Trail Ridge Road and Old Fall River Road are Closed

Rocky Mountain National Park just posted this on their Twitter account:

Rangers are beginning to close Trail Ridge Road and Old Fall River Road due to ice and snow accumulation near Rock Cut (elevation 12,110 ft) Closures on Trail Ridge Road will be Many Parks Curve on the east side and Colorado River Trailhead on the west side.

Jeff
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Structural Fire At Glacier Creek Stables

Last week a structural fire was reported at the Glacier Creek Stables in Rocky Mountain National Park near Sprague Lake. Park rangers and interagency firefighting resources arrived on scene to find a large two-story metal hay barn burning. As structural firefighting resources battled the fire in the barn, park wildland fire resources laid hose downwind to help prevent a wildland fire in case embers were blown into the surrounding vegetation. Previous thinning and fire mitigation efforts have taken place in this area.

The metal building kept the fire contained and lessened the likelihood of the fire spreading to the surrounding wildland area. Thousands of gallons of water have been used. As the hay and building continued to burn, excavators pulled the building down to assist in extinguishing the fire. .

Bear Lake Road inbound traffic was temporarily closed for approximately three hours for emergency vehicle traffic. Bear Lake Road reopened at 7 p.m. but the access road to Sprague Lake remains closed.

Interagency resources from Estes Valley Fire Protection District, Allenspark Fire Protection District, Loveland Fire Rescue Authority, Glen Haven Area Volunteer Fire Department, Pinewood Springs Fire Protection District, US Forest Service and Big Elk Meadows Volunteer Fire Department were involved with the firefighting efforts.

There were no personal injuries and no horses were harmed. The cause of the fire is under investigation.


Jeff
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Annual Elk Fest in Estes Park is next weekend

To celebrate the annual elk rut and learn about the "wapiti," the Native American name for elk, the city of Estes Park will be hosting the annual Elk Fest next weekend, Oct. 2-3.

Elk Fest offers visitors a chance to safely view elk during the rutting season in the wild, as well as expand their knowledge of elk and its habitat.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife will have a booth to promote the message of how to view wildlife responsibly, will have a kids craft table, general showcases on elk and hunting information from CPW’s hunter outreach program.

Held in Bond Park, located in downtown Estes Park, the free festival will offer:

• Bugling competitions
• Elk exhibits and seminars
• Elk-inspired arts and crafts
• Education areas
• The Rocky Mountain Raptor Program
• Native American music
• Dancing and storytelling
• Children's area with elk-themed activities
• Craft beer garden

Vendors will display artwork, handmade elk-ivory jewelry and will offer distinctive elk cuisine. Mountain men from around the country will gather at the Mountain Man Rendezvous to sell their wares and demonstrate their skills.

Please note: due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, all events are subject to change. For a complete schedule of events, please click here.


Jeff
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Who was Grandma Gatewood?

In 1955, after raising 11 children, Emma "Grandma" Gatewood became the first woman to solo thru-hike the Appalachian Trail - at the tender age of 67!  In September of that year, having survived a rattlesnake strike, two hurricanes, and a run-in with gangsters from Harlem, she stood atop Maine’s Mount Katahdin.

Then, in 1960, she hiked it again, becoming the first person to hike the Appalachian Trail twice. And, just to prove those first two weren't a fluke, she hiked it again in 1963 - at the age of 75! After that third adventure Emma became the first person to hike the 2,179-mile trail on three different occasions.

So who exactly was Grandma Gatewood? This short video, a trailer from a documentary film project called "Trail Magic", gives a few insights into Emma Gatewood's life, tribulations & achievements (you can also read her official biography):




Jeff
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U.S. Forest Service to close area around Williams Gulch, Sept. 13-17

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) will be conducting a non-native fish removal project from Sept. 13-17 in the area around Williams Gulch on U.S. Forest Service (USFS) land. The USFS will be temporarily closing the area around Williams Gulch, located just north of Rocky Mountain N.P., to all uses as a result of the project. In addition to National Forest System lands, a small portion of CPW’s Bliss State Wildlife Area along Williams Gulch will also be impacted and have restricted use as a result of the project.

CPW is conducting the project to reintroduce greenback cutthroat trout to Williams Gulch, located on the Roosevelt National Forest in Larimer County. The removal of non-native species is being done in preparation for the reintroduction of greenback cutthroat trout to the creek. The greenback cutthroat trout is Colorado's State Fish and is listed as "Threatened" under the Endangered Species Act.

Williams Gulch was originally stocked with cutthroat trout in 1996. However, those cutthroat trout were not pure greenback cutthroat trout, which are the native trout to the South Platte River basin. For the re-establishment of pure greenbacks to succeed, all other cutthroat trout currently in the stream population must be removed. This removal is done using rotenone, an EPA-approved organic compound used for decades to control fish populations.

As part of the reintroduction project, the USFS will keep the area around Williams Gulch closed (from Sept. 13-17) for public health and safety during the non-native fish removal activities. The project area includes portions of Forest System Roads 319 (Green Ridge Road) and 177 (Green Ridge Cutoff), closing them to all uses.

After fish are successfully removed from the stream, pure greenback cutthroat trout will be stocked. In the end, this project will result in 2.5 miles of new greenback cutthroat trout habitat.


Jeff
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Clarification on East Troublesome Fire burned area closures

The 2020 East Troublesome fire burned in two National Forest management areas. The western side is managed by the Routt National Forest while the eastern side is under Arapaho National Forest management. Many areas within the fire have reopened, but some roads and trails are still restricted to certain uses or closed.

Areas within the fire’s perimeter administered by the Arapaho National Forest that remain closed include: Cabin Creek Road (FSR 112), Buffalo Creek Road (108.1), and Kaufman Creek Road (121.1) Additionally, a number of motorized trails along Stillwater Pass Road remain closed until they can be stabilized and hazards mitigated, and no camping is allowed along the Colo. 125 corridor. While road crews are expected to complete stabilization work on Buffalo Creek Road this fall, the damage to Cabin Creek, Kaufman Creek and some of the motorized trails in the area are quite extensive and these areas could remain closed for a longer period of time. A full map of the closure area is available on the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests’ website.

The East Troublesome burned area managed by the Routt National Forest has reopened with the exception of the area closure for the ongoing 2021 Black Mountain Fire.


Jeff
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Mount Evans summit to close for season after Labor Day

The uppermost portion of Mount Evans Scenic Byway will close to motorized vehicle traffic for the season after Labor Day, Sept. 6, however visitors can still book reservations to visit Mount Goliath Interpretive Area and Summit Lake Park until Oct. 3, as conditions allow. Reservations are required and should be booked in advance at recreation.gov.

The highest paved road in North America, Mount Evans Scenic Byway is jointly managed by the USDA Forest Service, Denver Mountain Parks, and Colorado Department of Transportation. The managing partners traditionally close the summit after Labor Day weekend as Colorado’s weather conditions become more variable.

The late season ticket is offered at a reduced rate of $10. Annual and lifetime passholders will still need to make reservations and will only pay the $2 reservation fee. Reservations are required for visitors to these sites between 8 am and 6:30 pm. Visitors who arrive without a reservation will need to return to a place where they can get a cell phone signal to secure a timed entry ticket.

Visitors with reservations are still welcome to park at Summit Lake and bike or walk to the summit if weather conditions allow, but the road will be closed to motorized vehicle traffic due to unpredictable fall weather conditions bringing snow, freezing temperatures, and unsafe travel conditions into the high country.

This summer marks the first season that timed entry reservations were required for visitors wanting to drive the 15 miles to the top of the 14er and stop at the interpretive areas. Public feedback has been largely positive, and visitors have commented that the reservation system has successfully reduced crowding and parking issues at the popular sites on Mount Evans.


Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
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TetonHikingTrails.com

Ramble On: A History of Hiking
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Exploring Grand Teton National Park