Checking out the Rocky Mountain Lilies (Lily Mountain and Lily Lake)

We're in our third day of hiking at Rocky Mountain National Park, and we were looking for the perfect trail. We wanted something with a summit view, but we didn't want to repeat another 14 mile hike like we did two days ago. Mark found a well-reviewed hike that is actually outside the national park--just barely--and it seemed to fit the bill. We were lucky to find a spot in the tiny parking area along Highway 7, and we started up the Lily Mountain Trail.

It's only two miles to the top, and the elevation gain is only 1,180 feet. What a great reward for so little effort! It's steep at the end with some rock scrambling, but we were suddenly on top of Lily Mountain!

The top provides a little rocky seating area, and our timing was perfect. A large group was just leaving when we arrived to have the place to ourselves.

We have views in every direction of the Rocky Mountains that surround us.

Mark loves scrambling to the farthest edges of the top of Lily Mountain, while Denisa is content to stay on more stable ground to take his picture.

But some times she finds out that her "stable ground" has some pretty sheer drop offs when she sees the pictures that Mark is taking of her perch.

We stayed at the top to eat our snack, fully enjoying this easy summit on such a beautiful day.

Then we headed back down the trail to allow the next group of hikers to enjoy the summit. We had time to do some bird-watching in our slow descent. This stellar jay perched nicely out in the open for some pictures.

The sun was lighting up the side of the mountain, and we had to take a picture of the rich blue sky, green trees, and red cliffs. We feel like we are wandering in God's wonders again today.

Next stop is right down Highway 7 to Lily Lake. We've heard reports of a moose visiting this area, so we took the long walk around the lake where the ranger suggested one might be snacking on the willows. Nope!

Then we took the Lily Lake Ridge Hike to get a bird's eye view of the area. Still no moose!

We are also looking for some fall foliage, but the aspens are especially late in turning into their golden splendor this year. Denisa had to snap this picture of a young aspen changing into shades of yellow and orange because she so wants to see those fall leaves.

We got rained on as we hurried off the trail to get to the car. This might be a sign that it is time to head back to town. We have been driving through the busy little town of Estes Park without stopping, but a rainy afternoon seemed to be a good time to do some urban exploring. We hiked some of the streets of Estes Park, and located a sandwich place that had been recommended by hiking friends. We even took their recommendation to try the Yak Burger. Then it was time for grocery shopping, and we still got back to the motor home before dark. After three days, this is the first time to see our camp site in the daylight. That also means that we actually got to see the sunset from our campground.

The Rocky Mountains are certainly a beautiful place to explore the Lilies (Lily Mountain and Lily Lake), as we continue to wander His wonders!