Rocky Mountain National Park: Wild and Wonderful

Rocky Mountain National Park: Wild and Wonderful

Our national parks journey this week takes us to an extreme landscape in Colorado. Around us are clear lakes, aspen and fir trees, and mountain peaks that rise over 4,400 meters.

Welcome to Rocky Mountain National Park.

The vast Rocky Mountains range extends from the western United States up to Canada. National parks in both countries protect many of the huge peaks.

Here in Colorado, Rocky Mountain National Park covers about 1,100 square kilometers. Although it is much smaller than other western parks, like Yellowstone, it welcomes almost as many visitors each year.

People from around the world come to experience its alpine¹, or high-mountain, environment. In the spring and summer, wildflowers burst to life and many kinds of butterflies arrive. In the fall, the aspen trees turn bright yellow and orange. In the winter, deep snow blankets the park. Its peaceful alpine lakes freeze over.

One of the major sites here is the Continental² Divide. The area in the high mountains separates the rivers that flow into the Pacific Ocean from the rivers that flow into the Atlantic Ocean.

The Rockies’ huge glaciers³ form the rivers. Glaciers help tell the natural history of the land. Over millions of years, glaciers carved deep canyons⁴ out of rock. Erosion from wind and water formed the mountains’ sharp summits that we see today. Rock at the top of these summits is some of the oldest found on Earth.

It was not until 11,000 years ago that humans began living in the area. The Utes tribe settled here - for part of the year - thousands of years ago. Winter was too severe to survive. When the weather warmed, they lived in the green valleys and meadows and near the lakes.

In 1803, the U.S. government gained control of the land we now call Rocky Mountain National Park. It came as part of the Louisiana Purchase, which nearly doubled the size of the United States.

In the 1840s, American writer Rufus Sage⁵ came to the Rockies. He wandered the area from 1841 until 1843, spending time with fur trappers, Native Americans, soldiers and hunters.

His long and detailed⁶ account of mountain life was published in 1846. He called it “Scenes in the Rocky Mountains.”

Rufus Sage wrote, “Further on were yet higher summits, surmounted⁷ by pines and cedars⁸, raising their heads in stately grandeur⁹ far above the sweet valleys at their feet. Taken together, the scenery was not only romantic and picturesque¹⁰, but bewitching in its beauty and repulsive¹¹ in its deformity.”

Beginning in the late 1850s, gold and silver rushes brought huge crowds to the Colorado Rockies. Miners arrived in search of the precious metals. They settled temporary cities. One of the best-known is called Lulu City. It was settled in the late 1870s after miners discovered silver nearby. By 1880, more than 500 miners lived in Lulu City. It had a meat shop, a post office, and many houses and mining companies. Lulu City was short-lived. In just five years, miners left town, seeking other opportunities.

Today, some visitors choose to hike to this “ghost town,” where they will find old cabins and remains¹² of buildings.

As more and more people came the area, concern for protecting the natural environment grew. In 1909, the nature guide and naturalist¹³ Enos Mills began pushing for the creation of a national park here.

He first climbed the towering Longs Peak when he was just 15 years old. Longs Peak is the area’s tallest mountain, at 4,346 meters. Mills made the hike 40 more times by himself during his lifetime, and almost 300 times as a mountain guide.

Mills gave wrote and gave talks about the Longs Peak area to urge Congress to make it a national park.

On January 26, 1915, Mills got his wish. President Woodrow Wilson signed the Rocky Mountain National Park Act to make the area America’s 10th national park.

The Denver Post newspaper called Mills the “Father of Rocky Mountain National Park.”

Visiting Rocky Mountain National Park

Today, more than 3 million people visit Rocky Mountain National Park each year. In 2015, it was the third-most visited national park in the country.

Many visitors arrive by car. They drive the Trail Ridge¹⁴ Road, which winds through meadows and forests and up the mountains. The road was built during the 1930s, during the Great Depression.

At the time, many of the western national parks were served by the railway. Travelers arrived on trains. But, a railroad never served Rocky Mountain National Park. The National Park Service described it as “always an auto¹⁵ park.”

The high number of visitors and vehicles caused concern. In the 1970s, park officials began managing crowds. They started using buses in the park, and created a campsite system in the wild backcountry.

Today, conservation efforts continue. Park officials educate visitors and urge them to respect the natural environment.

Rocky Mountain National Park’s scenery, hiking trails, and wildlife attracts huge numbers of visitors. It has over 480 kilometers of hiking trails. They include challenging climbs up some of the tallest mountains and forest hikes that lead to one of the park’s many waterfalls.

They also include trails to crystal blue alpine lakes. One leads to Mills Lake, in honor of Enos Mills. The view of Longs Peak from the lakeside is one of the finest views in the whole park.

One of the most extreme hikes in the park is the Continental Divide Loop. The 86-kilometer path cuts through glacial valleys and past lakes and waterfalls. It takes most hikers at least six days to complete.

Long hikes give visitors a chance to experience Rocky Mountain wildlife. Within the park are hundreds of elk¹⁶ and bighorn sheep, as well as a small moose population. The park's huge number of large animals makes it one of the best places in America for wildlife watching.

Butterflies fill the park’s meadows. Some of the most common kinds are the Painted Lady, the Arctic Blue, and the Western Pine Elfin.

Butterflies help researchers in the park study the effects of climate change. Scientists and volunteers collected information on butterfly populations from 1995 until 2011. They identified more than 140 butterfly species.

Park visitors also come to fish, bike, and go horseback riding.The animals are permitted on most of the park’s hiking trails.

You can ride in the park on horseback. You can explore on foot. You can sleep under the stars. You can sit be a clear quiet lake. However you visit Rocky Mountains National Park, you will likely find, in the words of Enos Mills “the paths of peace and a repose¹⁷ that is sweeter than sleep.”

Words in This Story

alpine - adj. of or existing in high mountains

blanket - v. to cover (something)

summit - n. the highest point of a mountain

dominate - v. to have control of or power over (someone or something)

wander - v. to move around or go to different places usually without having a particular purpose or direction

scene - n. a view or sight that looks like a picture

surmounted - v. ? to be placed at the top of (something)?

grandeur - n. ?a great and impressive quality?

romantic - adj. making someone think of love?

bewitching - adj. attractive or delightful¹⁸ in a way that seems magical?

repulsive - adj. causing strong dislike or disgust?

opportunity - n. ?a situation in which something can be done ?

towering - adj. very tall?

ghost town - n. ?a town that no longer has any people living in it?

challenging - adj. difficult in a way that is usually interesting or enjoyable?

crystal (clear)- adj. perfectly¹⁹ clear?

species - n. ? a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants?

repose - n. a state of resting or not being active

1 alpine   

adj.高山的；n.高山植物

参考例句：

• Alpine flowers are abundant there.那里有很多高山地带的花。
• Its main attractions are alpine lakes and waterfalls .它以高山湖泊和瀑布群为主要特色。

2 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

3 glaciers   

冰河，冰川( glacier的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Glaciers gouged out valleys from the hills. 冰川把丘陵地带冲出一条条山谷。
• It has ice and snow glaciers, rainforests and beautiful mountains. 既有冰川，又有雨林和秀丽的山峰。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）

4 canyons   

n.峡谷( canyon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This mountain range has many high peaks and deep canyons. 这条山脉有许多高峰和深谷。 来自辞典例句
• Do you use canyons or do we preserve them all? 是使用峡谷呢还是全封闭保存？ 来自互联网

5 sage   

n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的

参考例句：

• I was grateful for the old man's sage advice.我很感激那位老人贤明的忠告。
• The sage is the instructor of a hundred ages.这位哲人是百代之师。

6 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

7 surmounted   

战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上

参考例句：

• She was well aware of the difficulties that had to be surmounted. 她很清楚必须克服哪些困难。
• I think most of these obstacles can be surmounted. 我认为这些障碍大多数都是可以克服的。

8 cedars   

雪松，西洋杉( cedar的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The old cedars were badly damaged in the storm. 风暴严重损害了古老的雪松。
• Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars. 1黎巴嫩哪，开开你的门，任火烧灭你的香柏树。

9 grandeur   

n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华

参考例句：

• The grandeur of the Great Wall is unmatched.长城的壮观是独一无二的。
• These ruins sufficiently attest the former grandeur of the place.这些遗迹充分证明此处昔日的宏伟。

10 picturesque   

adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的

参考例句：

• You can see the picturesque shores beside the river.在河边你可以看到景色如画的两岸。
• That was a picturesque phrase.那是一个形象化的说法。

11 repulsive   

adj.排斥的，使人反感的

参考例句：

• She found the idea deeply repulsive.她发现这个想法很恶心。
• The repulsive force within the nucleus is enormous.核子内部的斥力是巨大的。

12 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

13 naturalist   

n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者)

参考例句：

• He was a printer by trade and naturalist by avocation.他从事印刷业，同时是个博物学爱好者。
• The naturalist told us many stories about birds.博物学家给我们讲述了许多有关鸟儿的故事。

14 ridge   

n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭

参考例句：

• We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
• The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。

15 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

16 elk   

n.麋鹿

参考例句：

• I was close enough to the elk to hear its labored breathing.我离那头麋鹿非常近，能听见它吃力的呼吸声。
• The refuge contains the largest wintering population of elk in the world.这座庇护所有着世界上数量最大的冬季麋鹿群。

17 repose   

v.(使)休息；n.安息

参考例句：

• Don't disturb her repose.不要打扰她休息。
• Her mouth seemed always to be smiling,even in repose.她的嘴角似乎总是挂着微笑，即使在睡眠时也是这样。

18 delightful   

adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的

参考例句：

• We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。
• Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。

19 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。