Picnic area · Rocky Mountain National Park
A meadow picnic with Longs Peak across the basin.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Rocky Mountain Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Rocky Mountain National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Rocky Mountain audio tourRecorded for this place
Hollowell Park: Lunch and a Creekside Stroll“Up ahead is Hollowell Park, a meadow picnic stop with a view across Mill Creek Basin toward Longs Peak. I'd choose it for lunch and a short stroll rather than a big hiking commitment.”
Plays as you drive up to Hollowell Park in the Parkwolf Rocky Mountain Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“…No cell service for majority of the day but had continuous access to the app - the maps, the tour guide as you drive is amazing. Highly recommend purchasing the subscription.”
Guide
Hollowell Park is a roadside picnic area in a broad meadow on Bear Lake Road, with views across Mill Creek Basin toward Longs Peak. I’d stop for a relaxed meal and a short, easy walk; this is a picnic break, not a destination hike.
There are 10 picnic tables and vault or composting toilets. A few tables sit beneath a large pine, but much of the meadow is open and can feel hot on a summer afternoon. Portable grills are allowed; there are no fire grates or trash cans, so pack out your trash.
A short, easy trail leaves from the parking lot, crosses open grass, then heads into trees beside Mill Creek. From the meadow, keep some foreground grass in the frame with Longs Peak beyond the basin; that gives the view its sense of place. Elk, mule deer and moose are sometimes spotted nearby, though sightings vary.
Wildlife
3,124 sightingsElkMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
1,601 sightingsMooseMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
19 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
19 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
30 sightingsGolden EagleMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
270 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Rocky Mountain. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateMill Creek Basin Loop3.7 mi · 2.5 hr · At the trailheadA creekside Hollowell Park loop with a meadow start and aspen return.ChallengingHollowell Park Loop10.2 mi · 6 hr · At the trailheadA long loop through Moraine Park, Cub Lake, and Mill Creek Basin.
ModerateCub Lake Trail4.6 mi · 3.5 hr · 1.1 mi awayA meadow crossing and aspen climb lead to a lily-pad lake.
EasyMoraine Park Loop4.8 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.4 mi awayRiver bends, meadow elk, and high peaks line this mellow loop.
EasySprague Lake Nature Trail0.8 mi · 30 min · 1.5 mi awayA nearly level loop with lake and Continental Divide views.
EasyMoraine Park Discovery Center Nature Trail0.5 mi · 30 min · 1.6 mi awayA quick hillside loop for wide meadow and mountain views.
ModerateOdessa Lake via Fern Lake Trail9.8 mi · 6 hr · 1.6 mi awayTwo alpine lakes, a cascade and a serious climb from Fern Lake.
ModerateFern Lake Trail7.6 mi · 4.5 hr · 1.6 mi awayA 7.6-mile return to Fern Lake passes The Pool and Fern Falls.
Sight · 0.9 mi awayPark & Ride Transit HubPark once for free shuttles to Bear Lake Road stops.
Campground · 1 mi awayGlacier Basin CampgroundA handy base for Bear Lake corridor starts.
Picnic area · 1.1 mi awayTuxedo Park Picnic AreaA quiet creekside picnic, reached by steps from the road.
Campground · 1.3 mi awayMoraine Park CampgroundElk bugles sometimes carry across camp on autumn nights.
Sight · 1.3 mi awayGlacier Creek StablesThe park's lone stable pairs guided rides with mountain scenery.
Sight · 1.4 mi awayMoraine ParkAn open glacial meadow with elk beneath Longs Peak and the Divide.
Sight · 1.5 mi awaySprague LakeA gentle lake loop for Divide views and possible moose sightings.
Sight · 1.5 mi awayBierstadt LakeMountain reflections reward the steep walk in.Parkwolf’s Rocky Mountain ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
