Wildlife Viewing

One of the great things about Rocky Mountain National Park is that you don't have to work too hard if you want to see animals in their natural habitat.

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Wildlife Viewing Details

One of the great things about Rocky Mountain National Park is that you don't have to work too hard if you want to see animals in their natural habitat: the park is home to a herd of up to 800 elk, about 350 bighorn sheep, and even some moose are among the more prominent species you can see here. Elk can be viewed in the park's meadows and along the edge of forests, usually at dawn or dusk and especially during the fall mating season. The aptly named Sheep Lakes are a great place to see bighorn sheep from May to mid-August, and moose can sometimes be spotted in the Kawuneeche Valley, where they roam among the willows along the Colorado River. You're also likely to see the common mule deer in the park's lower elevations, while marmots and pikas scramble over the rocky alpine tundra along Trail Ridge Road -- also a good place to see golden eagles, prairie falcons, and birds like Clark's nutcrackers and Steller's jays. The tundra is home to the popular white-tailed ptarmigans, which are quite common but hard to spot because of their excellent camouflage and general wariness. Only view wildlife from a distance and never approach or touch a wild animal. Drive slowly and watch for animals on the road. For the best wildlife-viewing results, either turn off your car motor or get out of your vehicle and quietly move away from the roadside.

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