Coke Smith Photography & Travelogue

Rocky Mountains of Montana & Colorado


A bull Mountain Goat photographed in Montana's Glacier National Park.

 

The national parks of the Rocky Mountains are another region of North America I have traveled to consistently over the years.  My father and stepmother took me on my first trip through the area in the early 1970’s, but my more thorough explorations did not happen until Momo and I spent two weeks camping and hiking Glacier National Park during the summer of 1985.  We trekked virtually every trail possible during that short stay.  I was thoroughly impressed with the beauty of the northern Rockies as well as the incredible flora and fauna.  Many of the animals were so approachable.  We had fantastic viewings of Mountain Goats, Bighorn Sheep, Hoary Marmots, Pica and Richardson’s Ground Squirrels at very close quarters. 

On another trip through the region, I was able to spend a week in Rocky Mountains National Park in Colorado with Lien.  There I was able to see many species of mammals and birds as well.  I had my first good looks at Rocky Mountain Elk and other critters during that trip.  The park is a spectacular area to say the least.

After my wife Lien died in 1998, my brother Larry and I spent a couple weeks road-tripping through the region in Montana.  Later the next year, my bro’s and I did another road trip through Montana to see Glacier again!  For some reason, I keep finding myself back in the Rockies.  And I still want to go back yet again!  Maybe this summer?

 

Please take a look at our North America Image Galleries!

Rocky Mountain & Great Plains Landscapes Image Gallery

 

Here are some images of my adventures in various parts of the Rockies:

 

 

 

This Bighorn ram was photographed along the trail in Glacier National Park in 1998.  We woke him during a deep sleep.  He was a bit surprised!

 

 

 

Mountain Goats are common in Glacier National Park and can be seen in many locations.  This young bull was just as curious about me as I was about him.

 

 

This young lamb was snooping around the trail with its mother.

 

 

The Rocky Mountains National Park is a wonderful wilderness area located in the central Rockies.  This wetland was filled with beavers.

 

The vast forest punctuated by montane meadows are great for trekking.

 

 

The Rocky Mountains.

 

 

The massive mountains of Glacier National Park are very different in appearance when compared to those further south.  More reminiscent of the Canadian Rockies, the mountains of Glacier are beautiful examples of glacially carved topography.  Cirques, aretes and glacial horns are common in the park.

 

 

A spectacular sunset on the west end of Glacier.

 

 

 

A Columbia Ground Squirrel taking a peek while we were trekking his end of the park.

 

 

 

 

Another common mammal in Glacier, this Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel was waiting for a handout along one of the trails.

 

 

 

Richardson's Ground Squirrel is not as common but can be seen in sections of Glacier.

 

 

Second in size only to the beavers, Hoary Marmots are common in the rock outcroppings of the Rockies. This one was photographed in Glacier.

 

 

This Yellow-bellied Marmot was seen looking for handouts along the road at about 11,000 feet.  These critters are distinctly different than the Hoary Marmots that share the same region.