A trip over Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park is a peak experience, literally. The nation’s highest mountains, sparkling lakes and streams, abundant wildlife, and stunning wildflowers will leave visitors breathless from both the beauty and the altitude.
Trail Ridge Road transports visitors to a world of different life zones, climates, and vegetation—a trip comparable to driving more than 2,500 miles from Denver to Fairbanks, Alaska. But this world is compressed into just a 50-mile drive over the highest continuous highway in the United States, following the path etched by generations of Native Americans. Trail Ridge Road is one of the few paved roads in the world where a doctor’s permission is recommended for those with medical problems. Every 300 feet of elevation equals one degree of latitude or 70 statute miles north. The road provides stunning views of peaks with memorable names—Never Summer Mountains, Mummy Mountain, Lumpy Ridge, Storm Peak, Chief’s Head Peak, Isolation Peak, Twin Sisters. Keep your camera handy for the many scenic pullouts. If you ever contemplated investing in a wide-angle lens, this is the trip to make it worthwhile.
From spectacular vistas of endless snowy peaks to tiny, gem-like flowers that grow high above the tree line (one-third of the park’s 415 square miles is above this level), Rocky Mountain National Park is without a doubt one of the nation’s—and the world’s—treasures.
You’re almost sure to see grazing deer and elk and, if you’re lucky, maybe some Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, the park’s symbol. Above timberline by boulder fields, listen for the whistle of the pikas—cute, furry animals that look like rodents but are related to rabbits. You may spot a yellow-bellied marmot, a large rodent similar to a groundhog, sunning on a rock. Gray jays or spiffy black-trimmed Clark’s nutcracker birds will swoop down looking for handouts (but don’t feed them, it’s illegal and not good for them). It is rare to encounter bears and mountain lions since they are wary of humans; if such a meeting should occur, remember to stand tall, back away slowly, and whatever you do, don’t turn and run.
Leave the crowded roadsides, walk a mile or two along one of the park’s 355 miles of trails, and you’ll begin to feel like one of the first humans ever to set eyes on this beautiful wilderness area.
In the early part of the 20th century, Boulderites often referred to their growing community as “the Athens of the West,” and the city’s willingness to embrace religious diversity is reflected in that lofty motto.
The Presbyterians were the first to bring worship services to what we now call the Boulder Valley, followed quickly by the Congregationalists, the Baptists, the Episcopalians, the Methodists, and the Roman Catholics. The church sanctuaries seemed large enough when built in the late 1800s, but with the country moving west, nearly all of the faiths quickly outgrew their modest worship halls and built larger churches. Architecturally impressive, many of the truly beautiful downtown Boulder churches were built with local materials.
Boulder is known, however, as much for its eclectic spirituality as its traditional religious offerings. An annual listing compiled by Nexus, Colorado’s holistic journal, shows more than two dozen “unconventional” spiritual groups meet regularly. This metaphysical emphasis alongside the time-honored religious faiths is one of the best aspects of Boulder.
This chapter begins with some history and an overview of some current events involving Boulder’s religious communities. It then describes worship centers located downtown—easy for both tourists and newcomers to reach. It ends by describing other groups that are part of the rich texture of Boulder worship.