |  Starting off the morning of day 3! |
When we met up with our friends at their camp, we cooked some oatmeal, but it was a little too late.
 Me pointing to where we needed to go up over Buckskin Pass. | The first portion of our day was a climb over Buckskin Pass. This was another 2,000 foot climb in less than two miles. It was incredibly difficult. This part of the trail was the most difficult for me. I struggled very much. I cannot deny that I wanted to quit. |
I lost my mental stronghold...
Hiking is 99% mental, and that morning, I was off my game big time. I knew that at the bottom of this pass, at Crater Lake, there was a shuttle I could take and quit the trail. Instead, I sucked it up, took a deep breath, and changed my outlook as soon as I realized my negative mindset.
I made it over the pass and felt great by the time I reached the top. It felt like I could keep hiking the rest of the day, so I did not give up. I did not quit, and I kept pushing to Crater Lake after a nice, long stop.
I made it over the pass and felt great by the time I reached the top. It felt like I could keep hiking the rest of the day, so I did not give up. I did not quit, and I kept pushing to Crater Lake after a nice, long stop.
 The top of Buckskin Pass. |  So happy to be at the top of this pass. |
| My one girlfriend, who I had met at Snowmass Lake the night before, hiked out and took the shuttle. That was always her plan. She only joined for the one night, because she lives in the area and can do the rest of the trail any other time. We said goodbye, and the couple and I kept going around the lake. Although I was feeling great, this turned out to be another rough portion of our trip. | The last time we were a group of 4 - taken at Crater Lake. |
We took a wrong turn...
We took our only wrong turn, and it cost us a lot of energy. We didn’t realize that we needed to cross West Maroon Creek and instead, walked up a very steep hill on the wrong side of the water.
When we made it back down, we regrouped and established a goal that we would try to reach to make camp. My friends went on ahead at their much faster pace, and I planned to meet them there.
When we made it back down, we regrouped and established a goal that we would try to reach to make camp. My friends went on ahead at their much faster pace, and I planned to meet them there.
After Crater Lake there is a creek crossing. DO NOT miss this!
The trail was much more difficult than I anticipated, and it took me longer than I had imagined to find my friends. The sun started to set behind the mountains, and I started to panic. This was, by far, the least fun part of the trip and the trail. I was walking through short trees and bushes making it hard to see far in front of me.
When I got to the point on the map where I was supposed to meet my friends, nearly an hour after I had last seen them, I started calling out their names, and they came running. They had just found camp and were coming down the trail to help me. We embraced and quickly unloaded my gear at camp. We ate, hung our bear bags, and went to bed before 8:00 p.m.
When I got to the point on the map where I was supposed to meet my friends, nearly an hour after I had last seen them, I started calling out their names, and they came running. They had just found camp and were coming down the trail to help me. We embraced and quickly unloaded my gear at camp. We ate, hung our bear bags, and went to bed before 8:00 p.m.
You can hear more about how I panic walked for two-miles in my YouTube video around the 37-minute mark
Day Four: West Maroon Pass to Crested Butte
(Miles 24-30)
 Breakfast Trail Tacos for the last morning. All smiles for a full belly! Click to read my recipe. | This last morning, we woke up with a completely different attitude than we’d had on any other day, because we only had a few miles to go. Plus, we knew what the second half of the trail held in store for us. We packed up, quickly made it up the valley in which we were camping, and approached West Maroon Pass. |
The last pass was no easier than any of the others. It took a good number of stops to get my sore body to carry the heavy pack at this point, but it was extremely rewarding when I made it to the top. West Maroon Pass was the last difficult portion of the trail. From here on out, it was mostly down hill.
All smiles from the top of West Maroon Pass!
| When I made it to the junction of West Maroon Pass and The Four Pass Loop Trail, I cried a little bit. This was the last marker on the trail, and when I turned onto the Maroon Pass Trail, I had completed The Four Pass Loop. |  The same sign we had passed earlier in the trip. It was almost over! |
 My picture back at the trailhead sign. Never been prouder. | It was an emotional journey. The last few miles back to my car felt like a blur. I couldn’t stop thinking about how humbled I felt to be trekking by myself and rounding out the last few miles of a 30 mile hike. When I arrived back at the trailhead, I cried some more. Most were tears of happiness and disbelief, but I was also sad, because my friends had driven into town. |
I was so unbelievably proud of all the things I had pushed my body through over the last four days. They were difficult days, but they taught me a lot. Mostly, they stoked my excitement to get out and do it all over again. Maybe next time, I’ll take a lighter pack. ;)
The last official selfie from the trail. What a bittersweet moment.
See more from my other backpacking trips:
Backpacking Five Days in Yellowstone's Backcountry
Camping inside The Great Sand Dunes National Park
My First Solo Backpacking Trip in Medicine Bow, Wyoming
Camping inside The Great Sand Dunes National Park
My First Solo Backpacking Trip in Medicine Bow, Wyoming
 | John and I have had the incredible pleasure of traveling to Ireland twice now. The first time we came to Ireland, we celebrated New Year’s Eve 2017. Our second time, we visited in July of 2021 for a wedding. Neither trips were centered around exploring Dublin, but we made the most of our short time in the beautiful capital city on both trips. |
Read about the other towns we suggest visiting outside of Dublin, in this "Where To Travel In Ireland" blog post - here!
Dublin is an old city with a rich history from over 1,000 years ago. There are castles, churches, and cobblestone streets all around the city telling the stories of the kings, revolutionaries, and people of the past.
The ha'penny walking bridge - that used to cost half a penny to cross!
During both times in Dublin, we tried our hardest to get the most in-depth, hands-on look at the city’s historic past by visiting certain places to learn as much as we could.
Here are some places we recommend:
Dublin Castle
Visit the fortress that was built in the year 1200 to protect the city and the king. You can see artifacts of royalty and read about the painful chapters in Irish history while walking through lavish hallways and rooms.
 The outside of Dublin Castle.  The elaborate decor inside. |  A throne inside the castle. |
The Book of Kells at Trinity College
 The Library of Trinity College. | To get an even older look into Irish culture, you can see one of the country’s most prized possessions. The Book of Kells was written circa 800 AD and is now held inside Trinity College in Dublin. The Book of Kells is an elaborate transcript of the first four gospels of the New Testament of The Bible: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. This book dates back to 800 AD. It is intricately crafted and beautiful to see. It really gives a good look into the importance of the Catholic Church in Ireland. |
 Outside Trinity College. |  Another view inside the library. |
St Patrick’s Cathedral
Another glimpse into Ireland’s Catholic roots, is St Patrick’s Cathedral. This cathedral is the national cathedral of Ireland and is a stunning display of craftsmanship. Even the grounds outside are well kept and constructed in a beautiful array. Outside is a cemetery and statues to represent those buried there.
 St Patrick's Cathedral. |  The cemetery outside St Patrick's Cathedral. |
St Stephen's Green and Oscar Wilde statue
| Near St Patrick’s Cathedral is St. Stephen’s Green. The Green is a picturesque and lush park situated in the heart of the city. You can walk around and read about the statues commemorating different historical events and people from Irish history including the famous author Oscar Wilde! |  |
Guinness Factory
Behind the church, alcohol, especially Guinness, might be the second most important thing to Irish history. The Guinness brewery has changed the course of modern Irish history by providing jobs, drinks, and good times to Irish folks since the late 1800’s. Grab a pint and learn just how important this company has been to the city and country.
This was one of the first places we toured in Dublin in 2018 and we loved it! Read all about it in our review post, here.
 John and I outside the gates to get in. |  Old barrels now used for display during the tour. |
Temple Bar
To continue on the history of drinking, head over to the famous Temple Bar and grab a pint from one of Ireland’s oldest pubs. Don’t stay at the one pub though. Check out the entire Temple Bar area to explore some of Dublin’s other, less crowded bars.
 Outside of Temple Bar.  Another view of the outside of Temple Bar. |  The streets surrounding Temple Bar have great pubs too! |
Jameson Factory
We have never toured The Jameson Factory ourselves, but it comes highly recommended. Their website says, “Founded by John Jameson in 1780, today the former factory stands as a monument to Irish Whiskey. “ Sounds like a good time to me!
Other places we have not toured but want to:
St Michan’s Church, Crypts, and Mummies
This church was built in 1095, and because of its natural construction, has managed to preserve the dead bodies stored inside. The mummies date back over 800 years. We tried to visit on our last trip, but the church closes for lunch from 12-2 in the summer, so we missed them!
Leprechaun Museum
Another thing we missed was The National Leprechaun Museum, because they are closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. This museum was highly recommended by a local who said, “the museum makes you feel like you yourself are a leprechaun, and that everything around you is gigantic!”
This church was built in 1095, and because of its natural construction, has managed to preserve the dead bodies stored inside. The mummies date back over 800 years. We tried to visit on our last trip, but the church closes for lunch from 12-2 in the summer, so we missed them!
Leprechaun Museum
Another thing we missed was The National Leprechaun Museum, because they are closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. This museum was highly recommended by a local who said, “the museum makes you feel like you yourself are a leprechaun, and that everything around you is gigantic!”
 St Michan's mummies - photo from Atlas Obscura. |  |
We know we have only scratched the surface of things to do in Dublin. The city has so much to offer, and we cannot wait to come back to keep learning and seeing more!
Read about the other places we recommend visiting in Ireland:
Things to do in County Cork
Things to do in County Kerry
Killarney National Park
Things to do in County Kerry
Killarney National Park
Talkin' 'bout Tacos:
I'm Taylor, aka Tacos! I am sharing my journeys and experiences from across the world hoping to inspire travel and adventure in all who read.
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