 Kahuna Photo is owned by Dawn Wilson Photography. The NPS has been granted its limited use in print and digital media solely for this article. All image credits and rights belong to Dawn Wilson Photography. April 8, 2022 - RMNP UPDATE Recently, park visitors and area photographers highlighted on social media the passing of a popular large bull elk in Rocky Mountain National Park, referred to as Kahuna, Bruno or Big Thirds. He was a majestic elk with distinct large antlers and was widely photographed during his lifetime. Numerous images were also shared of Kahuna’s carcass. It is believed that Kahuna died of natural causes, as there were reports he was injured during last year’s mating season and was very underweight in February.
Park rangers at Rocky Mountain National Park are investigating the illegal removal of Kahuna’s skull and antler from his carcass, likely sometime between March 20 and March 22. One antler was still on the skull and it is believed his other antler had been shed before his death. Park rangers urge anyone with information on this illegal incident to call Rocky Mountain National Park’s tip line at 970-586-1393 or email [email protected]. If you wish to remain anonymous please visit NPS Anonymous Tip Information. This link will provide other ways to report what you know. If you have information that could help investigators, please contact us. You do not have to tell us who you are, but please tell us what you know. Rocky Mountain National Park’s wildlife is a resource for all to enjoy and protect. The skull and antlers of this popular elk were cut and illegally removed from Rocky Mountain National Park. This elk’s remains should be allowed to return to the earth in Rocky Mountain National Park, where he brought much joy to thousands of park visitors over many years. Please help the park protect wildlife by reporting any suspicious activity.
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RMNP Update - March 9, 2022  NPS Photo: Moraine Park Water System Damaged Pipes Rocky Mountain National Park is seeking the public’s engagement and input on proposed infrastructure changes and improvements to Moraine Park Campground and nearby areas. The proposed project will take place in the eastern portion of the park, at the following locations:
MPCG is accessed via Bear Lake Road and is the largest of the park’s five front country campgrounds. It is open year-round and has 244 campsites that can accommodate a variety of camping equipment types, including up to 40-foot RVs, sprinter vans and tents. Over 30,000 campers stay at MPCG annually. The proposed project will include repairs and improvements to water, wastewater and electrical distribution systems servicing MPCG, nearby areas in Moraine Park, Beaver Meadows Entrance facilities and park housing units located on the western portion of High Drive within the park’s boundary. This infrastructure was installed in the 1960s and is well past the typical 30-year service life. This project will also relocate electric powerlines underground to reduce system damage caused by snow, wind, falling tree branches, electrical hazards or wildfire. The proposed Moraine Park Campground and Utility Rehabilitation Project will be funded by the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA). GAOA’s National Parks and Public Lands Legacy Restoration Fund, supported by revenue from energy development, provides up to $1.9 billion per year for five years to make significant enhancements in national parks and other public lands to ensure their preservation and provide opportunities for recreation, education and enjoyment for current and future visitors.  NPS Photo: Moraine Park Campsite experiences flooding GAOA, the recently passed Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and other construction funding sources are part of a concerted effort to address the extensive maintenance backlog in national parks. Thanks to GAOA funding, Rocky Mountain National Park will be able to address critical deferred maintenance issues at MPCG and nearby areas that are related to water and wastewater systems and electrical utilities which serve thousands of visitors each year.
At MPCG, this proposed project will also improve the visitor experience by rehabilitating the ranger station, replacing the campground entrance kiosk and improving the area near the dump station. Additionally, the project will update approximately 15 campsites to improve accessibility, address flooding and drainage issues and improve the health of nearby wetlands areas. Another camp host site will be added to the campground and electrical service will be extended to approximately 60 RV campsites. No changes are planned for the existing restroom buildings, amphitheater, or campground shuttle bus stop. There may be temporary closures and impacts to the Moraine Park Discovery Center and along the Bear Lake, Moraine Park, and Fern Lake roads. Why is this project important? The water and utility infrastructure at MPCG has not been updated since the campground was first built in the 1960s. Increased visitor usage, evolving trends in recreation, the need to improve access for all campers, and deferred maintenance for critical water and utility systems have all created a need to rehabilitate the campground and nearby areas. It is anticipated that MPCG will be closed for project construction from late May 2023 to June 1, 2024. Additional project work will take place in the campground after June 1 and some campsites may be impacted or temporary closures may take place. Public engagement is an important part of the park’s planning process. Rocky Mountain National Park is accepting public comments via PEPC on this proposed project for 30 days, beginning on March 10, 2022. To learn more, visit https://parkplanning.nps.gov/rehabilitateMPCG. To leave a comment on the project’s PEPC page, click the “Open for Comment” link located on the left side of the screen. Comments may also be submitted via mail to: Rocky Mountain National Park Office of the Superintendent 1000 Hwy 36 Estes Park, CO 80517 Please be advised, before including your address, phone number, email address or other personal identifying information in your comment, that your entire comment – including all of your personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time. Although you can ask in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public view, we cannot guarantee we will be able to do so. For more information about Rocky Mountain National Park, visit www.nps.gov/romo or call the park’s Information Office at (970) 586-1206. RMNP UPDATE - February 25, 2022  Photo: Red-tailed hawk courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park/A. Schonlau Each year to protect raptor nesting sites, Rocky Mountain National Park officials initiate temporary closures in areas of the park. To ensure that these birds of prey can nest undisturbed, specific areas within the park are closed temporarily to public use during nesting season and monitored by wildlife managers. Due to high nesting activity in 2020 and 2021, closures will begin again this year on February 15 rather than March 1. These closures will continue through July 31, if appropriate. These closures may be extended longer or rescinded at an earlier date depending on nesting activity.
A closure is in place in the Loch Vale area which includes Cathedral Wall. The areas above the Loch Vale-Sky Pond Trail are closed to off trail travel. In the Lumpy Ridge area closures include Checkerboard Rock, Lightning Rock, Batman Rock, Batman Pinnacle, Sundance, Thunder Buttress, The Parish, Bookmark Pinnacle, The Left Book, Bookmark, Twin Owls, Rock One and the Needle. These closures include the named formations. Closures include all climbing routes, outcroppings, cliffs, faces, ascent and descent routes and climber access trails to the named rock formations. Check the park’s website at www.nps.gov/romo/raptor-closures.htm for maps and updated information on raptor closures. The National Park Service is committed to preserving birds of prey. If nest sites are located or territorial behaviors such as aggressive divebombing/vocalizing or birds fleeing nest sites due to human disturbance are observed, please report the general location to [email protected]. The same cliffs that are critical for raptors also appeal to climbers. The cooperation of climbing organizations and individuals continues to be essential to the successful nesting of raptors in the park. For further information on Rocky Mountain National Park, please visit www.nps.gov/romo or call the park’s Information Office at (970) 586-1206.  Boreal toad research in Rocky. NPS photo RMNP UPDATE - February 1, 2022 Rocky Mountain National Park and Rocky Mountain Conservancy are co-hosting a virtual "Science Behind the Scenery" webinar series in lieu of the park's traditional Biennial Research Conference. Beginning on February 15, 2022, this webinar series will be taking place on Tuesdays from 11:00 am - 12:30 pm MST from February 15 to March 15, 2022. The webinar series will be available online via GoToWebinar.
Online registration for the webinar series is currently open. This webinar series is free and open to the public. Rocky Mountain National Park hosts one of the largest research programs in the National Park Service, with nearly 100 research permits active each year. Park research partners come from other federal agencies, the State of Colorado, and universities around the world. Each webinar will focus on one resource topic. Researchers will present for 15 minutes each followed by a Question & Answer session during which time audience members can engage with presenters. A representative from Rocky Mountain National Park will be available to discuss applications of the research. Webinar topics include Visitor Use Management, Species Conservation, Riparian Ecosystem Restoration, and Fire and Forests. To sign up for the webinar series and to see a more detailed program schedule, as well as to learn about past research conferences, visit https://www.nps.gov/rlc/continentaldivide/research-conference.htm If would like more information about Rocky Mountain National Park, please visit www.nps.gov/romo or call the park’s Information Office at (970) 586-1206.  Hikers along the trail to Emerald Lake on July 20, 2021. RMNP photo RMNP UPDATE - January 31, 2022 Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the busiest national parks; third in the country in 2019, with over 4.6 million visitors. This represents a 42 percent increase in visitation in seven years, since 2012. Rapid growth in day use visitation and changing use patterns in the park have degraded natural and cultural resources, diminished quality of the visitor experience, increased negative impacts to visitor and staff safety and created a heavy strain on the park's facilities and ability to perform daily operations.
In response to these negative impacts, the park has piloted various visitor use management strategies over the last six years. From 2016-2019, this included managing vehicle access to first come, first served visitors in the highly congested areas of the Bear Lake Road corridor, the Alpine Visitor Center parking area and the Wild Basin area of the park. This strategy had some limited success initially, but over time began to lose effectiveness; the length of time they were necessary kept expanding and impacts were pushed elsewhere in the park. Park-wide timed entry permit reservation systems were piloted in 2020-2021, and the park will be piloting a similar system again in 2022. Park staff continue to learn from these various pilots which are helping to inform long-range day use visitor access strategies. This includes developing desired conditions, defining zones, and identifying indicators, thresholds, strategies and capacities. In May 2021, park staff held two pre-NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) virtual public meetings on the long-range day use visitor access strategy. The meetings provided opportunities to learn more about the purpose of the project, key issues, desired conditions for day use visitor access, potential management strategies, and to ask questions of National Park Service(NPS) staff. In total, 271 people attended the public meetings. A recording of the meetings were posted on the park’s You Tube channel and the PDFs of the Power Point presentation and the visitor management zones map were posted on the park’s PEPC website as well. Public comments were invited for over sixty days beginning May 21 through July 26, 2021. During the review period, 571 correspondences were submitted to the NPS. Although the public comment period has closed for this pre-NEPA report, these webinars, including the presentation and Q & A, are available by clicking on Tuesday May 25 or Thursday May 20 (click on a date to watch a presentation - the content was the same for both meetings). Comments were reviewed and evaluated. To learn more about the pre-NEPA long-range day use visitor access strategy, the following reports can be found on the Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) https://parkplanning.nps.gov/ROMO_Duvas: Click on "document list" 1) An Executive Summary of the pre-NEPA Report for Day Use Visitor Access Strategy 2) A pre-NEPA Public Comment Summary for Day Use Visitor Access Strategy 3) A redacted copy of public comments submitted during the 2021 Pre-NEPA comment period These initial public comment meetings and comment opportunities are the first step in the long-range planning process. They assist park staff in defining the issues and their impacts as well as explore possible strategies and alternatives to address those issues. There will be more opportunities for public involvement in 2023, when the formal NEPA planning process is initiated. Park staff are eager to continue engaging park stakeholders and park visitors near and far to help identify shared values, clarify key issues, and develop potential management strategies to help the park prepare for long-term day use management. If would like more information about Rocky Mountain National Park, please visit www.nps.gov/romo or call the park’s Information Office at (970) 586-1206. RMNP UPDATE - January 20, 2022 Rocky Mountain National Park is moving to a new wilderness backcountry camping permit reservation system this year. Beginning March 2, 2022, at 8 a.m. Mountain Time, Rocky Mountain National Park overnight wilderness backpacking camping permits will be available for purchase at Recreation.gov. Through the new system, customers will be able to view permit availability, book a reservation, and pay online. Phone, mail, email and fax reservations are not accepted. There will not be any in-person Wilderness Campsite reservations taken at park Wilderness Offices from March 1, through April 3, for summer wilderness backpacking camping trips from May 1 through October 31.
Permits are required for all overnight camping in Rocky Mountain National Park. The www.recreation.gov site is currently visible to the public. Become familiar with the site prior to March 2, when reservations go live. To be prepared, those interested in booking a wilderness camping trip this summer should set up an account with Recreation.gov in advance of March 2. This page includes important links to detailed information about Rocky Mountain National Park’s wilderness backcountry camping, including camping regulations, trail descriptions and maps. Beginning March 2, when reservations can be booked, search “Check Availability” to book small groups (1-7 people) and large groups (8-12 people). This specific feature will not be active until March 2. Be sure to review the map to determine what campsites to book and read through all the available information about Wilderness regulations and trail descriptions. Additional information with links is also located at https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/wilderness-camping.htm. Starting at 8 a.m. on March 2, wilderness backcountry camping permits will be available for May 1 through October 31, 2022. There is a $36 non-refundable administrative fee, for reservations from May 1 to October 31 and a $10 non-refundable administrative fee from November 1 to April 30 for each camping permit reserved. Permits will need to be picked up at the park’s Wilderness Offices to activate the reservation. Wilderness camping permits help provide a quality experience, minimize impacts to resources, and ensure that sites are available for those who plan ahead and reserve a permit in advance. An overnight permit is required for backcountry camping year-round, and from May through October demand can exceed availability in certain areas of the park’s backcountry. Staff and volunteers in the park’s wilderness office provide trip planning advice and information for a safe and enjoyable trip into the wilderness. Requirements for food storage necessary to protect bears and other wildlife, mountain weather, hazards, and Leave No Trace ethics are among the information received during the permitting process. For further information about Rocky Mountain National Park please visit www.nps.gov/romo or call the park’s Information Office at (970) 586-1206.  Vehicles in line at the Beaver Meadows entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park; photo courtesy of RMNP RMNP UPDATE - January 12, 2022
Rocky Mountain National Park will be implementing a pilot temporary timed entry permit reservation system beginning on May 27, 2022. The reservation permit system is similar to that used in 2021. Two types of reservations will be available. One permit will be for the Bear Lake Road Corridor, which includes the entire corridor, as well as access to the rest of the park. This reservation period will be from 5 am to 6 pm. The second permit will be for the rest of Rocky Mountain National Park, excluding the Bear Lake Road corridor. This reservation period will be from 9 am to 3 pm. Permits issued using the reservation system will allow park visitors to enter the park within two-hour windows of availability. The reservation system will apply to all areas of the park. Reservations to enter the park will go on sale through www.recreation.gov at 10 am Mountain Daylight Time on Saturday, May 2. This round of reservations will be available to enter the park from May 27 through June 30. The next release will occur on June 1, for the month of July and any remaining days that have not been booked for June. On July 1, reservations will be available for the month of August and any remaining days that have not been booked for July. On August 1, reservations will be available for the month of September and any remaining days in August that have not been booked. On September 1, reservations will be available for October and any remaining days in September that have not been booked. Initially, 30 percent of permits will be held and available for purchase the day prior at 5 p.m. through recreation.gov. These are expected to sell out quickly and visitors are encouraged to plan ahead when possible. This year’s pilot reservation system allows for a greater number of reservations per day. Reservations will be based on approximately 90 percent of the park’s total parking capacity. Last year’s system was based on approximately 75 to 85 percent of the park’s total parking capacity. This system spreads use throughout the park and throughout the day to better utilize all parking/trailhead areas. For more detailed information and Frequently Asked Questions on timed entry permits to help you prepare for the summer season, visit https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/timed-entry-permit-system.htm Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the busiest national parks; third in the country in 2019 with over 4.6 million visitors. This represents a 42 percent increase in visitation in seven years. Visitor crowding and congestion at the park have led to increased negative impacts to visitor and staff safety, resource protection, visitor experience and operational capacity. The park has piloted various visitor use management strategies over the last six years, including managing vehicle access to first-come, first serve (2016-2019) in highly congested areas. These first-come, first-serve restrictions had some limited success initially, but over time began to lose effectiveness; the length of time they were necessary kept expanding and impacts were pushed elsewhere. The park piloted park wide timed entry permit reservation systems (2020-2021) and will be piloting a similar system again in 2022. The park is learning from these various strategies since 2016, to help inform long-range day use visitor access strategies. This includes developing desired conditions, defining zones, and identifying indicators, thresholds, strategies and capacities. Public meetings were held in May of 2021, and there will be additional opportunities for public input when the formal planning process is initiated. There are several different reservation systems that are being implemented across the National Park Service. Other national parks that have announced various types of reservation requirements this year include Arches National Park, Glacier National Park, Acadia National Park, Muir Woods National Monument, Shenandoah National Park, Haleakala National Park and Zion National Park. For further information about Rocky Mountain National Park please visit www.nps.gov/romo, follow the park on social media @RockyNPS or call the park’s Information Office at (970) 586-1206.  Ranger Chelsea Hernandez leading a Snowshoe Walk on Bear Lake; photo courtesy of RMNP RMNP UPDATE - January 10, 2021 An annual favorite for many park visitors, Rocky Mountain National Park’s Ranger-led Snowshoe Walks will resume this January on both the east and west side of the park. Programs will be offered weekly, as conditions allow, through March 2022. These programs are approximately 2 hours long and are open to visitors age 8 and older and all experience levels. Beginning snowshoers are welcome. There is no additional fee beyond the regular park entrance fee to participate. On the east side of the park, beginning on Tuesday, January 18, ranger-led snowshoe walks will be offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 12:30 pm. Advanced reservations are required. To make a reservation, please call 970-586-1223. Reservations can be booked up to 7 days in advance. Snowshoe walks typically fill quickly, especially if the weather is forecast to be warm and sunny. Snowshoes are not provided. Program participants will be required to bring their own or rent snowshoes outside the park. On the west side of the park, beginning on Saturday, January 22, ranger-led snowshoe walks will be offered on Saturdays at 1 pm. A ticket is required to participate. This no-cost ticket can be picked up on the day of the walk at the Kawuneeche Visitor Center. Snowshoes are provided for use during the guided program. For additional details, please visit Ranger-led Snowshoe Walks - Rocky Mountain National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) or call the park’s Information Office at (970) 586-1206.  Ranger-Led Youth & Group Snowshoe Bear Lake; Photo by Peter Baker, courtesy of Rocky Mountain National Park  Snowplow operations on Bear Lake Road below Bear Lake January 9, 2022; Photo Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park RMNP UPDATE - January 9, 2022, 1:02 p.m. Park roads and trail crews have been working to clear deep snow drifts along Bear Lake Road and along Fall River Road. Bear Lake Road is now open past Sprague Lake to Bear Lake and US 34 at the Fall River Entrance is open to all vehicles. For updates on roads, follow us on Twitter @RockyNPS. Roads are snowpacked and icy in places. 4-Wheel Drive and All-Wheel Drive Vehicles are advised. Be prepared for winter driving and hiking conditions.  Snowplow berms at Bear Lake January 8 2022; photo Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park  Park staff digging out around structures in Bear Lake January 8, 2022; Photo Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park  Bobcats digging out area in front of vault toilets after snowplowing efforts in Bear Lake parking area January 8 2022; Photo Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park RMNP UPDATE: January 8, 2022, 2:57 pm US 36 at the Beaver Meadows Entrance on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park is now open to vehicles. Trail Ridge Road is open to Many Parks Curve with access to the Hidden Valley area. Bear Lake Road is open to Sprague Lake and is closed beyond Sprague Lake to Bear Lake for continued snow removal operations.
US 34 at the Fall River Entrance to Deer Ridge Junction and Wild Basin Road remains closed to vehicles. Four wheel drive and all wheel drive vehicles are advised. |
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