Upper Beaver Meadows
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Upper Beaver Meadows is a montane meadow and visitor attraction in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.[1] The area is known as a good bird-watching spot and its trail leads to a number of other trails within the park. The trails may be used for hiking, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing.
The meadows of Upper Beaver Meadows rest at the upper limits of the montane ecosystem. Forests of pine and Douglas fir trees only inhabit the slopes of this valley because the soils of the valley bottom are too moist from the high water table to support tree growth. This creates a broad meadow that is kept open by grazing wildlife. The park has fenced in an area where a former aspen grove was mowed down by grazing elk. The aspen grove protected inside the fence has grown dense by sprouting shoots from older trees roots.[2]
Upper Beaver Meadows is described by Scott Roederer as "a pretty little valley of meadows and aspen bordered by ponderosa and spruce / fir forests." Beaver Brook runs through the meadow.[3]
