Traveling Home from Rocky Mountain National Park 2026

Sadly, our trip had come to an end, and it was time to go.  I was not ready to leave!!!  Much to my surprise, when we walked outside to go to breakfast that morning the ground had snow on it.  It was like a sweet goodbye gift to me. 

 

morning snow at the YMCA of the Rockies 

 

 

our morning view 

 

We love to stay at the YMCA! 

I took this photo on the walk to the dining hall for our last buffet meal. 

 

 

Snow falling as we loaded the car. 

 

 

For the second time we stayed in the Wind River Lodge.  We love it! 

 

Wind River Lodge at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park 

 

 

 leaving the YMCA

I cannot wait to return!!!

 

 

We had snowfall all the way out of town.

 

Checkout was at 10:00 am.  We had an overnight flight that didn't leave Denver until 12:45 am (Wednesday morning).  We had to be at the airport to drop off our vehicle by 10:00 pm.  That meant a twelve hour day to kill.  We left Estes Park that morning and made the 1.5 hour drive back into Denver.

 

 

We killed most of our time walking around stores.  The boys insisted on stopping first at Bass Pro Shop.  

 

We had lunch at In-N-Out, which is a family favorite. We do not have those in the South so it was a must on our list to do while in Colorado. 

 

a lovely Denver sunset

We ate supper at Raising Cane's and then hung out at a Starbucks until time to drive to the airport.  

 

 

driving back into the Denver airport

Like I said on our arrival, I love this airport view, especially at night! It's so pretty!

 

It is hard to sum up this trip in words.  It was incredible and perfect in every way.  If I could do it over again, I would not change a thing.  The memories it provided, we will never forget.   

Hiking to The Pool and Fern Falls in RMNP 2026

 Here is a look at Day 3 of 4 in Rocky Mountain National Park. 

 

We finally stopped for a photo at the park entrance sign. 

This was the Beaver Meadows entrance.

 

 

Seeing the animals never got old. 

 

 

Driving towards the Beaver Meadows park entrance.  As you can see in the distance, it was not a clear day.  There was a prediction for rain and snow that day.  I had a different hike itinerary but ended up changing it because of the uncertainty of the weather. 

 

We headed back to the Moraine Park area and parked at the Fern Lake Trailhead.  We started out hiking to The Pool. 

 

hitting the trail

This trail was mostly flat and took you through a forest with a creek that ran alongside the whole trail.  We loved listening to the water as we hiked. It was very peaceful.

 

Ben on the trail 

 

 

Can you guess what happened just as we started out on the trail?

It began to snow!!!  Snowflakes fell off and on the while time we were there.

 

 

I love purple! 

 

 

the creek running alongside the trail 

 

 

Ben 

 

Ben climbing rocks. 

 

 

 

 

1.7 miles later we arrived at The Pool

I had not really researched this trail so we did not know what to expect. It turned out to be a highlight of our trip.  We loved hanging out there!  The guys climbed all over the rocks and the logs over the water. Seeing the boys play and explore brought a smile to my face.  We spent close to an hour there just soaking it all in. It was a beautiful area!

 

 

The Pool 

 

 

The Pool  

 

 The Pool 

 

 

 The Pool with snowflakes falling

 

 The Pool 

 

 

 The Pool 

This was our anniversary eve. 

 

 The Pool 

 

Ben at The Pool   

 

David 

 

 

 The Pool 

 

 

Cruz at The Pool  

 

The bridge over The Pool   

 

 The Pool 

 

Ben at The Pool   

 

David and Ben playing on the logs.

 

 

David and Cruz playing on the logs. 

 

our family enjoying the views at The Pool 

This will be a hike I'm certain we'll repeat if we return. 

 

 

Fern Falls was just another mile up so we decided to hike on and see it. 

 

hiking from The Pool to Fern Falls 

 

 

 

 

 

Fern Falls 

 

 

 Fern Falls 

 

Ben at Fern Falls 

 

 

 Fern Falls  

 

 

David at Fern Falls 

 

 

 Fern Falls 

It did not snow on the hike up, but shortly after arriving the snowflakes began to fall. 

 

 

 Fern Falls 

 

 

 Fern Falls 

 

 

our family at Fern Falls 

 

 

snowing hard as we started the hike back down 

It was beautiful! 

 

If you look close, you'll see Ben up ahead on the trail. 

 

crossing the bridge at The Pool 

 

more rock climbing for Ben 

 

I miss this creek and its sound. 

 

 

 

 

our view as we drove back through Moraine Park 

 

 

 

It was cold and snowy when we left the trailhead.  We decided to drive and park at the Moraine Park Discovery Center and have our picnic lunch in the car.  From where we parked we had a great view of the valley below.

 

We drove into Estes Park and visited this coffee shop for coffee and hot chocolate.

 

warming up at Coffee on the Rocks

 

Before returning to the YMCA we made a loop back through the park starting at the Fall River entrance and coming out at the Beaver Meadows entrance. The boys fell asleep so we had a nice quiet drive. It was a fun and relaxing way to end the day.

The next day was our 30th wedding anniversary and our last day in the park. I'll share about that next.