Travel-Rocky Mtn NP TB02b

Please drop this item in rural or Premium Member Only caches.  Do not place it in an urban cache or leave it behind at a caching event.  Transport the bug in the original plastic bag for as long as the bag lasts; this prevents the chain and tag tangling with other items.  Otherwise, take this travel bug anywhere you wish.  No permission needed to leave the U.S.

Keychain Pendant.  Rocky Mountain National Park is located in Colorado.  It features majestic mountain views, mountain lakes, a variety of wildlife, varied climates and environments—from wooded forests to mountain tundra—and easy access to back-country trails and campsites.  The park is located northwest of Boulder, and includes the Continental Divide and the headwaters of the Colorado River.

The park is split by the Continental Divide, which gives the eastern and western portions of the park a different character. The east side of the park tends to be drier, with heavily glaciated peaks and cirques. The west side of the park is wetter and more lush, with deep forests dominating.

The highest point of the park is Longs Peak, which rises to 14,259 above sea level.  On the north side of the park, the Mummy Range contains a number of smaller thirteener peaks.  Several small glaciers and permanent snowfields are found in the high mountain cirques.

The lowest elevations in the park are montane forests and grassland. The ponderosa pine, which prefers drier areas, dominates especially on the eastern side of the park, while at higher elevations douglas fir trees are found.  Above 9,000 feet the montane forests give way to the subalpine forest. Engelmann Spruce and Subalpine Fir trees are common in this zone. These forests tend to have more moisture than the montane and tend to be denser. Above tree line, at approximately 11,500 feet (3,500 m), trees disappear and the vast alpine tundra takes over.  Due to harsh winds and weather, the plants in the tundra are short with very limited growing seasons. Streams have created lush riparian wetlands across the park.