Upper Beaver Meadows is a

montane Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

meadow and visitor attraction in

Rocky Mountain National Park Rocky Mountain National Park is an American national park located approximately northwest of Denver in north-central Colorado, within the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The park is situated between the towns of Estes Park to the east and ...

in Colorado. The area is known as a good bird-watching spot and its trail leads to a number of other trails within the park. The trails may be used for hiking, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing.

Montane ecosystem

The meadows of Upper Beaver Meadows rest at the upper limits of the montane ecosystem. Forests of

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...

and

Douglas fir The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Oregon pine, and Columbian pine. There are three va ...

trees only inhabit the slopes of this valley because the soils of the valley bottom are too moist from the high water table to support tree growth. This creates a broad meadow that is kept open by grazing wildlife. The park has fenced in an area where a former aspen grove was mowed down by grazing elk. The aspen grove protected inside the fence has grown dense by sprouting shoots from older trees roots. Upper Beaver Meadows is described by Scott Roederer as "a pretty little valley of meadows and aspen bordered by ponderosa and spruce / fir forests." Beaver Brook runs through the meadow.

Recreational activities

Activities include hiking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing on Upper Beaver Meadows trail. Upper Beaver Meadows offers two hiking routes. One is on the road which winds along the north side of Beaver Creek for . The other is a trail that leaves the dirt road, crosses the stream and runs along the south side of the meadow at the base of the moraine. Elk may be seen bedded down among the trees near the trail or along the stream. The trail runs through Upper Beaver Meadows and connects with a number of trails, including Ute Trail, Deer Ridge Trail, Moraine Park, and Windy Gulch. Black-billed magpie eating a wandering garter snake

Black-billed magpie eating a wandering garter snake

Birds like three-toed wood peckers and

Williamson's sapsucker Williamson's sapsucker (''Sphyrapicus thyroideus'') is a medium-sized woodpecker belonging to the genus '' Sphyrapicus'' (sapsuckers). Habitat and range Breeding habitat is open forested areas with conifers, mainly ponderosa pine, douglas-fir, a ...

s may be seen in Upper Beavers Meadows. Others, found in the grassland, are

Green-tailed towhee The green-tailed towhee (''Pipilo chlorurus'') is the smallest towhee, but is still one of the larger members of the American sparrow family Passerellidae. Its breeding range covers most of the interior Western United States, with a winter range ...

Vesper sparrow The vesper sparrow (''Pooecetes gramineus'') is a medium-sized New World sparrow. It is the only member of the genus ''Pooecetes''. Taxonomy The Vesper Sparrow is believed to be most closely related to the Lark sparrow. It is the only species ...

s, and

Black-billed magpie The black-billed magpie (''Pica hudsonia''), also known as the American magpie, is a bird in the corvid family found in the western half of North America. It is black and white, with black areas on the wings and tail showing iridescent hints o ...

s. Within the aspens, Warbling vireos,

House wren The house wren (''Troglodytes aedon'') is a very small bird of the wren family, Troglodytidae. It occurs from Canada to southernmost South America, and is thus the most widely distributed native bird in the Americas. It occurs in most suburban ar ...

s and

Mountain bluebird The mountain bluebird (''Sialia currucoides'') is a small migratory thrush that is found in mountainous districts of western North America. It has a light underbelly and black eyes. Adult males have thin bills and are bright turquoise-blue and s ...

s may be found. There are a number of kinds of

sapsucker The sapsuckers are species of North American woodpeckers in the genus ''Sphyrapicus''. Taxonomy and systematics The genus ''Sphyrapicus'' was introduced in 1858 by the American naturalist Spencer Baird with the yellow-bellied sapsucker (''Sphyra ...

Downy woodpecker The downy woodpecker (''Dryobates pubescens'') is a species of woodpecker, the smallest in North America. Length ranges from . Downy woodpeckers primarily live in forested areas throughout the United States and Canada, with the exception of deser ...

Hammond's flycatcher Hammond's flycatcher (''Empidonax hammondii'') is a flycatcher in the family Tyrannidae. This small insectivorous bird inhabits the coniferous and mixed forests of western North America. The name of this bird commemorates William Alexander Hammon ...

s, and other birds along the forested land.

Access

The areas is near the

Beaver Meadows Visitor Center Beaver Meadows Visitor Center, also known as Rocky Mountain National Park Administration Building, is the park headquarters and principal visitors center of Rocky Mountain National Park in central northern Colorado. Completed in 1967, it was desi ...

and off of Bear Lake Road. It is accessed via a dirt road, which is closed most of the winter months. When the dirt road is closed to vehicular traffic, the dirt road may be used by hikers to reach the Upper Beaver Meadows trailhead.

References

{{Rocky Mountain National Park Rocky Mountain National Park