Culture & Art-in-the-Park in
Rocky Mountain National Park

Backcountry Cuisine

Story and illustrations by Krissy Velardi

On a crystal-clear early autumn day this year, Clay and I ventured over Trail Ridge Road to the Grand Lake area to hike the North Inlet/Tonahutu loop over 3 days and two nights. To us, it is always worth a little extra love and effort to eat beautiful, nutritious home-cooked meals on the trail. The recipes here have been refined over many backcountry excursions. 
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ART IN ROCKY: Pat Sebern Paints at Lily Lake

Edited by Barb Boyer Buck

On a crystal-clear day in mid-October, HIKE ROCKY magazine was lucky enough to film Pat as she painting “en plein air” (in the open air) at Lily Lake. Her intricate, detailed painting featured one of her favorite subjects to paint - Colorado aspen. "One rule I always try to follow…make sure the paint water and the coffee mug are far apart!”
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Estes Valley Plein Air 2022

edited by Barb Boyer Buck

Every August, well-known artists from all over the country converge on Estes Park for the Estes Valley Plein Air competition, exhibition, and sale. These juried and invited artists have a limited amount of time to paint "en plein air," a French term meaning "in open air."
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Mary Blanche Morse, Featured Artist

In partnership with the Art Center of Estes Park

Mary Morse has been working with fiber for most of her life. She learned to knit in the first grade and has been felting her own materials for more than two decades. She delights in creating designs inspired by nature and coloring her raw materials with natural dyes, including aspen leaves.
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No Paparazzi: Wildlife Photography Ethics

By Barb Boyer Buck

“My job as a wildlife photographer is to leave wildlife wild… just as I found them," said Deena Marie Czech. It's an engrossing, time- consuming activity that keeps her very busy most early mornings and at dusk in Rocky Mountain National Park. Deena draws on her lifetime of observing animal behavior and incredible patience in her photography.
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The Photography of Erik Stensland

by Cindy Elkins

As a self-proclaimed hermit, the insightful photographer and naturalist Erik Stensland is the entrepreneur behind the Images of Rocky Mountain National Park Gallery in downtown Estes Park, Colorado. He is drawn by the natural world and has a deep passion for wilderness education and preservation. 
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