The Top 5 Reasons to Visit Rocky Mountain National Park

Encompassing more than 265,000 acres, and with more than sixty peaks topping out above 12,000 feet, Rocky Mountain National Park is home to some of the most spectacular scenery on Earth. From wooded forests to alpine tundra, these majestic mountains provide habitat to more than 60 species of mammals, while more than 280 species of birds visit or reside within the park. With more than 350 miles of trails meandering throughout the park, Rocky Mountain is also widely recognized as a hiker’s paradise. Here’s why you should plan to visit Rocky sometime this year:

The Continental Divide
One of the best things about Rocky Mountain National Park is its accessibility to the high country. No other park in the country allows visitors to gain lofty elevations so easily. Roughly one-third of the park is above tree-line, and more than 60 peaks top out above 12,000 feet, including 14,259-foot Longs Peak, the highest peak in the park. In addition to trails like the Flattop Mountain Trail or the route to Mt. Ida, visitors can also drive over the Continental Divide along the highest continuous paved road in North America. With a maximum elevation of 12,183 feet, and more than eight miles traveling above 11,000 feet, Trail Ridge Road connects Estes Park with Grand Lake. The road also provides access to outstanding tundra hikes such as the Ute Trail, the Tundra Communities Trail and the Alpine Ridge Trail.

Wildflowers
Wet springs can bring exceptional wildflower blooming seasons in Rocky Mountain National Park. Even during normal years the park explodes with a variety of wildflowers. Some of the varieties visitors might enjoy include Alpine Clover, Rock Primrose, Western Wallflower, Sky Pilot and Alpine Sunflowers in the tundra areas of the park, as well as Mountain Iris, Lupine, Mariposa-lily and Colorado Columbines in the lower elevations. Some of best wildflower hikes include Big Meadows, Cascade Falls, Emerald Lake and the Lumpy Ridge Loop, among many others.

Longs Peak
At 14,259 feet, Longs Peak is the highest mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park. The iconic sentinel is seen from almost anywhere in the park, as well as from many locations around northern Colorado. It’s also one of most popular “fourteeners” for hikers and climbers to tackle in a state that boasts a total of 53 peaks above 14,000 feet. Although considered a mountaineering route, thousands of hikers attempt to summit the peak each summer using the famous Keyhole Route. Personally, I don’t want anything to do with the narrow ledges and steep cliffs along the upper portions of the route. I much prefer safer climbs such as Hallett Peak and the Chapin-Chiquita-Ypsilon Mountains route to cure my big mountain summit fever.

Elk Rut
The annual elk rut is one of the premier attractions in Rocky Mountain National Park. Each fall elk descend from the high country to the lower elevation meadows during the annual breeding season. During the rut, bull elk compete with one another for the right to breed with herds of females. Mature bulls compete for cows by bugling, posturing, displaying their antlers and herding, while occasionally fighting off young challengers. The peak season for the rut generally lasts from mid-September to mid-October in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Fall Aspens
Just as the elk rut is kicking into high gear, another annual event that draws tourists to the park during the autumn are the brilliant fall colors of aspens. Each September the leaves of quacking aspens turn from green to orange and golden yellow throughout the park. Some of best hikes for viewing fall aspens include Bierstadt Lake, Alberta Falls, Cub Lake, Finch Lake, Adams Falls and Chasm Lake, among many others.

In addition to the hikes discussed above, Rocky Mountain National Park has many other outstanding hikes that take-in the best scenery the park has to offer. If you do plan to visit Rocky Mountain this year, please note that our hiking website also offers a wide variety of accommodation listings and other things to do to help with all your vacation planning.



Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On (2nd edition book on the rich history of hiking)
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

112 Yellowstone bison transferred to Fort Peck Tribes

During the week of January 10, the National Park Service (NPS) and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) completed the transfer of 112 Yellowstone bison to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Poplar, Montana. The movement of these animals constitutes the single largest transfer to date under the park’s Bison Conservation Transfer Program. The program has led to the largest relocation of live Yellowstone bison to American Indian Tribes in history.

Since 2019, a total of 294 bison have been transferred from Yellowstone to the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes at Fort Peck. Approximately 170 of those bison have then been further distributed to 23 Tribes across 12 states in partnership with the InterTribal Buffalo Council.

The bison transferred last month were a large family group of seven males, 53 females and 52 calves. All completed Phases I & II of the brucellosis quarantine protocol at Yellowstone National Park and the APHIS facilities and will finish assurance testing (Phase III) at Fort Peck (see information below for details about the protocol).

This transfer is the result of many partners working together: the NPS/Department of the Interior, Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, APHIS/United States Department of Agriculture, the State of Montana, InterTribal Buffalo Council, Yellowstone Forever, Defenders of Wildlife and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition.

Yellowstone National Park partnered recently with Yellowstone Forever and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition to more than double the capacity of the facility within the park. The park and APHIS intend to enter 250 new animals into the program this winter.

“We greatly appreciate the tremendous number of partners who have come together to make the Bison Conservation Transfer Program a success,” said Superintendent Cam Sholly. “It is important we continue to look for opportunities to build on the success of this program in order to move larger numbers of disease-free bison to Tribes across the country, while also achieving our future goal of eliminating shipments to slaughter."

Background information about quarantine:
Quarantine was included as a possible tactic for bison management back in 2001 when the Interagency Bison Management Plan (IBMP) was signed by the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture and the Governor of Montana. The National Park Service formally pursued a quarantine program in 2014 by initiating a public planning process. The operational quarantine program was approved in May 2018.

APHIS and DOL established the final structural specifications and biosecurity requirements for quarantine facilities in June 2017. The only facilities that currently meet those specifications are located at Stephens Creek in Yellowstone National Park, Corwin Springs in Montana, and the Fort Peck Reservation.



Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On (2nd edition book on the rich history of hiking)
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Glacier National Park seeks comment on changes to the advance wilderness camping permit system

Glacier National Park is inviting public comment on the proposal to transition the advance wilderness camping permit system to Recreation.gov. Wilderness camping reservations would be available on Recreation.gov beginning on March 15 and a one-day lottery for large group permits would be available on Pay.gov on March 1. A newsletter describing the transition is posted to the NPS Planning, Environment & Public Comment (PEPC) website at:

https://parkplanning.nps.gov/WildernessCampingPermits

The public comment period is open until February 17, 2023.



Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On (2nd edition book on the rich history of hiking)
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Jackson Ranger District Requests Public Input

The Jackson Ranger District of the Bridger-Teton National Forest is inviting comments on five proposed projects in the Curtis Canyon area. The projects range from road repairs, increasing the size of the Curtis Canyon Campground, to relocating the Goodwin Lake Trailhead. Comments Must be received by March 3rd, 2023.

The Curtis Canyon area provides the closest opportunity for developed and dispersed camping to the town of Jackson. This has led to a heavy concentration of dispersed camping and off-highway vehicle use. Maintenance crews are unable to sufficiently maintain the current road surface, thus necessitating more substantial repairs. These factors have resulted in safety concerns, vegetation loss, poor visitor experience, and problems with human waste. The proposed projects aim to alleviate some of these pressures and provided for an improved visitor experience and more sustainable use in the future.

To view the scoping document and find out more or to provide a comment please visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=63443. Comments in writing will also be accepted at in person at the Jackson Ranger District, 340 N Cache St, Jackson WY or via mail to

Curtis Canyon Road and Campground Project
Bridger-Teton National Forest
P.O. Box 1689
Jackson, WY 83001



Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Going-to-the-Sun Road Construction Photo Collection Now Available

The Glacier National Park Conservancy recently announced that they assisted in the digitization of Glacier National Park’s photographic archives. One such collection highlights photos from the construction and dedication of Going-to-the-Sun Road. Here's what the GNPC posted on their website:

Glacier National Park’s archives contain a wealth of fascinating materials and valuable historic documents, but with no park museum to display historic artifacts, documents, and photos, few people laid eyes on these incredible resources. A major digitization effort in Glacier’s archives is changing that—and so far, the results are amazing!

A collection of historic photos from the construction and dedication of Going-to-the-Sun Road, now available to the public on the Montana Memory Project give a glimpse into the harrowing and spectacular lives of those building this famous road.

With the support of our donors, the Glacier National Park Conservancy was able to support a Museum Technician position to work with these photographs. GNPC also funded work by the park librarian to add metadata to the images, putting them in their proper historical context.

To view the collection, please click here.

Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park