ROCKY MOUNTAIN A Guide to the Geology of Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

THE TRAVELER, without knowledge of geology, should read what has gone before if he would understand fully the descriptions starting on page 18, road logs. One fact in particular has been stated several times and should be kept constantly in mind: the mountains and valleys have been carved by water and ice, and in the process thousands of feet of rock have been removed from the surface so that, with the exception of the lava flows, the bedrock now at the surface was at one time deeply buried within the earth.

We are now prepared to apply our knowledge in examining points of interest as we drive along the major park roads. A convenient place of beginning is the Thompson River Entrance on the east side of the park. Set your speedometer at 0.0 at the checking station, which is about 3.5 miles southwest of the town of Estes Park. (See Road Logs, p. 18.)

Figure 10.—Map of Rocky Mountain National Park. (click on image for an enlargement in a new window)