The Rockies 2020

A diverse set of habitats ranging from steppe to forest, bog and alpine will be visited. The tour will focus on wildflowers but wildlife will be present and could include deer, elk, moose, mountain goats, a wide variety of birds and possibly bears. The scenery will be spectacular and plant species we hope to see include Aquilegia coerulea, Eritrichium artetoides, Aquilegia jonesii, Kelseya uniflora and Clematis nuiloba, various Phlox, lupins and Castilleja and dozens of other genera native to the American west.

Route & elevations

Much of the botanising will be close to the vehicles, with some short hikes of several kilometres per day possible at elevations above 3,000m. The highest elevations will be above 4,200m. We’ll start in Denver and go north to Wyoming where elevations are generally below 3,300m. Then we’ll work our way south through Northern Colorado and into central Colorado where we will work up in elevation. On the last two full days we’ll have the opportunity to drive to 4,200m on paved roads and botanise at parking areas along the roadsides.

Participants will fly to Denver, Colorado where they meet tour guide Mike Kintgen. We’ll start the trip by touring Denver Botanic Garden’s extensive gardens and collections, covering a wide array of plants from steppe, alpine, montane, desert, tropical and acquatic environments.

From there, we’ll move on to Wyoming and wild environments and down through the Colorado Rockies.