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RMNP UPDATE - May 31, 2022 Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue Team members took advantage of a weather window earlier today to conduct recovery efforts by helicopter for the deceased male from Sunday’s avalanche. The man’s body was flown to a landing zone in the Upper Beaver Meadows area of Rocky Mountain National Park and transferred to the Boulder County Coroner’s Office. Boulder County Coroner’s office will not release positive identification until completion of an autopsy.
As is standard, the cause, circumstances and conditions of the rock fall and avalanche on Sunday are under investigation. At 9 a.m. Sunday morning, May 29, a rock fall and avalanche were reported near the Dreamweaver Couloir on Mount Meeker in Rocky Mountain National Park. The rock fall and avalanche were witnessed by climbers in the area. Three individuals were involved in the incident including a female and two males. Due to the location and severity of injuries of Michael Grieg, a 27-year-old from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue team members requested assistance from a Colorado National Guard helicopter from Buckley Air Force Base to extricate him via a hoist operation, using a winch operated cable. This occurred at approximately 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 29, when there was a brief weather window. Rocky Mountain Rescue assisted with the helicopter hoist operations. Grieg was flown to Upper Beaver Meadows, transferred to Northern Colorado Med Evac air ambulance and then flown to Medical Center of the Rockies. Lillian Martinez, a 24-year-old from Albuquerque, New Mexico, suffered minor injuries and was flown to Upper Beaver Meadows at 4:15 p.m. Sunday, May 29 where she was transferred by ground to further medical care. Rescue teams worked in terrain above 11,500 feet and at times experienced winter like weather conditions throughout Sunday. At approximately 5:15 p.m. Sunday night, the deceased male was located by searchers who were using a RECCO device and probing in avalanche debris. Monday's winter weather conditions prevented the recovery from taking place. Several agencies assisted Rocky Mountain National Park’s Search and Rescue team on Sunday with this operation including Colorado Search and Rescue Association, Flight for Life, Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, Front Range Rescue Dogs, Colorado National Guard, and Med Evac. The public is asked to please respect the privacy of the individuals, friends and families of those involved in Sunday's incident. They are not interested in conducting interviews or speaking about their experience.
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 Rescue operations staged at Upper Beaver Meadows on May 29; photo taken by Barb Boyer Buck from Many Parks Curve (Trail Ridge Road). RMNP UPDATE - May 29, 2022, 4:06 pm Incident On Dreamweaver Couloir On Mount Meeker In Rocky Mountain National Park At approximately 9 a.m. this morning a rock fall and avalanche were reported near the Dreamweaver Couloir on Mt. Meeker. The rock fall and avalanche were witnessed by climbers in the area. Three individuals were involved in the incident including a female and two males. The female suffered minor injuries and is still on scene. Due to the location and severity of injuries of one of the males, Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue team members requested assistance from a Colorado National Guard helicopter from Buckley Air Force Base to extricate him via a hoist operation, using a winch operated cable. This occurred at approximately 2 p.m. when there was a brief weather window. Rocky Mountain Rescue assisted with the helicopter hoist operations. The man was flown to Upper Beaver Meadows, transferred to Northern Colorado Med Evac air ambulance and then flown to Medical Center of the Rockies. Rescue teams are working in terrain above 11,500 feet and are experiencing winter like weather conditions. A search is continuing for the second male who is still missing in the area where the avalanche occurred. Several agencies are assisting Rocky Mountain National Park’s Search and Rescue team with this operation including Colorado Search and Rescue Association, Flight for Life, Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, Front Range Rescue Dogs, Colorado National Guard, and Med Evac. A temporary flight restriction is in place. Upper Beaver Meadows Road is currently closed in the park for potential continued air operations. No further information is available at this time.  Avalanche debris on Dreamweaver Couloir on Mount Meeker May 29, 2022; Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park RMNP UPDATE - May 29, 2022, 9:04 pm Deceased Male Located In Avalanche Debris; Other Two Individuals Rescued At approximately 5:15 p.m. tonight a deceased male was located by searchers who were using a RECCO device and probing in avalanche debris. The recovery operation will be delayed due to winter weather conditions. The ages and hometowns of the three individuals are being withheld until family members are notified. At 9 a.m. this morning a rock fall and avalanche were reported near the Dreamweaver Couloir on Mt. Meeker. The rock fall and avalanche were witnessed by climbers in the area.  Incident Mount Meeker May 29 2022; Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park Three individuals were involved in the incident including a female and two males. Due to the location and severity of injuries of one of the males, Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue team members requested assistance from a Colorado National Guard helicopter from Buckley Air Force Base to extricate him via a hoist operation, using a winch operated cable. This occurred at approximately 2 p.m. when there was a brief weather window.  Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue Team members Mount Meeker incident May 29, 2022; Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park Rocky Mountain Rescue assisted with the helicopter hoist operations. The man was flown to Upper Beaver Meadows, transferred to Northern Colorado Med Evac air ambulance and then flown to Medical Center of the Rockies. The female suffered minor injuries and was flown to Upper Beaver Meadows at 4:15 p.m. where she was transferred by ground to further medical care. Rescue teams worked in terrain above 11,500 feet and at times experienced winter like weather conditions throughout the day.  Photograph from helicopter of Dreamweaver Couloir slide on Mount Meeker; Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park Several agencies assisted Rocky Mountain National Park’s Search and Rescue team with this operation including Colorado Search and Rescue Association, Flight for Life, Rocky Mountain Rescue Group, Front Range Rescue Dogs, Colorado National Guard, and Med Evac. No further information is available at this time.  Helicopter operations during incident on Mount Meeker May 29 2022; Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park Trail Ridge Road opens for the season, timed-entry reservations are required starting today5/27/2022 RMNP Update - May 27, 2022  Trail Ridge Road on May 27, 2022; NPS/ROMO photo This afternoon, Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park opened for the season. Due to melting snow on the road and the potential for freezing temperatures visitors should be prepared for icy conditions. At this time, night-time closures will not be implemented. However, because weather conditions may change rapidly, and winter weather is forecast for higher elevations this holiday weekend, including freezing temperatures and some snow accumulation, park visitors should be prepared to adjust travel plans accordingly and are encouraged to call the park’s Trail Ridge Road recorded status phone line at (970) 586-1222. Park staff will update the recorded line when/if the road status changes.
Alpine Visitor Center is tentatively scheduled to open Saturday, May 28. Trail Ridge Store will likely be opening later in the week. Timed Entry Permit Reservations Effective Today, May 27 Rocky Mountain National Park is implementing a pilot timed entry permit reservation system which began today, May 27. Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the busiest national parks in the country, with over 4.4 million visitors in 2021. Visitor crowding and congestion 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 since 2016, including first-come, first-served as well as different park wide Timed Entry Permit Reservation systems in 2020, 2021 and again in 2022. There are two types of reservations available. One permit is for the Bear Lake Road Corridor, which includes the entire corridor and access to the rest of the park. This reservation period is from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. The second permit is for the rest of Rocky Mountain National Park, excluding the Bear Lake Road corridor, and includes Trail Ridge Road. This reservation period is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 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. To learn more visit https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/timed-entry-permit-system.htm Trail Ridge Road historically opens on Memorial Day weekend; last year the road opened on May 28. The earliest the road has opened was on May 7, 2002; the latest June 26, 1943. Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuous paved road in the United States, climbs to 12,183 feet and connects the towns of Estes Park and Grand Lake. Trail Ridge Road officially closed for the season last year on October 25. National Park Service plow operators began clearing the snow in the middle of April. Crews from the west side of the park and crews from the east side of the park move along the road and eventually meet at the Alpine Visitor Center. The visitor center is the highest in the National Park Service, sitting at 11,796 feet above sea level. Spring storms often impact plowing activities. This year, crews ran into average to below average snowpack and a heavy spring snowstorm in late May. For more information about Rocky Mountain National Park visit www.nps.gov/romo or call the park’s Information Office at (970) 586-1206. For a recorded status line on Trail Ridge Road please call (970) 586-1222.  Alpine Visitor Center, located at 11,796 feet along Trail Ridge Road, is the highest visitor center in the National Park Service. NPS/ROMO photo RMNP UPDATE - May 26, 2022 Mother Nature has provided some beautiful wet spring snow for Rocky Mountain National Park snowplow operators to contend with the last week at high elevations along Trail Ridge Road. We are grateful for the much needed snowpack and moisture! On schedule last week to open the road for the Memorial Day weekend, park snowplow operators are now plowing 2 to 5 foot drifts from Rock Cut to the Alpine Visitor Center located at 11,796 feet. Stay tuned for when Trail Ridge Road will open for the season - recorded Trail Ridge Road status line (970) 586-1222.  Road Crew Plowing Trail Ridge Road Above Milner Pass_May 25 2022 NPS/ROMO photo  Rocky Mountain National Park snowplow operators plow sections along Trail Ridge Road encountering 2 to 5 foot drifts in upper elevations. NPS/ROMO photo  Photo of Adams Falls by Dave Rusk RMNP UPDATE
Thursday afternoon, May 19, a 21-year-old female from Virginia, Illinois, died after falling into Adams Falls in Rocky Mountain National Park. Her body was recovered last evening. Adams Falls is located on the East Inlet Trail on the west side of the park. Grand County Sheriff’s Office, Grand County EMS, Grand County Search and Rescue, and Grand Lake Fire assisted the park. Her body was transferred to the Grand County Coroner. The woman’s name will be released after next of kin are notified. Park visitors are reminded to remain back from the banks of streams, rivers and waterfalls, especially during spring runoff. Rocks at streamside are often slippery. Water is extremely cold and can be deceivingly deep and swift. Always provide proper supervision for children, who by nature, tend to be attracted to water. Powerful currents can quickly pull a person underwater. RMNP UPDATE - May 19. 2022
Due to an incoming forecasted major winter snowstorm, Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park is currently closed on the east side at Many Parks Curve and on the west side at the Colorado River Trailhead. Previously, the closures were at higher elevations along the road at Rainbow Curve on the east side and Milner Pass on the west side. Trail Ridge Road has not yet opened as a through road for the season. Wild Basin Road has also closed at the Sandbeach Lake Trailhead. Rocky Mountain National Park Announces Hiker Shuttle Will Operate May 27 Through October 104/29/2022 RMNP UPDATE - April 29, 2022 Rocky Mountain National Park will be operating the Hiker Shuttle from May 27 through October 10, from the Estes Park Visitor Center to the Park & Ride Transit Hub located on Bear Lake Road. There are no other stops in the park. At the Park & Ride, riders will transfer to the Bear Lake or Moraine Park shuttles to get to their trailhead destinations.
As part of the park’s overall pilot timed entry system, two things will be needed to ride the Hiker Shuttle: reservation tickets for all passengers plus a valid park entrance pass. One person may reserve up to 4 tickets per $2 reservation. At 5 p.m. the night before, a limited number of tickets will be available for seven specific time slots at RMNP Hiker Shuttle Reservations For example, if you want to reserve a spot on the Hiker Shuttle for May 27, tickets will be available on May 26 at 5 pm. Space is limited, please only reserve the number of seats needed. Park entrance passes are also required. Riders can use an existing annual or lifetime pass, such as a senior pass, or purchase a day pass on recreation.gov. Private vehicle access is not permitted with a Hiker Shuttle ticket. The Hiker Shuttle will depart from the Estes Park Visitor Center to the Bear Lake Road Park & Ride at 9 am, 9:45 am, 10:30 am, 11:15 am, noon, 12:45 pm, 1:30 pm, and 2:15 pm, May 27 through October 10. Passengers are required to depart from the Estes Park Visitor Center using the specific time slot reserved. The Hiker Shuttle will return from the Park & Ride to the Estes Park Visitor Center roughly every 45 minutes beginning at 9:45 am through 5:15 pm. Passengers can return using any Hiker Shuttle throughout the day. The last shuttle will depart from the Bear Lake Road Park & Ride at 5:15 pm. There are no other buses back to the Estes Park Visitor Center after this time. For further details on the Hiker Shuttle and the Bear Lake and Moraine Park routes please visit RMNP Shuttle Buses The Hiker Shuttle route has been in place since 2006, however it was not operational in 2020 and 2021. In 2019, there were over 45,000 park visitors who utilized the Hiker Shuttle. Park visitors can park at the Estes Park Visitor Center parking garage or utilize the existing town of Estes Park transit system to ride from their lodging or other locations to the Estes Park Visitor Center. Since 2017, wait times for the Hiker Shuttle from the Estes Park Visitor Center were often between one to two hours. 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. Park staff are learning from these various strategies since 2016, including piloting timed entry reservations on the Hiker Shuttle, to help inform long-range day use visitor access strategies. For more detailed information on how to book a private vehicle timed entry and details about the times of day they are required as well as Frequently Asked Questions, please visit https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/timed-entry-permit-system.htm 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. RMNP UPDATE - April 27, 2022 Beginning, May 27, Rocky Mountain National Park will increase the one-day vehicle pass from $25 to $30. The fee increase is necessary for Rocky Mountain National Park to improve and maintain high-quality visitor services. While basic park operations are funded by direct appropriations from Congress, the recreation use fees collected by the park are used to support new projects and the ongoing maintenance of park facilities that directly enhance the visitor experience.
Rocky Mountain National Park is one of a few national parks that has a one-day vehicle entrance pass. This day pass was implemented in October 2015. All other park entrance fees including the RMNP seven-day pass ($35 per week), the RMNP annual pass ($70 per year) and any of the interagency America the Beautiful passes will remain the same. Winter campground fees will increase from $20 to $30 per night beginning on October 12, 2022. Summer campground fees will increase from $30 to $35 per night beginning the summer of 2023. In addition, group site campground fees will raise $10 for each tier in group size to $50/$60/$70. Increased campground fees will address cost increases related to trash removal, vault toilet and custodial servicing, general site maintenance and snowplow operations in the winter. The Longs Peak Campground, open summers for tents only, will remain $30 per night because there are no flushable toilets and campers need to bring their own drinkable water. In the fall of 2021, Rocky Mountain National Park staff solicited public input on the proposed fee increases. During the public comment period, the park received 264 formal comments that were related to the park’s proposed fee changes. Most commenters expressed support for the proposed changes to the one-day vehicle entrance pass and front-country campground overnight fees, often highlighting the importance of funding for park maintenance, operation, and resource protection. Commenters who opposed fee increases often cited socioeconomic concerns and affordability for all visitors. Park staff are committed to keeping Rocky Mountain National Park affordable and providing all visitors with the best possible experience. This fee increase is still an incredible value when considering other comparable family and recreational experiences. These campground fee increases are based on comparable fees for similar services in nearby campgrounds. In addition, 80 percent of those funds stay right here in Rocky to benefit visitors. The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) is the legislation under which the park currently collects entrance and amenity fees. This law allows parks to retain 80 percent of the fees collected for use on projects that directly benefit visitors. The remaining 20 percent is distributed throughout the National Park System. Some of the projects funded through the collection of entrance station and campground fees at Rocky Mountain National Park include:
In 2020, 3.3 million park visitors spent an estimated $224 million in local gateway regions while visiting Rocky Mountain National Park, despite the global Covid pandemic, historic wildfires, and the park’s first piloted timed entry permit reservation system. These expenditures supported a total of 3,190 jobs, $121 million in labor income, $208 million in value added, and $342 million in economic output in local gateway economies surrounding Rocky Mountain National Park. 2021 visitor spending data, tied to visitation of 4.4 million park visitors, will be available later this year. RMNP UPDATE - April 14, 2022
On April 9, 2022, Rocky Mountain National Park Rangers were notified of an elk skull with only one attached antler matching the one missing from the carcass of the popular large bull elk, referred to as Kahuna. During the investigation, it was learned that the skull had been relocated after being cut from the carcass. At this time, no further information will be provided regarding the ongoing investigation. Rocky Mountain National Park Rangers want to thank the media, social media platforms as well as members of the local community in helping discover the whereabouts of this skull and antler. In March, 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. Likely sometime between March 20 and March 22, someone cut and illegally removed the skull and remaining antler from the carcass. It is believed his other antler had been shed before his death. Park rangers urge anyone with information on this illegal incident, including information on the remaining shed antler, to call 1-888-653-0009 or please visit NPS Anonymous Tip Information. This link will provide several ways to report what you know anonymously. 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. Collection of antlers or removing wildlife or their parts is illegal within Rocky Mountain National Park. People can receive criminal charges and be mandated to appear in federal court. Please help the park protect wildlife by reporting any suspicious activity.  Earth Day Activities RMNP/ Photo Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park RMNP UPDATE - April 12, 2022 Come celebrate National Park Week, Earth Day, and National Junior Ranger Day at Rocky Mountain National Park. National Park Week kicks off with a fee free day on Saturday, April 16. Park entrance fees will be waived on Saturday, April 16. Camping and all other administrative fees will still be in effect. Our National Park Week celebration continues through Sunday, April 24, 2022. Throughout the week, park staff will be inviting you to discover something new about Rocky Mountain National Park both online and through in-park activities on both the east and west sides of the park. Rocky’s National Park Week activities include: On Saturday, April 16 our National Park Week celebration begins with informational booths and interactive Junior Ranger discovery activities. Join NPS staff on the east side of Rocky at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center from 10 am to 3 pm. Activities include:
We will also be celebrating on the west side of the park at the Kawuneeche Visitor Center from 11 am to 1 pm. Activities include:
On Saturday, April 23 join us in person to celebrate Earth Day and National Junior Ranger Day. There will be activities held on both the east and west sides of the park. Join NPS staff and volunteers at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center from 10 am to 3 pm. Activities include:
Can’t join us in person? Please celebrate with us online. Every day of National Park Week, NPS staff, volunteers and partners will be sharing engaging stories via social media. Please visit our website, download the park App, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @RockyNPS. Every day will be a day to discover and share something new. For more information on Rocky Mountain National Park, please call the park’s Information Office at (970) 586-1206 or visit our website at www.nps.gov/romo.  Bluebirds Moraine Park/ Photo Courtesy A. Schonlau via Rocky Mountain National Park |
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