American songwriter John Denver once said, “Colorado Rocky Mountain high…I know he’d be a poorer man if he never saw an eagle fly.”
I am all the richer then, spotting not one but two of these majestic birds of prey on the drive out of Estes Park.
The sighting in the town, a base camp for adventurers in the famous Rocky Mountain National Park, tops off a day of wildlife spotting that has included a bull elk and his harem of females, some bighorn sheep, and a chipmunk I initially mistook for a squirrel.
Nature is on Denver’s doorstep, around 90 minutes drive away, making the Colorado state capital a convenient place from which to both enjoy city life and explore the stunning surrounds of the Rockies.
A new route from UK airports via Dublin to Denver with Aer Lingus, which launched in 2024, allows travellers to clear US immigration and customs in Ireland before take-off. Avoiding long queues stateside on landing means the adventure starts immediately.
So what is there to do, see and enjoy in this western American state?