by Alex Gugel , all rights reserved
![]() | Rocky MountainBrochure |
Brochure of Rocky Mountain National Park (NP) in Colorado. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
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Rocky Mountain
Rocky Mountain National Park
Colorado
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
100th Anniversary 1915–2015
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Nature’s Knife Edge
C K Y
R O
To ascend Rocky Mountain National Park’s Trail
Ridge Road is to leave this world and enter
another. It carries you, breathless with wonder
and altitude, toward a fragile alpine realm, the
tundra. Most animals hibernate or migrate during the harsh winters. No trees can live here.
M O
U
S
A I N
N T
The Rocky Mountains
form one of the world’s
longest ranges, stretching almost unbroken
from Alaska to below
the nation’s southern
border. The park
preserves a small but
important neighborhood within this range.
Rocky Mountain
National Park
Above: Alpine sunflowers at the Continental
Divide.
NPS / ANN SCHONLAU
Despite the brief, six-week growing season,
plants survive. Most conserve energy by miniaturizing. Each July thousands of brilliant alpine
sunflowers, Rydbergia grandiflora (above),
burst from the thin blanket of soil that covers
parts of the tundra. For decades these hardy
plants have worked toward this moment. Many
tundra flowers track the sun to maximize their
intake of light, required for photosynthesis.
Nature’s Guideposts
Montane
Subalpine
The montane ecosystem is the park’s
gateway whether you enter from Grand
Lake, Estes Park, or Wild Basin. On warm,
south-facing slopes the ponderosa pines
will greet you with their sweet fragrance.
The open, sunlight-dappled forest of tall
(up to 150 feet) trees feeds and shelters
the tassel-eared Abert’s squirrel.
Snow that falls in the alpine zone blows
down to the subalpine, creating a wet
ecosystem with over 30 inches of precipitation annually. Sharp-tipped, pungent
Engelmann spruce and flat-needled fir
trees prevail, reaching 100 feet. The understory supports shrubs like blueberry,
wax currant, huckleberry, and Wood’s
rose. Wildflowers like arnica, fairy slipper,
twinflower, and purple elephant’s head
colonize open meadows.
below 9,000 feet
Chokecherry, currant, and serviceberry
bushes sustain many animals, insects, and
birds. Beavers and otters work and play in
the montane’s streams. Elk, one of the
park’s larger mammals, gather here to rut
in fall. They eat the aspen trees’ soft inner
bark and shoots, and leave a calling card
of abraded aspen trunks. On cooler,
north-facing slopes, forests are dense
with Douglas-fir and lodgepole pine.
Pika
9,000–11,400 feet
On the park’s southern edge, the water
ouzel, or American dipper, defies fast-running streams to dive for food. Downy and
hairy woodpeckers, bold Steller’s jay, and
the yellow-rumped warbler share the
woods. Look for the pocket gopher and
golden-mantled ground squirrel.
Park your vehicle at the Alpine Visitor Center
and behold 360-degree views of astonishing
peaks, lakes, snowfields, canyons, forests, and
meadows spread over 400 square miles. For a
close look at the alpine ecosystem walk the
Tundra Communities Trail to the east. To the
west, the Rockies’ spine divides the continent
into two watersheds. One flows west to the
Pacific, the other east to the Atlantic.
On the park’s drier east side, snow blows in
from the wetter west, replenishing the few
remaining glaciers. All rest in cool, dark valley
cirques, or bowl-shaped depressions. Higher
summer temperatures since the 1990s have
caused the glaciers to melt back. On the park’s
west side, in the Never Summer mountains, the
Colorado River begins as a tiny stream fed by
snowmelt. Downstream, it will provide water to
40 million humans.
Thrust skyward by Earth’s forces between 40
and 70 million years ago, then sculpted by three
glacial episodes, the Rockies are “new” in geologic terms. In 2009 Rocky Mountain National
Park, a small neighborhood within this vast
mountain range, became one of the nation’s
“newest” designated wildernesses. Nature has
always ruled this wild, fantastic place. But as
human-triggered events outside park boundaries increasingly affect life within the park, how
will nature respond? What is our role?
Travel through Ecosystems along Trail Ridge Road
Alpine
above 11,400 feet
Extremely thin soil, strong ultraviolet
light, drying winds, and bitter cold define
life on the tundra. Many plants hug the
ground in dense mats (avens, below
right), preserve moisture with waxen leaf
surfaces, or trap warmth against stems
and leaves with hairs.
Animals also must adapt or die. Marmots
store fat, then draw upon their reserves as
they hibernate. Bighorn sheep graze here
in summer, but migrate in fall, like many
other species in the park, to lower elevations. The resilient white-tailed ptarmigan
is an exception. This bird stays all winter
in the alpine zone, warmed by feathered
eyelids, nostrils, legs, and feet.
ABOVE LEFT AND RIGHT: © SHATTIL / ROZINSKI
PHOTOGRAPHY
Ptarmigan
Montane
Alpine
Subalpine
Above: Aspen (Populous tremuloides) and
lodgepole pine (Pinus
contorta). Left: Common sulphur butterfly
(Colias philodice) pollinates a purple aster
(Erigeron simplex).
Above: Elk, or wapiti,
graze amid Engelmann
spruce (Picea engelmannii). Left: The park
is home to over 350
bighorn sheep, which
were nearly extinct
here in the 1950s.
ABOVE: © ERIC STENSLAND
LEFT: © JACOB W. FRANK
ABOVE: NPS / JT-FINEART
LEFT: © JACOB W. FRANK
Above: Hikers atop
Ypsilon Mountain.
Left: Five-petaled avens
(Guem rosii ssp turbinata) hug the tundra.
Far left: Yellow-bellied
marmot.
ABOVE AND FAR LEFT: © JACOB W.
FRANK; LEFT: © SHATTIL / ROZINSKI
PHOTOGRAPHY
Legacy of Stewardship
1915
Native Americans lived on
and cared for this land
for centuries. As human
numbers and uses grew,
people recognized that
preservation was needed. Many passionate advocates for a park emerged,
including naturalist and guide Enos Mills
(1870–1922). He led the push for a wilderness park. Mining, grazing, and logging
interests lobbied for a national forest
where commercial activities could continue. In 1915 Congress dedicated Rocky
Mountain National Park.
Influential Estes Park resident Mary King
Sherman (1862–1935) also campaigned
hard to establish the park. She promoted
outdoor education, citing better health
and an increased sense of civic duty as
benefits. Her ideas are cornerstones of
National Park Service programs today.
Long before anyone envisioned a Rocky
Mountain National Park, Isabella Bird
(1831–1904) published A Lady’s Life in the
Rocky Mountains. Her book helped make
others aware of the region’s rugged
beauty and ”unprofaned freshness” and
paved the way for preservation.
2015
In 1873 a fur trapper called Mountain Jim
helped Isabella Bird climb Longs Peak. He
was one among many who traveled to
the Rocky Mountains in search of natural
beauty or bounty.
Over one million people now pour into
the park in a six-week period each summer. Nearby urban areas affect how the
park is managed. Decades of fire suppression created dense undergrowth, which
only increased the threat to surrounding
communities and caused changes in the
forest composition. Over 35 invasive
plant species now mingle with natives.
Native Americans preceded all others in
this wild place. Tools, pottery, and rock
piles whisper of human presence over
10,000 years ago, when Paleo-Indians seasonally hunted and possibly traded here.
Later, Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho bands
came to these mountains. They probably
wore the path now known as Trail Ridge
Road. They left few other traces.
Clockwise from upper left: Dedication, September
4, 1915; Mary King Sherman; Volunteer assists a
visitor; Learning to snowshoe.
CLOCKWISE FROM UPPER LEFT: PHOTO BY HARRY MELLON RHOADS,
COURTESY DENVER PUBLIC LIBRARY; ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK
ARCHIVES; NPS / PETER BIDDLE; NPS / ANN SCHONLAU
To better understand these and other
challenges, the park has set aside areas
for science and research. It is also home
to the Continental Divide Learning Center, where education and research programs focus on park resources.
As Rocky Mountain National Park moves into
its second century it
will continue to
preserve natural
systems and cultural stories for
future generations.
What role can you
play in the park’s next
one hundred years?
Roaming Rocky Mountain National Park
Park Information Check your free park
newspaper for current information about
visitor centers, safety and high country
survival, ranger-led programs, services,
hiking trails, wildlife, shuttle buses, and
more. Find lodging and visitor services at
Estes Park and Grand Lake.
Lightning can kill. Hike early
and watch the sky—thunderstorms are more common in
the afternoon. NPS / ANN SCHONLAU
Safety Avoid lightning. Begin your hike
early in the day. Get below treeline or to a
shelter by afternoon, when thunderstorms
begin. If caught above treeline in a storm,
run from summits and isolated trees and
rocks. Avoid small cave entrances and overhangs. Crouch down on your heels. • Many
park visitors experience altitude sickness.
Consult your doctor if you have a respiratory or heart condition. • The park’s swiftrunning streams, waterfalls, falling trees,
and sudden weather changes present
many natural hazards. • While driving,
stay alert for wildlife crossing the roads.
Pets Pets are prohibited in all areas not
accessible by motor vehicle, including
trails and meadows. Do not leave pets
unattended in vehicles. Where allowed,
pets must be kept on a six-foot leash.
Hunting, Fishing, and Firearms Hunting
is prohibited in the park. • For firearms
regulations check the park website. • Fishing requires a Colorado fishing license.
Regulations Abide by park regulations
and restrictions, available at visitor centers
and entrances. Camp only in designated
campgrounds. All backcountry camping
requires a permit. Do not leave property
unattended for more than 24 hours with-
out prior permission. • All vehicles, including bicycles, must stay on roads or in parking areas. Stopping or parking on roads is
prohibited. • Overnight parking requires a
permit. • Do not feed, approach, or try to
touch any wild animal. • Leave wildflowers and other plants for others to enjoy.
• Open alcoholic beverage containers in
vehicles on park roads are illegal. • Marijuana use is prohibited in the park.
Accessibility We strive to make our facilities, services, and programs accessible to
all. For information go to a visitor center,
ask a ranger, call, or check our website.
Rocky Mountain National Park is one
of over 400 parks in the National Park
System. To learn more about national
parks, visit www.nps.gov.
More Information
Rocky Mountain National Park
1000 Hwy. 36
Estes Park, CO 80517-8397
970-586-1206; TTY 970-586-1319
www.nps.gov/romo
For information call 970-586-1206
For Trail Ridge Road status call
970-586-1222
Emergencies call 911
Preserving Wilderness
In 2009 Congress protected
most of Rocky Mountain
National Park as wilderness
under the 1964 Wilderness
Act. Wilderness is a gift to
people today and to future
generations. The designation protects forever the
land’s wild character, natural conditions, opportunities
for solitude, and scientific,
educational, and historical
values. In wilderness people
can sense being a part of
the whole community of life
on Earth.
Wilderness
Non-wilderness