The Stanley Hotel in the town of Estes Park was built by Freelan Stanley of Stanley Steamer fame. It opened in 1909, the first luxury accommodation in Colorado's first tourist town. There is no individual Rocky Mountain, unless you care to count one diminutive peak in northern Georgia, a mere 4,586 feet high. That southern pretender would be a midget in the real Rockies, where 4,500 feet is just getting started. Rocky Mountain National Park offers several ways to experience the rugged terrain.
Trails traverse the flat meadows where mountains appear at a distance.
Or venture through the treeline and above it to find pristine glacial lakes. Intrepid souls likely will want to reach a summit or two, just for the exhilaration and to rise above it all. Drive almost to the top. Trail Ridge Road allows motorists a chance to attain climber's height with one foot on the accelerator and a cappuccino in the cup holder. It's a drive into grandeur unlike any other.