Rocky Mountain Day Hikes
  • Home
  • Hike Rocky Magazine
    • Hike Rocky magazine
    • RMNP Updates
    • Trail Reviews
    • Gear Reviews
    • Science & Ecology
    • History & Current Issues
    • Stories & Adventure
    • Culture and Arts in the Park
    • The Continental Divide Story, 1977 by Kip Rusk
  • Trail Guide to RMNP
    • Trails by Location >
      • Wild Basin & Longs Peak Area
      • Bear Lake Corridor
      • Northern Park
      • West Side
    • Trails by Distance >
      • Short
      • Moderate
      • Longer
      • Challenge
    • Trails by Destination >
      • Lakes
      • Waterfalls
      • Peaks >
        • Peaks By Elevation
      • Loop Hikes
    • Index of Trails
  • Wildflowers of RMNP
    • By Color
    • April/May Flowers
    • June/July Flowers
    • August/September Flowers
    • Wildflower Guide Curators
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • Supporting Partners
    • Media Kit
    • 2025 Hike Rocky Print Edition
    • 2024 Hike Rocky Print Magazine

Stories & Adventure in 
​Rocky Mountain National Park


<< back to Hike Rocky home page
Sign-up for our free Newsletter

Up, Up, Up!
​Biking Trail Ridge Road in May


by Murray Selleck

There is a small window of opportunity to bike Rocky Mountain National Park’s (RMNP) Trail Ridge Road with virtually no motor vehicles. This brief time frame is after the huge snowblowers have cut their way through the massive snowdrifts across the top but before the gates on the Estes Park and Grand Lake sides of the park have opened.
Keep Reading...
Image of a massive snowbank along Trail Ridge Road in RMNP

Mastering the Craft of Backcountry Travel in RMNP


By Ryan Jordan
Backpacking is fundamentally simple:


  • Walk trails.
  • Sleep under the stars.
  • Carry only the essentials.
But beneath this simplicity lies a journey toward mastery—a pursuit that has fueled my passion for backcountry travel for decades. Here's how I keep my passion alive:
Keep Reading...
Summer campsite

Spring Training: Four Stretches to Get You Ready for Another Hiking Season in RMNP


by Dave Rusk
If you want to prepare yourself for a summer of marvelous day hiking, now would be a good time to try to work any one of these stretches into your daily habits.

Keep Reading...
Picture

Remembering Kent Dannen


by Dan England

Back before the Internet, hikers only had one tool to explore Rocky Mountain National Park. They simply called it the Dannen book.

Even experts, the guides who led hikes at the YMCA of the Rockies, for instance, had a mantra: What Would Dannen Do? The book Kent Dannen wrote with Donna, his wife at the time, simply titled “Hiking Rocky Mountain National Park,” was the first comprehensive guide for traversing the national park when it was released in 1978.
​Keep Reading... 
Image of Rocky Mountain National Park sunrise

Where the Mountains
​Meet the Stream:
​Fly Fishing in Rocky


by Trenton Ming

Imagine casting a line into the crystal-clear waters of a mountain lake, surrounded by towering peaks. This is the magic of fly fishing in Rocky Mountain National Park. Home to a diverse array of trout species, including the iconic Greenback Cutthroat Trout, a species once thought to be extinct, has made a remarkable comeback...
Keep Reading...
Image of Trenton Ming holding a catch and release brown trout in Rocky Mountain National Park

A Gift in Return: Preserving RMNP


by Trenton Ming

Rocky Mountain National Park, a breathtaking natural wonder of Colorado, offers endless beauty and adventure. Its majestic peaks, serene lakes, and diverse wildlife draw millions of visitors each year. With as many visitors that make their way here each year, there are just as many unique perspectives and experiences within the wilderness of Rocky. As we immerse ourselves in its beauty, it's crucial to remember the importance of giving, and not just taking.
​Keep Reading...
Image of a frozen and wintery Mills Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park

RMNP's Hiking Women from Kansas!


by RMDH Staff
​

What began as a few friends who love hiking together in Kansas has now grown into a group of 70+ women who love to hike in Rocky Mountain National Park! How did this community of women come together and what is it they gain by hiking together?


Rocky Mountain Day Hikes asked a few questions to Jeri Brungardt and Cindy Coughenour, the founders of Women Hiking Kansas and Beyond (WHKSAB), to find out how this love of hiking brought scores of women together from the lower elevation undulating terrain of Kansas to the steep and high altitude trails of Rocky Mountain National Park.
Keep Reading...
Image of Women Hiking Kansas & Beyond members

Kiernan.
​Old Man on the Mountain


by Karen McPherson
​

​Gene Kiernan climbed Longs for the first time at 65 years of age. He is a self-described “compulsive goal-setter.” He ran his own company as an architect and builder. He is a road bike warrior: biking from Canada to the Gulf, throughout France, and across 28 of the United States. He is no stranger to training, preparation, and determination. He attempted a solo climb of Longs Peak last summer at 86 years of age but was turned away at Granite Pass by an electrical storm. Determined to try again, a RMNP ranger at the trailhead gave him tips and encouraged him to assemble a team. Learning of Col Billy’s 98-year-old record motivated him to call in his A-team.
Keep Reading...
Image of Gene and Steve Kiernan

Changed by the RMNP Mountains


By Ally Anderson
​
​
He was an uninspired kid, most often seen indoors playing video games, lacking the desire for exploration or challenging physical feats. 
​”Prior to hiking, I was a gamer. I spent a lot of time online. There's a lot of toxicity online. I didn’t get out much. Hiking allows me to clear my mind.” - Ely
The mountains are the first and only thing that he's seen dramatically motivate him to get active. He has gone from an unmotivated child to a driven athlete looking forward to the next adventure, overall more enthusiastic and motivated about life as a whole.
Keep Reading...
Picture

How to Make Photos in RMNP


By Jamie Palmesano

Making photos is one of the most delightful parts of hiking Rocky Mountain National Park. We live in an age where nearly everyone now carries a camera in their pocket. Whether you have a DSLR or an iPhone, a few tricks of the trade can help you create outstanding photos to commemorate your hiking adventures. These are my favorite five tips for creating powerful scenic images and capturing the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains. 
Keep Reading...
Foot bridge in RMNP

When Lightning Strikes!


by Murray Selleck

There’s not much you can do when you’re inside a thunderstorm cloud with lightning flashing and thunder pounding simultaneously. The crack and flash of lightning hurt our eyes so harshly that even with them closed the light penetrated through eyelids squeezed closed tight.

Being inside the belly of a timpani drum while the drummer pounds out a rhythm might give you an idea of the ear punishing thunder but it wouldn’t describe the anxiety of being caught out and exposed in such a mountain storm.
Keep Reading...
Image of a lightning bolt at night in RMNP

You Earned It In Rocky Mountain NP!


Collecting trail tags is a rocky mountain tradition.
by Jamie Palmesano


Nicolette Sowder once said, “Children deserve to grow and learn in a place, and alongside a force, that is as wild and alive as they are.” Wild and alive is a perfect description of Rocky Mountain National Park! The trails of Rocky Mountain National Park are filled with children of all ages experiencing the joy of nature and a sense of adventure. Though the journey itself is satisfying, there is something powerful about a small incentive to help those little legs reach the destination. The reward is called Trail Tags.
Keep Reading...
Image of a man holding two trail tags in Brownfield's Estes Park Colorado

A Solstice Morning,
​Solstice Evening


by Murray Selleck

Summer Solstice: Thursday, June 20, 2024 at 2:50 pm Mountain Time.
Sunrise 5:32 am. Sunset 8:31pm (depending on where you are in Colorado)
Nearly 15 hours of daylight.


I’m not sure where I read the idea of celebrating the summer solstice by sitting quietly, watching, and listening to this day transition from overnight dark skies to morning light. However, once I took the idea to heart I plan my Summer Solstice to do just that… to bear witness to the day’s beginning sunrise and its slow return to darkness at sunset.

Keep Reading...
Image of Horseshoe Valley Rocky Mountain National Park

An Early Morning Hiking
​Proposal In RMNP


by Jamie Palmesano

​The friendly 3:45am alarm sounds, as Brownfield’s store manager, Anne Brader, rises for another adventure in Rocky Mountain National Park with her team. Still dark and crisp outside, she fills her Nalgene bottle, loads her Camelbak backpack, and laces up her favorite pair of Salomon hiking shoes.

Keep Reading...
Picture

Breathe Better Hike Better!


Book Review by Murray Selleck
​
Breathing is a pretty natural thing. We humans average 25,000 breaths a day without even thinking about it. How would it feel, though, if we did think about each individual breath and reap the benefits of more efficient breathing? This is what I’ve been trying to practice for awhile since reading the book, BREATH - The New Science of a Lost Art, by author James Nestor.
Keep Reading...
Image of the book Breath, The new science of a lost art by James Nestor

Sure it's snow. What kind is it?


by Murray Selleck

​Snow is not monolithic. There is not one kind of snow and it is constantly changing as it falls, as the wind blows, or as temperatures rise and fall. With those thoughts in mind here is a list of snow types, conditions, and a bit of winter time slang that you may encounter in Rocky Mountain National Park. What follows is our best attempt at naming all the different kinds of snow we could think of and a brief sentence on how to use it in a conversation.

Keep Reading...
Image of a windblown snowy ridge north of Rocky Mountain National Park

A Rocky Mountain National Park Valentine


by Staff, Friends, and Contributors

​Have you ever thought to send a Valentine to a national park? Neither had we until we decided it was well overdue! Sending a Valentine to someone (or some thing) shows love and kindness and 
thoughtfulness. With our Rocky Mountain National Park Valentine we asked our readers, contributors, and friends to write how RMNP affects our health, well being, and daily lives - just being there.
​Keep Reading...
Image of a drawn I love RMNP heart in snow

Wintertime Myths


by Murray Selleck

Winter is magical. It is awe inspiring and... mythical. Some of the mythical part comes from people believing in lots of misconceptions about winter. These wintertime myths keep far too many people cooped up indoors. Repeated often enough folks believe these myths to be true and they wind up resenting winter or worse, hating it. Their misery only intensifies as the days become shorter and the snow deeper. Symptoms like seasonal affective disorder (sad), boredom, depression, and lethargy are no way to live. The cure is to not believe everything you hear about winter.
​Keep Reading...
A sunny beautiful winter day.

Search and Rescue on Longs Peak, '79-'81


by Chris Reveley

Climbing rocks, ice and big snowy mountains is dangerous. Sometimes people get hurt and occasionally they die. The job of search and rescue (SAR) first-responders is to deliver to the injured an appropriate level of care as efficiently and safely as possible without making matters worse. In the case of fatalities, body recovery is pursued whenever and wherever possible as long as the risks to SAR personnel are minimal.
Keep Reading...
Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park

Nostalgia: Winter at Hidden Valley


by Bronte Brooke

I stumbled across Estes Park this summer and completely fell in love with the area, so it was a surreal feeling getting to experience Rocky Mountain National Park in winter. Then a friend told me about Hidden Valley: an abandoned ski resort nestled in the heart of Rocky. Of course, as an avid skier, my interest was piqued. 
Keep Reading...
Snowboarders at Hidden Valley in Rocky Mountain National Park

Winter Wonderland in Wild Basin


by Rebecca Detterline

The golden peach light hitting the December snow on these shortest days of the year always brings me to a place of quiet contemplation. Pausing at the Saint Vain bridge 2.4 miles from the Wild Basin winter parking area, I breathe in the cold winter air and reflect on the past decade. When I moved to Allenspark in 2012, Wild Basin quickly became my sanctuary.
 
Keep Reading...
Rebecca Detterline cross-country skiing in Rocky Mountain National Park

Hunting Big Wind on Longs Peak


by Chris Revely

In the late 1970s, rumors of high winds around Estes Park had reached the East Coast. Meteorologists working on Mount Washington in New Hampshire, where a long-standing world-record wind speed of 234 mph was measured, wondered if that record might be broken along the Continental Divide in Rocky Mountain National Park. As a Longs Peak backcountry ranger, I was recruited to assist with the construction of a wind measuring device on the summit of Longs Peak. Later, the project would require more extensive, personal involvement.
Keep Reading...
Helicopter pilots and Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park

Backpacking with Kids


by Rebecca Detterline

“Auntie, my legs are feeling tired. Can you carry me?” Of course my niece, Adeline, is completely oblivious to the fact that I am already carrying a 45-pound backpack and both of my hands are occupied with the trekking poles I am using in an attempt to keep myself from tripping and falling, adding more scrapes and bruises to the bodily evidence of my backcountry clumsiness.
Keep Reading...
Backpacking with Kids in Rocky Mountain National Park

Old Fall River Road: a Classic Driving Tour


by Barb Boyer Buck

​
Right around July 4 every year, Old Fall River Road opens for the season. It's a very short season for this “motor nature trail,” so I encourage everyone to try it at least once before it closes in early October. It's my favorite driving tour in Rocky and every visitor I've hosted has accompanied me on this drive.
Keep Reading...
Alpine Visitor Center in Rocky Mountain National Park

The Photography of Erik Stensland


by Cindy Elkins

As a self-proclaimed hermit, the insightful photographer and naturalist Erik Stensland is the entrepreneur behind the Images of Rocky Mountain National Park Gallery in downtown Estes Park, Colorado. He is drawn by the natural world and has a deep passion for wilderness education and preservation. As an author, photographer and program developer, his unlikely path to RMNP was filled with adventure. 
Keep Reading...
Rocky Mountain National Park

Ice Skating in Rocky


by Rebecca Detterlin​e

In the winter of 2017, while making plans for a hike to Blue Lake, a friend asked if I owned ice skates. Growing up in Minnesota I think every kid had ice skates, but somehow mine never made the journey to Colorado. I consider myself to be relatively athletic, but with the skates that were a couple sizes too big and Blue Lake being covered in miniature ice moguls, I looked like Bambi attempting to learn to walk on a frozen pond!
Keep Reading...
Ice Skating in Rocky Mountain National Park

Snowshoeing to Subalpine Lakes


by Marlene Borneman

Finch and Fern Lakes are destinations I have been to many times in every season. People often ask me if I get tired visiting the same places over and over. The answer is always “no.” For me each outing in Rocky is different. On January 9th I started with friends to snowshoe to Finch Lake from the Wild Basin trailhead located in the southeast corner of RMNP.
Keep Reading...
Snowshoers in Rocky Mountain National Park

Ascending Rocky's 126 Named Peaks


by Marlene Borneman

It began innocently enough, in 1974. l came to Colorado for a summer job at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park. I arrived from New Orleans (yes, below sea level) in mid-May of that year and, being a proper young lady from the South, l wanted to make a good impression on my new employer. l wore a sleeveless silk dress (rather short as I recall), stockings, and the cutest little heeled sandals you ever laid eyes on.
​Keep Reading...
Marlene Borneman in Rocky Mountain National Park

Missourians in the Mountains


by Nevin Dubinski

​
As someone who has spent nearly his entire life in Missouri, visiting the Rockies is a treat. As we were growing up, my parents would take us west once every year or two and each time, I would learn to love it more. But of course my view of the mountains was insular, only visiting during the summer months and omitting the harsh winters that I heard so much about. I began to dream of reaching the peaks once the snow had fallen and I could partake in even wilder adventures.
Keep Reading...
Nevin Dubinski in Rocky Mountain National Park

Conquering Peaks and Navigating Valleys


by Barb Boyer Buck

Colorado resident Simon Vogt has summited 57 of the state's 14-ers (mountains over 14,000 feet in elevation); he only has one left: Culebra Peak in the Sangre de Cristo range. Mountaineering in the high peaks of Colorado's Rocky Mountains has become a metaphor for the new life he is developing for himself: one of ​sobriety and focus. “The summit is the goal, but it's not the reason,” he said. 
Keep Reading...
Simon Vogt

Meeting Lake of Many Winds


by Rebecca Detterline

The snow at Thunder Lake was definitely deeper than anticipated on a recent attempt at a few remote peaks in Wild Basin. It quickly became obvious that our original plan would be thwarted by the slick conditions resulting from the first snowfall of the season. Knowing that our hike would be considerably shorter than we had prepared for, my two girlfriends and I hopped from rock to rock, following the steep trail that leads hikers from Thunder Lake to Lake of Many Winds, occasionally post-holing into calf-deep snow.
Keep Reading...
Hikers at Lake of Many Winds, Rocky Mountain National Park

© Copyright 2025 Barefoot Publications,  All Rights Reserved
  • Home
  • Hike Rocky Magazine
    • Hike Rocky magazine
    • RMNP Updates
    • Trail Reviews
    • Gear Reviews
    • Science & Ecology
    • History & Current Issues
    • Stories & Adventure
    • Culture and Arts in the Park
    • The Continental Divide Story, 1977 by Kip Rusk
  • Trail Guide to RMNP
    • Trails by Location >
      • Wild Basin & Longs Peak Area
      • Bear Lake Corridor
      • Northern Park
      • West Side
    • Trails by Distance >
      • Short
      • Moderate
      • Longer
      • Challenge
    • Trails by Destination >
      • Lakes
      • Waterfalls
      • Peaks >
        • Peaks By Elevation
      • Loop Hikes
    • Index of Trails
  • Wildflowers of RMNP
    • By Color
    • April/May Flowers
    • June/July Flowers
    • August/September Flowers
    • Wildflower Guide Curators
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • Supporting Partners
    • Media Kit
    • 2025 Hike Rocky Print Edition
    • 2024 Hike Rocky Print Magazine