Sight · Rocky Mountain National Park
An open glacial meadow with elk beneath Longs Peak and the Divide.
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
Moraine Park: Elk and a Former Resort“You're nearing Moraine Park, a broad meadow with Longs Peak and the Continental Divide beyond it. Stop for the open valley view and a chance of elk, especially in spring and fall.”
Plays as you drive up to Moraine 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
Moraine Park is an open glacial meadow and roadside scenic view on Bear Lake Road, about two miles from its junction with Trail Ridge Road. Longs Peak and the Continental Divide rise beyond the valley. I’d stop for the broad meadow view and a chance to look for elk. The Cub Lake and Fern Lake trailheads are in the wider Moraine Park area, but those are separate hikes.
Spring and fall are especially promising for elk, with the rut in September and October; sightings depend on where wildlife moves. Sunset is another good time to take in the meadow. For a photo, keep the open meadow in the foreground with Longs Peak and the Continental Divide beyond it, so the picture shows the valley’s scale. Keep well back from wildlife.
Glaciers carved Moraine Park into a broad valley between the North and South Lateral Moraines. Coming from the Bear Lake Road and Trail Ridge Road junction, the road crosses the North Lateral Moraine before descending into the valley. The open meadow and the ridges around it are parts of the same glacial landscape.
Abner Sprague filed a homestead claim here in 1875, and his ranch grew into a visitor resort. By 1904, J.D. and Dora Stead had bought the property and renamed the resort Stead’s Ranch. Later owners added a pool and a nine-hole golf course. The park acquired the 560-acre ranch in 1962 and removed its structures; restoration of the former golf course took until 2008. The meadow has since returned to a more natural state.
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
EasyMoraine Park Discovery Center Nature Trail0.5 mi · 30 min · 0.4 mi awayA quick hillside loop for wide meadow and mountain views.
EasyMoraine Park Loop4.8 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.5 mi awayRiver bends, meadow elk, and high peaks line this mellow loop.
ModerateCub Lake Trail4.6 mi · 3.5 hr · 1.4 mi awayA meadow crossing and aspen climb lead to a lily-pad lake.
ModerateMill Creek Basin Loop3.7 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.4 mi awayA creekside Hollowell Park loop with a meadow start and aspen return.ChallengingHollowell Park Loop10.2 mi · 6 hr · 1.4 mi awayA long loop through Moraine Park, Cub Lake, and Mill Creek Basin.
ChallengingUte Trail East6.1 mi · 6 hr · 1.6 mi awayA steep east-side crossing into open tundra.
ModerateUpper Beaver Meadows Loop5 mi · 3.5 hr · 1.6 mi awayA five-mile loop climbs from meadow to broad Longs Peak views.
ModerateOdessa Lake via Fern Lake Trail9.8 mi · 6 hr · 2.2 mi awayTwo alpine lakes, a cascade and a serious climb from Fern Lake.
Visitor center · 0.4 mi awayMoraine Park Discovery CenterA former lodge with hands-on exhibits above Moraine Park.
Entrance station · 0.8 mi awayBeaver Meadows EntranceClosest entrance from Estes Park, with passes sold at the gate.
Campground · 0.8 mi awayMoraine Park CampgroundElk bugles sometimes carry across camp on autumn nights.
Picnic area · 0.9 mi awayTuxedo Park Picnic AreaA quiet creekside picnic, reached by steps from the road.
Picnic area · 1.3 mi awayUpper Beaver Meadows Picnic AreaA quiet roadside picnic with the Continental Divide in view.
Picnic area · 1.4 mi awayHollowell ParkA meadow picnic with Longs Peak across the basin.
Sight · 1.5 mi awayDeer MountainThe last steep steps open onto a wide Front Range panorama.
Visitor center · 1.6 mi awayBeaver Meadows Visitor CenterA National Historic Landmark that helps you plan the day.Parkwolf’s Rocky Mountain ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
