Rocky Mountain National Park

During Colorado’s gold “Rush to the Rockies,” Joel Estes was hunting with his son in 1859 when they stumbled across beautiful meadows that eventually became known as Estes Park. His cattle ranch quickly became a favorite stop for tourists, most notably the Englishwoman Isabella Bird, who ascended the 14,259-foot-high Long’s Peak in 1873. (The peak was named for Stephen H. Long, who came through this area in 1820 during an expedition across the Platte River to the Rocky Mountains.) In