Park rangers investigated the incident.  The man was hiking in the area with a handgun in his backpack.  When he set the backpack on the rock, the gun discharged firing a round.  The round struck the man in his leg.  The round did not exit the man’s body. There were numerous visitors in the Emerald Lake area when this incident occurred.   

It is the responsibility of visitors to understand and comply with all applicable state, local, and federal firearm laws before entering the park. Open carry of handguns and rifles, and transport of the same in vehicles, is permitted. Concealed carry is allowed pursuant to a legal Colorado concealed carry permit and applicable state reciprocity laws. Federal law prohibits firearms in certain facilities (visitor centers, ranger stations, government offices); places that are marked with signs at all public entrances. Recreational target shooting or discharge of a firearm is not allowed in Rocky Mountain National Park. Firearms should not be considered a wildlife protection strategy. Bear spray and other safety precautions are the proven methods for preventing bear and other wildlife interactions. 

The investigation is ongoing, no further information is available at this time. 

​For more information about Rocky Mountain National Park please visit www.nps.gov/romo or call the park’s Information Office at (970) 586-1206.
​

​Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the most popular national parks in the country. Last year, in July alone, the park received almost 1 million visitors.  To increase park access while providing the public a reasonable opportunity to comply with health guidelines, the park temporarily implemented a timed entry system effective on June 4.

Permits issued using the reservation system allow park visitors to enter the park within two-hour windows of availability between 6 a.m. through 5 p.m.  Entrance passes and reservations are required for all areas of the park, including outlying areas when arriving by a vehicle; no matter whether a visitor parks within the park or outside the park boundary. This includes but is not exclusive to Lumpy Ridge, Lily Lake, Longs Peak, Wild Basin, East Inlet and North Inlet.  

 Timed entry permit reservations are full July 3 and July 4, with limited availability on July 5. Reservations to enter the park are available through www.recreation.gov.  On July 1, reservations became 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 that have not been booked for August. On September 1, reservations will be available for the month of October and any remaining days in September that have not been booked.  

Frequently asked questions on the timed entry permit system can be found at: https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/fees.htm

Old Fall River Road and the Endovalley Road and Picnic Area will open Friday afternoon, July 3, to vehicles. Old Fall River Road normally opens by fourth of July weekend.

Park rangers will continue to assist park visitors outside of the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center, Kawuneeche Visitor Center, Alpine Visitor Center and the Wilderness Office.  Rocky Mountain Conservancy Nature Stores have reopened inside the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center, Kawuneeche Visitor Center, Fall River Visitor Center and the Alpine Visitor Center. 
 
 When recreating, park visitors should follow local area health orders, maintain social distance and avoid high-risk outdoor activities. Please do not visit if you are sick or were recently exposed to COVID-19. Park staff will continue to monitor all park functions to ensure that visitors adhere to CDC guidance for mitigating risks associated with the transmission of COVID-19 and take any additional steps necessary to protect public health.  
 
Keep your distance. Give others plenty of room whether you are on a trail or in a parking lot. If staying at least six feet from others is not possible, wear a cloth face covering as recommended by the CDC. Cloth face coverings should be worn while in park visitor centers, park restrooms and on shuttle buses.  
 
Keep it with you. If you brought it, take it with you. Trash pickup and restroom facilities will continue to be limited in many park areas. Follow Leave No Trace principles.  
 
Know your limits. Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the busiest search and rescue parks in the country. Many of these incidents could be avoided with visitors planning and making responsible decisions. Winter-like conditions exist in high elevation areas of the park. For example, Bear Lake currently has 14 inches of snow. It is critical to make wise choices to keep our national park rangers and first responders out of harm’s way.  
 
Protect wildlife. Obey speed limits and be aware of wildlife. During the closure, due to lack of vehicular traffic, park rangers have observed more wildlife congregating adjacent to or on internal park roads. 
  
Additional Background:
 
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. 
 
Old Fall River Road is scheduled to close to vehicles for the season on October 5, 2020.
 
For more information about Rocky Mountain National Park, please visit www.nps.gov/romo or call the park’s Information Office at (970) 586-1206.

​Rocky Mountain National Park will begin a phased reopening on May 27, with limited services including basic park road and trail access. Visitor centers will remain closed. Many outlying areas will reopen; however, the Wild Basin area will remain closed to all public access during this initial phase. Trail Ridge Road will be open to Rainbow Curve.
When the park initially reopens, park staff will evaluate the level of visitation, crowding, and congestion, and will meter access based on the level of visitation. This will be evaluated throughout the day. Visitors may be delayed entering or asked to return later if visitation and congestion warrants. Visitors should expect restricted vehicle access, particularly in the Bear Lake Road corridor, when parking areas fill and heavy congestion warrants. At this time, visitors can only purchase entrance passes at entrance stations with credit cards; no cash will be accepted.
When recreating, park visitors should follow local area health orders and avoid crowding and high-risk outdoor activities. Please don’t visit if you are sick or were recently exposed to COVID-19. Park staff will continue to monitor all park functions to ensure that visitors adhere to CDC guidance for mitigating risks associated with the transmission of COVID-19 and take any additional steps necessary to protect public health.

• Keep your distance. Give others plenty of room whether you are on a trail or in a parking lot. If staying at least six feet from others is not possible, wear a cloth face covering. Wear cloth face coverings while in park restrooms.
• Keep it with you. If you brought it, take it with you. Trash pickup and restroom facilities will continue to be limited in many park areas. Follow Leave No Trace principles.
• Know your limits. Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the busiest search and rescue parks in the country. Many of these incidents could be avoided with visitors planning and making responsible decisions. Winter-like conditions exist in high elevation areas of the park. Bear Lake currently has 14 inches of snow. During the ongoing health crisis, it is critical to make wise choices to keep our national park rangers and first responders out of harm’s way.
• Protect wildlife. Obey speed limits and be aware of wildlife. During the closure, due to lack of vehicular traffic, park rangers have observed more wildlife congregating adjacent to or on internal park roads.

UPDATE: 05/19/2020 - The Secretary of the Interior has not yet given approval to implement the time-entry reservation system, so reservations on Recreation.gov, which were slated to begin today, are not availalbe at this time. From RMNP's PIO, Kyle Patterson, "Once we have an approval, update and a final plan we'll send out a news release!"When asked if the delay in approval will cause a delay for RMNP's opening day (May 27), Patterson said, "If the timed entry proposal is not approved, we will revert to other entry restrictions similar to those that have been in place over the last 5 years. These strategies result in turning away hundreds of visitors when parking lots fill, leaving many visitors disappointed that they can not access the park. It also increases the likelihood for crowding and congestion within Estes Park in particular."

A timed-entry reservation system is awaiting approval from the Secretary of the Interior

Rocky Mountain National Park officials, including Darla Sidles, Superintendent of RMNP, were on hand at tonight’s Town Board meeting to discuss what is recommended to safely open the Park to visitors on Wednesday, May 27.  

Sidles spoke about a timed-entry reservation/permit system which is currently awaiting approval by the Secretary in the Interior.  Such a system will require those who wish to visit the park between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. to make a reservation and be issued a permit for one of five blocks of time available.  Permit holders will be allowed to enter RMNP at any time during the block of time; once in the Park, visitors may stay as long as they like. Entrance will be limited to 4,800 vehicles per day, approximately 13,500 people, said Sidle.  This represents 60% of normal visitation in June.  

Once the request to implement this system is approved, which is expected, reservations can be made at recreation.gov starting on May 19 for entry on or after May 27. This service is provided by an outside contractor which will charge an additional $2 in reservation fees, said John Haddon, Visitor Services Specialist for RMNP.  Those with annual passes will also be charged this fee. ​

​Backcountry wilderness camping permits through the fall will be issued starting May 27, and Moraine Park and Glacier Basin Campgrounds will partially open on June 4, when approximately half of the campsites will be available for reservations.

Other details about the reopening of RMNP were contained in a press release issued by the Park’s information office late-afternoon today. “Park staff continue to conduct a decision and planning process to coordinate a phased reopening of Rocky Mountain National Park on Wednesday, May 27. Park operations and services will be much different this year.”

​Backcountry wilderness camping permits through the fall will be issued starting May 27, and Moraine Park and Glacier Basin Campgrounds will partially open on June 4, when approximately half of the campsites will be available for reservations. 

This graphic was presented by Darla Sidles, Superintendent of Rocky Mountain National Park, during a Town of Estes Park board meeting tonight 5/12/2020. 
“Aspenglen, Timber Creek and Longs Peak campgrounds will remain closed,” stated the release.  
​
Those who made camping reservations for Memorial Day weekend at Moraine Park, Glacier Basin, and Aspenglen have been contacted and those reservations have been canceled. 

“Shuttle bus operations within the Bear Lake Road corridor will begin on May 27,” stated the press release. “It is unknown at this time whether the Hiker Shuttle from the Estes Park Visitor Center will be operating this summer. In order to practice proper social distancing to minimize community spread of COVID-19, the capacity of the shuttle buses in the Bear Lake Corridor will be limited to 15 passengers per trip.”

“We think closing the Park (on March 20) was a good plan,” Sidle said at tonight’s meeting.  

“Rocky Mountain National Park had another year of record visitation,” she said about the 2019 season, which hosted 4.6 million people. “This represents a 44-percent increase since 2012.”  July, 2019, hosted nearly one million visitors while 3.2 million people visited June through September of that year. 

Eighty percent of those visitors came through Estes Park, Sidle said. “RMNP is the 3rd most visited park in the country, we want people to feel safe in coming here.”

The “feasibility and timing of Park visitor center operations as well as other services,” are still being determined by RMNP staff, stated today’s press release. ​