Scenic pullout · Rocky Mountain National Park
A quick stop for meadow views beneath the Mummy Range.
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
West Horseshoe Park: A Meadow-Level View“The West Horseshoe Park Pullout is ahead, with a meadow-level view beneath the Mummy Range. I'd give it a few minutes to enjoy the open valley, if there's room in the small parking area.”
Plays as you drive up to West Horseshoe Park Pullout 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
West Horseshoe Park Pullout is the roadside access stop on the west side of Horseshoe Park's lowland meadow. Parking is limited. The broad meadow has small lakes beneath the Mummy Mountain Range; for a photo, leave some meadow in the foreground so the open valley reads beneath the peaks.
Meadow closures typically run from May through October. Most still allow wildlife viewing from the pavement but prohibit entering the meadow, so follow the signs before walking out. For bighorn sheep, moose, and elk, the Upper Horseshoe Meadow and Sheep Lakes pullouts are separate stops specifically identified for wildlife viewing.
Horseshoe Park sits in a U-shaped valley carved by glacial ice. During the last major glaciation, glaciers from nearby valleys melted in this area. The wide valley floor, small lakes, and mountain skyline are the visible result of that history.
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
ChallengingLawn Lake Trail12.4 mi · 5.5 hr · 0.4 mi awayA hard climb to a lake in a valley remade by flood.
ChallengingCrystal Lakes Trail15.4 mi · 10 hr · 0.4 mi awayTwo alpine lakes below Mount Fairchild make for a very long day.
ChallengingYpsilon Lake Trail9 mi · 7 hr · 0.4 mi awayA long climb to a lake beneath Ypsilon's snow-filled couloir.
ChallengingThe Saddle via Lawn Lake Trail16.7 mi · 9 hr · 0.4 mi awayA high saddle beyond Lawn Lake makes this a full-day climb.
EasyBeaver Ponds Boardwalk0.2 mi · 15 min · 0.8 mi awayA short boardwalk into a wetland shaped by old beaver dams.
EasyAlluvial Fan Trail0.4 mi · 30 min · 0.8 mi awayA bridge and waterfall on a trail shaped by a 1982 flood.
EasyLittle Horseshoe Park Loop3.9 mi · 2 hr · 1.3 mi awayA gentle meadow loop with open Mummy Range views.
ChallengingDeer Mountain Trail6.2 mi · 3.5 hr · 1.3 mi awayEarly meadow views lead to a steep climb and broad summit panorama.
Sight · 0.5 mi awaySheep LakesScan the valley for moose, sheep and elk from the roadside.
Sight · 0.7 mi awayAlluvial FanSee the 1982 flood's boulder fan break into a rushing cascade.Sight · 0.8 mi awayBeaver PondsA short boardwalk into a wetland shaped by old beaver dams.
Sight · 1 mi awayMany Parks Curve OverlookThe lowland parks and Longs Peak line up from this roadside curve.
Sight · 1.7 mi awayHidden ValleyEasy sled runs on a former ski hill, plus a creekside walk.
Picnic area · 1.8 mi awayEndovalley Picnic AreaA shaded picnic loop by the river at Old Fall River Road.
Campground · 1.9 mi awayAspenglen CampgroundWooded camping near Fall River Entrance, including five walk-to sites.
Entrance station · 1.9 mi awayFall River EntranceThe staffed eastern gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park.Parkwolf’s Rocky Mountain ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
