With the gate over the pass still closed, my buddy Jessy and I wanted to get to the west side of Rocky Mountain NP, so we drove the long way around. We thought that since we were already going to be in the area, we should hike in and check out Monarch Lake as well.
After a few wrong turns from Denver, we finally made our way to Lake Granby. There was still fresh snow on the mountains, and the contrast between the lake was beautiful. We took our time getting around the lake stopping many times trying to see everything we could until we got around to the trailhead to Monarch Lake. I guess I should use that word lightly; it was a seasonal road.
Monarch Lake was quite spectacular, though the weather didn't fully cooperate with us, it was still a beautiful little lake. We hiked around to one side to an outcropping of rocks where we enjoyed a snack while snapping a few picks. I would have loved having a canoe or Kayak.
After grabbing lunch in Grand Lake, we headed off into the west side RMNP. By this time, that bad weather I was mentioning early had decided to pick up, but that was ok, there was new ground to cover. To our luck, it was closer than we thought. Just around the corner as we entered the park were two moose grabbing a bite to eat just off the road. We, of course, had to stop and do our best to safely get as close as we could for a good picture, luckily we both brought our zoom lenses! This was a super exciting moment for the both of us as we'd never seen a moose before.
Photography Date: 5-21-17
Writing Date: 7-23-18
