 Snowshoeing on Trail Ridge Road in March of 2019/photo by Kip Rusk RMNP UPDATE: 10/24/2022 Today, Monday, October 24, Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park officially closed for the season to through travel. Many popular driving destinations for this time of year including Bear Lake Road, Moraine Park, Horseshoe Park and the section of Trail Ridge Road along the Kawuneeche Valley, are all open.
Trail Ridge Road is not designed to be an all-season road, with 11 miles above 11,500 feet, few guard rails and no shoulders. Winter conditions of drifting snow, high winds and below- freezing temperatures occur above 10,000 feet. Trail Ridge Road is currently closed at Many Parks Curve on the east side and Colorado River Trailhead on the west side. Closure points on the road may fluctuate this fall, however the road is closed to through travel for the season. Trail Ridge Road normally opens the last week in May, weather permitting. This year Trail Ridge Road opened on May 27. Old Fall River Road closed for the season to vehicles on October 3. Trail Ridge Road and Old Fall River Road will remain open to bicycles and leashed pets through November 30. Leashed pets and bicycles are only allowed on the road, not on side trails. On December 1, both of these roads will revert to "winter trail status" which means that bicycles and leashed pets are no longer permitted beyond the closed gates but pedestrians, snowshoers and skiers are. 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.
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Major Construction Project To Begin At The Fall River Entrance In Rocky Mountain National Park10/24/2022 RMNP UPDATE - 10/24/2022  Fall River Entrance Station; NPS.gov/ROMO photo Construction will begin the week of October 31, for a new and improved entrance station at the Fall River Entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. The Fall River Entrance is one of two major entrance stations on the east side of the park and is located on U.S. Highway 34, just inside the park boundary.
During this major construction project, only one lane at Fall River Entrance will be operational to enter the park and one lane to exit. Park visitors are strongly encouraged to avoid the Fall River Entrance and use the Beaver Meadows Entrance. During this major project, park visitors should expect extended wait times at both major east side entrance stations. Weather and resources depending, the project should be completed by late June. Originally designed for summer operations nearly 60 years ago, the facilities at the Fall River Entrance Station no longer meet the safety or operational needs of the park. When the entrance station was designed, the park had approximately one and a half million annual visitors. By 2019, annual visitation almost tripled, to over four and a half million annual visitors. Improvements are needed to improve visitor access and convenience, reduce traffic congestion, and provide a safe and efficient space for park employees. A fast pass lane will be added, along with road widening which should improve visitor wait times and experience while entering through the Fall River Entrance. A new office and three kiosks, with proper ventilation, will be constructed. In addition, a new entrance sign will be installed which will include a small formal parking area. An additional project will rehabilitate and replace components of the wastewater and water systems serving the Fall River Entrance and Bighorn Ranger Station. The on-site wastewater treatment system will be replaced, and other upgrades will occur. Many aspects of the water system will be replaced, and the water treatment building will be improved. A culvert crossing Fall River Road is severely deteriorated and does not meet 100-year flood standards, it will be upgraded and replaced during this project as well. The Fall River Visitor Center will remain open with winter hours of 9 am to 4:30 p.m. seven days a week. 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. RMNP UPDATE - October 22, 2022 Conditions on Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, which is a high elevation road with 11 miles above 11,500 feet, are forecast to deteriorate tonight with snow, freezing temperatures and high winds. Trail Ridge Road will be closing tonight at 7 p.m. or earlier if conditions deteriorate sooner. Closures will be at Many Parks Curve and Colorado River Trailhead. The road will reopen when (and if) weather and conditions permit.
Recorded status line for Trail Ridge Road (970) 586-1222 or follow the park on Twitter @RockyNPS  Park snowplow operations on October 2 2022 Trail Ridge Road; photo courtesy of Rocky Mountain National Park RMNP UPDATE - October 2, 2022 Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park will remain closed at Rainbow Curve on the east side and at the Colorado River Trailhead on the west side of the park due to ongoing winter weather conditions. Old Fall River Road also remains closed.
For updated information please call the Trail Ridge Road recorded status line (970) 586-1222 and/or follow us on twitter at RockyNPS (@RockyNPS) / Twitter  Autumn-Colors-on-Old-Fall-River-Road; NPS-photo-by-Ann-Schonlau RMNP UPDATE - October 1, 2022 Old Fall River Road will be closing for the season to vehicles on Monday, October 3. The road will be closed to all uses through Friday, October 7, for park staff to conduct road maintenance. Old Fall River Road will reopen temporarily to bicycles, leashed pets and walkers for Saturday October 8, through Monday, October 10. Starting, Tuesday, October 11, Old Fall River Road will close again to all uses for continued road maintenance through Friday, October 14. On Saturday, October 15, the road will reopen to bicycles, leashed pets and walkers through November 30. Leashed pets and bicycles are only allowed on the road, not on side trails. On December 1, the road will revert to trail status and bicycles and leashed pets will not be allowed on the road.
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. RMNP Update - September 20, 2022 Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park is temporarily closed at Rainbow Curve on the east side of the park and Colorado River Trailhead on the west side of the park due to snow and ice on the road at higher elevations. Old Fall River Road has also temporarily closed.
For updated information please call the Trail Ridge Road recorded status line (970) 586-1222 and/or follow us on twitter at RockyNPS (@RockyNPS) / Twitter  Wild Basin Bridge September 2022; NPS/ROMO photo The Saint Vrain Bridge on the Wild Basin Trail is now open to pedestrian traffic. Rocky Mountain National Park trail crews will continue working on the bridge today, putting on the hand rail, as well as early next week.  Wild Basin Bridge Work September 2022; Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park  Recovery efforts on Longs Peak Saturday, September 17 2022; Photo Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park RMNP UPDATE - September 20, 2022 On Sunday, September 18, recovery operations took place for Russell Jacobs, 25, from Westminster, Colorado near the Keyhole Route on Longs Peak. Rocky Mountain National Park's Search and Rescue Team contracted with Trans Aero helicopter to assist with prepositioning park rangers and aerial recovery operations. Jacobs’ body was recovered at approximately 5 p.m. Sunday night by helicopter and transferred to the Boulder County Coroner’s Office. Late Friday afternoon, September 16, Jacobs contacted a friend via cellular phone that he was lost and that the weather was deteriorating rapidly. Jacobs was unprepared for winter conditions or to spend an unplanned night at elevations above 13,000 feet. This information was relayed to park rangers. Park rangers were briefly able to contact Jacobs via text message to ascertain his location and learned he was going to try to move toward the Agnes Vaille Shelter. Communication with him was then lost. Members from Rocky Mountain National Park’s Search and Rescue Team began searching in the Boulder Field and Keyhole area of Longs Peak on Friday afternoon. Search efforts were hampered by accumulating snow, ice, 35 plus mile per hour winds, below freezing temperatures, night fall and bitter wind chill. Rangers were able to reach the Agnes Vaille Shelter and could not locate the subject. The search team set up shelter in the Boulder Field overnight in case the subject was still attempting to reach the trailhead. Searchers in the field reported snow and sleet continuing through the night in the search area. Search efforts were started prior to sunrise on Saturday morning. Rangers reported continued winter like conditions in the area. A clearing in the weather allowed for Northern Colorado Med Evac air ambulance to fly over the search area to look for anyone in distress while rangers continued to search in the Boulder Field. The man’s body was located approximately 80 feet above The Ledges by park visitors. The Boulder County Coroner’s office will release the cause of death.  RMNP Search and Rescue Team Members Recovery Efforts Longs Peak September 17, 2022; Photo Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park September 17 2022  View of the vehicle, approximately 500 feet below Trail Ridge Road; NPS/ROMO photos At approximately 8:50 p.m. on Thursday, September 1, 2022, Rocky Mountain National Park received a call from a visitor traveling on Trail Ridge Road who saw a vehicle off road. A small SUV with one occupant had driven off Trail Ridge Road east of Gore Range Overlook, and the vehicle came to rest approximately 500-feet down the steep slope. While the occupant was being rescued, Trail Ridge Road was temporarily closed for two hours. The occupant, a 54-year old man from Florida, walked up from the vehicle with assistance from park staff and the Estes Valley Fire Protection District and was transported out of the park by Estes Park Health ambulance. Trail Ridge Road was temporarily closed again the morning of September 2, for approximately 4 hours as park staff and Monarch Towing Company worked to extract the vehicle and all associated debris. In addition to the park's Search and Rescue team and law enforcement staff, we would like to thank partner agencies who provided key support on this incident, including the Estes Valley Fire Protection District and Estes Park Health. This incident is under investigation. No further information is available.  NPS search and rescue staff and Estes Valley Fire Protection District work to set up lines to help the occupant walk up the steep slope to Trail Ridge Road; NPS/ROMO photo  Staff work to safely extract the vehicle from a location 500-feet below Trail Ridge Road; NPS/ROMO photo  Visitors crowd a popular elk-rut viewing area. NPS/ROMO photo RMNP UPDATE - September 1, 2022 Beginning on September 1, park officials will put annual closures in place for travel on foot or horse off established roadways or designated trails from 5 p.m. to 10 a.m. In 2020, the closure time extended to 10 a.m. from 7 a.m. due to a significant increase in visitors approaching elk when the morning meadow closures lifted. These closures last through October 31 and are effective in Horseshoe Park, Upper Beaver Meadows, Moraine Park, Harbison Meadow and Holzwarth Meadow in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Fishing in the Fall River, Thompson River or Colorado River within the posted areas remain the same as previous years and are closed from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. The purpose of the closures is to prevent disturbance and harassment of elk during their fall mating period and to enhance visitor elk viewing opportunities. As always, elk calling and the use of spotlights or vehicle headlights for spotting wildlife is prohibited in Rocky Mountain National Park. |
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