My dad insisted on all of us taking the trip up to the top of Pikes Peak and because the roads were closed, that left the cog railway. When we picked up our tickets they let us know that the track was frozen near the top, so we would be stopping short. However, the price was discounted to $25 as a result and we only stopped about a quarter mile from the top, so we still saw some spectacular scenery.

Here is a view of Colorado Springs as the train started up.

There were trees for quite a while, but once we passed the timberline, it became barren and everything was frozen over.

Well, everything except the yellow-bellied marmots!

These guys were not here on the way up, I think they came out specifically to check us out when they heard the train go by.

We stopped around 10,000 feet on the way down for some photo opportunities and to let the 12:20pm train pass us. I started to feel the altitude once we started back down but it was past in about 20 minutes—not nearly as bad as the Grand Canyon.

The whole ride took just about three hours. The seats weren’t overly comfortable (molded wood) and there was a lot of chattering on the crowded cars (I like my nature without a lot of other people around), but the wide-open vistas made up for it.

After acquiring our rental car (Hertz takes forever, so I only use them when we get quadruple credit on Southwest), we headed west to Boulder and our first stop of the trip—Boulder Falls.

The sun was pretty strong, but Eric managed a darn good shot of this beautiful falls, regardless. It’s an easy hike to the falls, but most of it is on slippery rocks, so watch your step.

In Nederland, after a delicious BBQ lunch, we picked up the Peak to Peak scenic byway that took us north to Rocky Mountain National Park. We encountered both snow and sun on the way.

We also saw quite a few elk, both grazing on the side of the road and sprinkled throughout the meadow areas.

Many of the roads were closed still, which we knew could happen, so we had to discard some of the hikes we wanted to do. We were also at the mercy of daylight, but fortunately, the hike to Alberta Falls is only about 2 miles roundtrip.

In the snow.

Totally worth it.

The trail (what we could make of it anyway) paralleled a gorge, passing aspen groves and a creek. We even saw a beaver! The falls itself was very lovely, too.

We left the park after sunset, stopping at the alluvial fan for a quick shot of Horseshoe Falls before Eric had to retire his camera for the day. This shot was about 3 seconds - thank goodness for tripods!

Best of all, by the time we got to the park, all the stations were closed, so this visit was entirely free! Don’t worry though, they’ll get us on a future visit… we’ll definitely be back.