West Horseshoe Park/Horseshoe Inn in Rocky Mountain National Park

West Horseshoe Park/Horseshoe Inn

Glaciers carved this valley and deposited the sands that became the meadows of West Horseshoe Park.

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West Horseshoe Park/Horseshoe Inn Details

Glaciers carved this valley and deposited the sands that eventually became the meadows of West Horseshoe Park, a good location to see elk at dawn or dusk. The wetlands here provide habitat for a variety of birds and are also credited with slowing the 1982 flood caused by the collapse of the Lawn Lake Dam. The 115-room Horseshoe Inn, built in 1907, once welcomed tourists to the park, but the inn was purchased by the National Park Service in 1931 and demolished.

Difficulty

Low

Distance

N/A

Estimated time

Region

East Side

Nearby Parks Around West Horseshoe Park/Horseshoe Inn

Compare nearby parks around West Horseshoe Park/Horseshoe Inn when deciding whether to expand the route after this stop.

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Rocky Mountain

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Black Canyon

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Great Sand Dunes

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Arches

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Mesa Verde

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260.9 mi away

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Nearby Points of Interest Around West Horseshoe Park/Horseshoe Inn

Use nearby POIs to quickly expand your options beyond West Horseshoe Park/Horseshoe Inn while the map context is still fresh.

0.0 mi away

Elk Exclosures

A lack of natural predators has led the elk to overgraze the lower meadows and forests.

0.4 mi away

Creating a National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park was established on January 26, 1915.

0.5 mi away

Sheep Lakes Bighorn Crossing

The sheep cross Highway 34, aided by park rangers and volunteers who stop traffic.

0.6 mi away

Bighorn Sheep

Bighorn sheep once thrived in the thousands in this part of the Rockies.

0.6 mi away

Lawn Lake Flood

At 5:30 am on July 15, 1982, the Lawn Lake Dam, built in 1903, gave way.