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Date: August 16, 2021
WASHINGTON – Following the latest science and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Park Service (NPS) is immediately requiring visitors, employees and contractors to wear a mask inside all NPS buildings and in crowded outdoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status or community transmission levels. “Visitors to national parks are coming from locations across the country, if not across the world. Because of this, and recognizing that the majority of the United States is currently in substantial or high transmission categories, we are implementing a service-wide mask requirement to ensure our staff and visitors’ safety,” said NPS Deputy Director Shawn Benge. This requirement will be in effect until further notice and applies to all NPS buildings and public transportation systems. It also applies to outdoors spaces where physical distancing cannot be maintained, such as narrow or busy trails and overlooks. “Being vaccinated is the most effective way to protect yourself and your loved ones from the dangers of the coronavirus. Masking in addition to being vaccinated will help prevent the spread of new variants and protect those who are more at risk of severe disease. This simple act of kindness allows us to be safe while we continue to enjoy the benefits of our national parks,” said Capt. Maria Said, MD, an epidemiologist in the NPS Office of Public Health and a member of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. Individuals looking to get a COVID-19 vaccine can visit vaccines.gov to find a location close to them and make an appointment. Individuals can also text their ZIP code to 438829 and get a text with the closest COVID-19 vaccine location. www.nps.gov
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 Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue Team members on July 26 in the Balanced Rock area, attempting to reach a woman who fell about 20 feet. Photo Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park  Rocky Mountain National Park Hoist Operation Balanced Rock on July 26. Photo courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park RMNP UPDATE - On Monday, July 26, a 41-year-old female from Texas was hiking and scrambling in the Balanced Rock area in Rocky Mountain National Park when she took an approximate 20-foot fall. She was able to call for emergency assistance around noon on her cell phone.
Rocky Mountain National Park’s Search and Rescue Team members arrived on scene and provided Advanced Life Support care. Due to her location and severity of injuries, park rangers requested assistance from a Colorado National Guard helicopter to extricate her via a hoist operation, using a winch operated cable. This occurred at approximately 6:15 p.m. A Med Evac air ambulance has been pre-positioned in the MacGregor Ranch area to receive the patient from the National Guard helicopter. She was then flown from the meadow to Medical Center of The Rockies. No further information is available at this time. The Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website experienced technical issues this past week that were out of the park's control. The PEPC system came back online today, July 22. Submission of comments for this phase has been extended from July 19 through July 26.
Day Use Visitor Access Strategy - Rocky Mountain National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) NEWS from the City of Boulder Friday, July 16, 2021 Media Contact: Dionne Waugh, Media Relations, 303-518-1894 WaughD@bouldercolorado.gov bouldercolorado.gov  Boulder Police Officer Ashley Haarmann, 35, has been identified as the woman who died on Mountain Lady Washington in RMNP yesterday. BOULDER, Colo. – The Boulder Police Department is saddened to share the news today that it has lost another member of its family.
At approximately 5 p.m. yesterday, July 15, BPD received a call from law enforcement officials in Rocky Mountain National Park that one of our officers who was hiking in the park had fallen from a treacherous part of a mountain path and died. She was positively identified as Ashley Haarmann, 35. Officer Haarmann had worked for the Boulder Police Department for approximately one and half years. Chief Maris Herold sent members of BPD Command Staff to the park to make sure Officer Haarmann was covered with the American flag until she was escorted to the Boulder County Coroner’s Office late last night. “Our Department is again mourning the loss of a friend, coworker and dedicated public servant,” Chief Herold said. “Ashley was doing something she loved yesterday, and though it’s not much, I hope we can take some solace in that.” RMNP News Release - July 16, 2021
Last night, Thursday, July 15, park rangers recovered the body of a 35-year-old female from Loveland, Colorado, just west of Martha’s Couloir on Mount Lady Washington in Rocky Mountain National Park. Yesterday afternoon, park rangers were notified by a family member that they had received information via a satellite communication device of an emergency. Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue team members arrived on scene via ground at 4:45 p.m. and were aided with aerial search efforts by Mesa Verde Interagency Helitak crew, assigned to the Morgan Creek Fire near Steamboat Springs. It appears the woman took an approximate 200-foot tumbling fall. The woman’s body was flown at approximately 8:15 p.m. via a long line operation to the Upper Beaver Meadows helipad where she was transferred to the Boulder County Coroner’s office. The woman’s name will be released after next of kin are notified. As is standard protocol the incident is under investigation. Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue Team members stayed at the Chasm Shelter last night and are hiking out this morning.  Fern Lake Road in RMNP will be closed July 8 & 9, 2021, for emergency road repair.. RMNP UPDATE - July 8, 2021
The Fern Lake Road has reopened from the winter turnaround to the Fern Lake Trailhead. RMNP UPDATE - July 7, 2021 Tomorrow, Thursday, July 8, and potentially Friday, July 9, the Fern Lake Road will be closed beyond the winter turnaround to all uses. The park’s road crew will be replacing a culvert that was damaged during the East Troublesome Fire and received further damage during recent heavy rains. For more information on Rocky Mountain National Park please visit www.nps.gov/romo  View of the Alpine Visitor's Center and several elk from Old Fall River Road in 2020. Photo by Barb Boyer Buck RMNP News Release - July 2, 2021
Old Fall River Road will open to vehicles on Saturday, July 3. Old Fall River Road normally opens by fourth of July weekend. Old Fall River Road was built between 1913 and 1920. It is an unpaved road which travels from Endovalley Picnic Area to above treeline at Fall River Pass, following the steep slope of Mount Chapin’s south face. Due to the winding, narrow nature of the road, the scenic 9.4-mile route leading to Trail Ridge Road is one-way only. Vehicles over 25 feet and vehicles pulling trailers are prohibited on the road. Travelers should plan ahead for Rocky Mountain National Park’s pilot temporary timed entry permit reservation system which began on May 28. Park staff are managing for significant increases in visitation to public lands in Colorado, including Rocky Mountain National Park, along with continued Covid-19 concerns, ongoing park seasonal staff shared housing challenges, reduced shuttle bus capacity and residual fire impacts in some areas of the park from historic fires in 2020. There are two types of reservations. One reservation 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 reservation permit is for the rest of Rocky Mountain National Park, excluding the Bear Lake Road corridor. This reservation period is from 9 a.m.to 3 p.m. and includes Old Fall River Road and Trail Ridge Road. Permits issued using the reservation system allow park visitors to enter the park within two-hour windows of availability. The reservation system applies to all areas of the park. Timed entry reservations are full for the month of July. However, twenty-five percent of reservation permits are being held and available for purchase the day prior at 5 p.m. through recreation.gov. These continue to sell out quickly and visitors are encouraged to plan ahead when possible. For more information and a link to recreation.gov visit https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/timed-entry-permit-system.htm  Footbridge materials being flown from helibase on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park on June 7, 2021. Photo courtesy Rocky Mountain National RMNP News Release - July 2, 2021
Additional trails have reopened in Rocky Mountain National Park, as park staff continue to address impacts from the East Troublesome Fire. Crews have removed down trees and replaced and repaired bridges and trail stabilization materials. Many bridges and replacement material, like pressure treated logs, were prefabricated over the winter. These items were flown in this spring to expedite re-opening of areas and limit further damage to the trails. Pressure treated logs are being used to rebuild burned staircases, retaining walls and turnpikes. On the west side of the park, the North Inlet Trail has reopened. On the east side of the park, the Fern Lake Trail has reopened, however the Spruce Lake Trail remains closed. The Mill Creek Basin area has reopened including the Hollowell Park Trail to Bierstadt Lake, as well as the Mount Wuh/Steep Mountain junction from the Cub Lake Trail. These specific trails experienced significant impacts during the East Troublesome Fire. Park visitors should be aware of additional hazards when recreating in these burn areas including:
For the most current status of trails, including maps, please visit https://www.nps.gov/romo/learn/fire-information-and-regulations.htm On Wednesday, October 21, the East Troublesome Fire ran approximately 18 miles before it moved into the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park, and then spotted approximately 1.5 miles from the head of Tonahutu Creek on the west side of the Continental Divide to the head of Spruce Creek on the east side of the Continental Divide. Rapid evacuations took place in Grand Lake on October 21. Evacuations for the majority of the Estes Valley were implemented on October 22, as weather predictions forecast major winds on the night of October 23 through October 24 pushing the fire further to the east. Firefighting actions and favorable weather on October 24 and 25, helped halt the major movement of the East Troublesome and Cameron Peak Fires. Approximately 30,000 acres or 9 percent of Rocky Mountain National Park has been impacted by the East Troublesome and Cameron Peak Fires. Rocky Mountain National Park’s non-profit partner, The Rocky Mountain Conservancy, is accepting donations to support the park’s future restoration efforts from this season’s fires https://rmconservancy.org/join-or-give/donate/  The Colorado Department of Transportation's Bustang service will connect people from Denver to Estes Park, weekends starting July 3. Bustang.com photo Rocky Mountain Day Hikes & HIKE ROCKY magazine reached out to RMNP for clarification on several articles we've seen lately, claiming that Bustang will connect with the "free Hiker Shuttle" which we were told was not running this year. This clarification is what we received:
"The CDOT Bustang service began in 2019 and was on hold in 2020. One of its main purposes is to provide public transportation, very reasonably priced, from Denver to mountain communities. This summer, the Bustang will be operating on weekends only, beginning the fourth of July weekend. CDOT will have a maximum of two buses with capacity of 50 individuals per bus. The bus(es) will arrive at the Estes Park Visitor Center (EPVC) on weekends. A connecting shuttle will be available only on those weekends for those passengers on the Bustang who are interested in visiting the park. In 2019, about 50 percent of riders were interested in visiting the park, the rest explored Estes Park and supported our local economy. That separate bus will go directly to the Park & Ride where those passengers will then board park shuttle buses depending on whether they want to access the Bear Lake Route or the Moraine Park Route. There will not be multiple runs back and forth. One trip into the park per Bustang bus (so two total into the park), and two trips back to the Estes Park Visitor's Center - one at 2 p.m. and one at 4 p.m. on those weekend days for Bustang riders. An entrance pass is required for those riding the Bustang who wish to continue into the park, but a timed entry permit is not required. The Hiker Shuttle is not running this summer. " - Kyle Patterson, Public Affairs  This photo shows the spot where a 45-year-old woman slipped into the St. Vrain River on June 28. RMNP photo RMNP News Release, June 29
Yesterday, a 45-year-old woman from Oklahoma fell into the St. Vrain River approximately one mile from the Wild Basin trailhead in Rocky Mountain National Park. She slipped on wet rocks and was swept about 100 feet downstream under some large logs before she was able to pull herself up on a variety of log debris. Rocky Mountain National Park Search and Rescue members arrived on scene and assisted her from the log. She was on the south side of the river, so no rescuers or swift water teams had to deploy in the water. Members of Estes Valley Fire Protection District – Dive and Swiftwater Rescue Team, Boulder Emergency Squad and Allenspark Fire Protection arrived on scene to assist RMNP Search and Rescue Team members, if needed. The woman’s condition was assessed by park rangers and she walked out with team members. She was further evaluated by Estes Park Health at the trailhead and declined transport by ambulance. Mountain streams can be dangerous. Visitors are reminded to remain back from the banks of streams and rivers. Rocks at streamside and in the stream are often slippery and water beneath them may be deep and will be extremely cold. Provide proper supervision for children at all times, who by nature, tend to be attracted to water. Powerful currents can quickly pull a person underwater. |
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