I came across this remarkable panoramic photo this morning while browsing for header art and wanted to both preserve and share it. The file will load slowly because it is massive, but take heart. Your patience will be rewarded. You’ll be able to click on the photo (twice for maximum size) and scroll all over it to take in all the detail of this, my favorite place in the world — Rocky Mountain National Park.
The two prominent peaks are Mt. Meeker (left) and Longs Peak (elev. 14,259 ft.). Longs is the one I climbed some thirty years ago. Immediately in front of and below them is the Tahosa Valley, with its scenic Peak to Peak Highway (Highway 7), a national scenic byway. When you zoom in all the way you can actually see the cars on the highway.
In the valley that falls away on the right is the town of Estes Park, headquarters for and gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, and Lake Estes. The little meatloaf-shaped mountain in the middle of the valley is Prospect Mountain.
Notice the clouds and rain on the south (left) side of Meeker and Longs, while on the north side it’s sunny; this is common in the mountains. Rainy in one valley, sunny in the next.
All the peaks you see here are in the park. The photo (or stitched-together photos) was shot looking west from the summit of Twin Sisters, which I’ve also climbed. It’s one of the easier, more accessible peaks in the area and the view from the top is amazing. You’ve got all this to the west, and behind you to the east the plains roll away toward Kansas (visible on a clear day, I’ve been told).
Twin Sisters is also part of the park, although separated from the main body by the Highway 7 corridor. The perspective in this photo is misleading, because as you stand atop Twin Sisters, you are eyeball-to-eyeball with Meeker and Longs. You feel as though you could almost reach out over the valley below and touch them. If only it were that easy. Of course if it were, then actually climbing those peaks wouldn’t mean anything at all, would it?
And if you’ve ever wondered why they call these the Rocky Mountains, check the foreground in the lower corners. That’s what passes for “soil” here.
That’s just beautiful PT! “Visible on a clear day, I’ve been told” eh? With views like that to the west, I’d never look east either! 😀
It’s pretty amazing looking east and being able to see that far with both feet still on the ground. But you’re right, when you’re up there, the real show is to the west.
Incredible picture! Thank you! Went to full size and saw what appears to be either an old rusty piton on bolt in the rocks on the left with something newer attached to it. Also, there appears to be a bear in the distance… did you see that?
I saw the piton or whatever it is, but a bear? I didn’t see that, but it’s certainly possible in all that terrain.
Yup, I’m almost positive that’s a bear. Okay, about 3/4’s of the way to the right, on the crags in the foreground, there is one narrow rock jutting up. Click on that until you get to the full size, and the bear is just to the left of that jutting rock. Way cool!
Son of a gun, I clicked right on it the first time and it certainly looks like a bear. Brown, with a lighter muzzle, and headed to the right, right? Of course, after my experience with seeing a naked man in that one photo I posted … who knows.
Here’s the location of what looks like a bear to me. It could be an optical illusion, depending on how far away that crag actually is. Hard to tell.
https://piedtype.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/bear_on_the_mountain.jpg
Ayup. That’s the spot. But hold on here… back up… What naked man in which picture? I missed that… 😀
See my post “Old ladies and naked men.” I think there’s more likely a bear in this pic than a naked man in that one.