Things to do / Travel Guide
If you make your way into any of the forests and mountain meadows in the eastern Colorado and Wyoming Rockies, you'll come face to face with noble elk and bighorn sheep, and perilous raptors and eagles, not to mention some of the most beautiful wildflowers and proud and colorful aspen.
Flora in Eastern Colorado and Wyoming Rockies
The region is home to diverse ecosystems, basically following the journey from the plains and prairie land in the east to the alpine tundra above treeline. At lower altitudes, in the region's grasslands, is where you'll see yucca and wildflowers, cactus, rattlesnakes, and eagles.
A bit higher up are where the famed aspen grow in abundance. In this region the aspen are called quaking aspen for the sound they make in the wind. Aspen are treasured for the beauty of their bright-yellow and red leaves in the falls, and for their hardiness in the rough winters. They can thrive in altitudes up to 12,000 feet, making them some of the last trees to grow before treeline. Below-ground, these awesome trees often grow in groves, and are actually clones of one central and pervasive root. This root, from which the entire grove is derived, can be ancient - many in this region are at least thousands of years old.
Right at treeline, or timberline, where the trees can no longer survive the harsh temperatures and winds, the remaining trees appear twisted and are often blown partially over. The last trees before timberline are usually the bristlecone pine, gnarly to begin with, and so hearty they can live 1,000 years!
Fauna in Eastern Colorado and Wyoming Rockies
You'll find deer all over the place in the sub-alpine altitudes, but elk (a.k.a., moose) can be seen only in the sub-alpine forests. Sub-alpine in this context means right before alpine; therefore, one of the best areas in the region to spot this large relative of the deer is in Rocky Mountain National Park. Elk graze the sub-alpine meadows in large herds, and you can sometimes hear them bugling at night.
Another ubiquitous animal in Rocky Mountain National Park, which can also be seen along the Cache la Poudre River and near Georgetown, is the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. These sheep can weigh up to 350 pounds. They're known for the two large curved horns atop their heads.
Nature Spots in Denver, Colorado Springs, Boulder, Cheyenne Wyoming and the Eastern Rockies
Nature-Wildlife
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