The News from Rocky Mountain

Trails, Trails, and More Trails in Your Own Backyard!

"There's no reason for horseowners and trail riders to stop trail riding just because fuel prices are reaching the liquid gold stage. All one has to do is find those trails in your own backyard," Bonnie Davis, trail rider for over 40 years and owner of Two Horse Enterprises, stated.

Two Horse Enterprises is dedicated to trail riding and horsecamping and has equestrian trail guides for half the nation -- over 30! Plus some guides to trails in National Parks and National Grasslands.

Having Fun(gi) in the National Park

In Rocky Mountain National Park, there are four different species of vole, eight kinds of bats, 125 unique butterflies and two distinct spruce trees. But mushrooms -- nobody has any idea how many kinds of mushrooms might be hiding under the soils of the park waiting to pop up from the duff after a late summer rain.

Moraine Park Golf Course Going Au Naturel

No one has golfed in Moraine Park for 46 years, but the outline of the old nine-hole course stands out, weeds against native grass.
On Thursday, park crews began lowering the abandoned greens and tees to their natural grade as part of a plan to restore native wetlands and grasses.

Rocky Mountain National Park Program Reveals the Many Faces of Longs Peak

Longs Peak is the highest peak in Rocky Mountain National Park, and a dominant visual icon in Colorado’s Northern Front Range. Rising to an elevation of 14,259 feet, it is the northernmost of Colorado’s 54 peaks that rise above fourteen thousand feet. Rocky Mountain National Park will host the program, “Longs Peak, Historic Icon,” Saturday, Aug. 23, at 8:30 p.m. at the Moraine Park Campground Amphitheater.

ACORD: Two-for-one trailhead at Rocky Mountain National Park

You're headed to Rocky Mountain National Park for the day and you really want to hike. But you're taking Grandma and Grandpa with you, and they're more interested in strolling than hiking.

And elevation? Forget about it.

Fortunately, there's a place in this sprawling park where the grandparents can stroll while you get a workout. Your starting point: Sprague Lake, a popular day-use area off Bear Lake Road. The lake is picture-perfect, its surface glassy except for the concentric circles that form around anglers who stand in its shallow waters.

Snowdrift Peak is a blast from the past

WHAT IS IT? Snowdrift Peak (12,274 feet).

WHERE IS IT? Rocky Mountain National Park.

HOW LONG IS IT? Almost 17 miles. You'll gain more than 3,000 feet.

HOW DO I GET THERE? Take U.S. 34 west through Estes Park, then follow the signs to Rocky Mountain National Park. Take Bear Lake Road to the parking lot and start up the Flattop Mountain Trail.

IS THERE A FEE? $20 to get into the park, although if you're arriving early -- which you should be -- you can get in for free.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CONDITIONS: (970) 586-1206 is the visitor information line for Rocky Mountain National Park.

Trouble on the tundra

A 58-year-old man spent the night beside his car along Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park after it rolled several times after leaving the road near the Gore Range overlook. The identity and hometown of the driver were not released.

According to Park officials, the 58-year-old man reported he drove off the road around 8:30 p.m. Friday. The vehicle rolled numerous times before coming to a stop approximately 500 feet from the road. The driver reported that he crawled out of the car and was next to it all night. A visitor saw his vehicle at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 26, and notified Park officials.

Life Saved Through Prompt EMS Response

On Thursday, July 24th, a 42-year-old man from Berthoud, Colorado, was backpacking with a dozen young people and a second group leader when he suffered a heart attack while en route to their backcountry group campsite. The incident occurred on the Chapin Creek trail about a mile-and-a-half from the trailhead at an elevation of 10,500 feet.

Denver couple wills $3 million to Rocky Mountain National Park fund

A Denver couple has left a record donation of $3 million to the nonprofit organization that supports Rocky Mountain National Park.

But before Edith London bequeathed the money in her will, she and her late husband, John, also left behind a story of two remarkable lives, Rocky Mountain Nature Association Executive Director Curt Buchholtz said Sunday.

Buchholtz, who went through the childless couple's papers while settling their estate, said he discovered an amazing love story.

Illegal jump under investigation in RMNP

Park rangers are investigating after someone leaped from the top of Longs Peak on Wednesday morning, descending with a parachute.

BASE jumping is illegal in Rocky Mountain National Park, as it is in all national parks. BASE jumpers are skydivers who jump from buildings, antenna, spans or the Earth rather than aircraft. It's considered an extreme form of skydiving, since a jumper literally has only seconds before impact to deploy their chute.

Rocky spokeswoman Kyle Patterson confirmed the 9 a.m. jump from the east side Diamond face of the 14,259-foot peak and said the incident is under investigation.

Rocky Mountain National Park: Resident Artists Capture National Park in Summer Glory

Rocky Mountain National Park has chosen six artists for this year’s Artist-in-Residence Program. Visual artist Kevin Muente and Composer Daniel Kellogg completed their residencies and the first of the other four talents arrived this week.

Plein air painter John Taft will surround himself among the valleys, rivers and beauty plenty from July 1st through the 8th; children’s art illustrator Laura Jacques July 15 to the 22nd, storyteller, musician and performing artist Cory Hills July 29th through Aug. 19th; and Poet Will LaPage follows Aug. 12th through the 19th.

New Shuttle Service Takes Visitors to Alpine Visitor Center

High demand for a shuttle service further into Rocky Mountain National Park is about to be answered. Beginning July 2, Rocky Mountain Transit, in conjunction with Rocky Mountain National Park, will offer a five-hour interpretive tour of Trail Ridge Road.

Rocky Mountain National Park personnel will ride the shuttle busses and describe the history and geologic landmarks visible from Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuously paved road in North America. They will also answer questions.

Rocky Mountain National Park Undergoing Eco-alteration

Northern Colorado’s crown jewel is a few years from its first century, but a new era is already beginning for Rocky Mountain National Park.

Although no one can say what the park’s next 100 years will look like, there’s little question that changes are already under way thanks to a global phenomenon: climate change.

Last week, the National Park Service and the Center of the American West, a think tank at the University of Colorado-Boulder, released the results of a a two-day workshop last fall on the ecological implications of climate change for Rocky. At first glance, the anticipated changes appear drastic and long-lasting.

Big Push for Big Park Project

Time may be running out on a proposal that could inject billions of dollars into national parks, according to the Rocky Mountain Nature Association.

RMNA Executive Director Curt Buchholtz says July may be the last opportunity for Congress to pass the National Park Centennial Initiative.

The proposal is in anticipation of the National Park Service's 100-year anniversary in 2016.

Proposal Would Allow Loaded, Concealed Weapons in National Parks

The constant clash over the Second Amendment has moved into America's national parks.

The Bush Administration is considering a rule change that would allow people to carry loaded, concealed weapons in some national parks, monuments and wildlife refuges.

The Department of Interior could decide next month whether or not to adopt the change.