Page 10 - Volume 15 Number 7

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The view from atop Deer Mountain (10,013 feet) looking southeast toward the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center and Entrance Station. While the 3.0-mile hike (one-way) to reach here requires a bit
of rock scrambling, it is mostly easy-to- moderate for a relatively fit person and only climbs 1,100 feet from the trail head to the peak.
Thus, Northern Colorado Regional
Airport (FNL), formerly known as
Ft. Collins-Loveland Municipal
Airport, is a popular point from
which to begin adventures into
RMNP’s northern and eastern
areas. FNL lies just above 5,000
feet and boasts an 8,500-foot main
runway. Runway 33 is equipped
with both ILS and GPS/LPV
approaches and runway 15 has
a single GPS/LNAV approach.
Having a part-time control tower
and full service FBO (Ft. Collins-
Loveland Jet Center) makes it an
easy choice. From there, it’s about
an hour’s drive along Highway 34, curving and twisting alongside the Big Thompson River, into Estes Park.
Exiting Estes Parks to the south, Route 7 runs mostly outside the eastern boundary of the park. However, it also provides access to several popular trail heads which lead back into the park via hundreds of miles of hiking trails. Along this eastern route, progressing southbound, you’ll have your choice of the Lily Mountain and Lily Lakes trail heads, followed by the popular Long’s Peak and Wild Basin. But, if short walks and easy hikes are more your speed, enter RMNP via the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center and proceed southwest down the length of Bear Lake Road. Take the short side excursions to Moraine Park, Glacier Basin and Sprague Lake, as you progress toward the final destination of Bear Lake itself. Finally, if you’re in the northeastern part of RMNP during the summer, a drive across the Trail Ridge Road is a must (at least as far west as the Alpine Visitor Center). This route is high elevation and peaks out at nearly 12,200 feet (where you are likely to encounter snow well into the summer months). The many vistas and wildlife viewing opportunities are not to be missed. Since the Continental Divide runs through RMNP, you have opportunities to cross it along this route (most such crossings are posted for photo ops). Past the 11,800 foot elevation Alpine Visitor Center, one could elect to continue driving to explore the western and southwestern areas of the park.
The other option for touring those areas would be to first fly to Granby into Grand Co. Airport (GNB), just
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8 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
JULY 2021