Drone used to rescue hiker on Quandary Peak

An overdue hiker needed some help after wandering off trail while attempting to summit Quandary Peak recently. A blurb posted on the the Summit County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page stated that the Summit County Rescue Group used a creative solution to provide the hiker with some much needed light, after his phone battery almost went dead:

Cold, wet, and lost in the mountains? We’re here for you.

Last week, a deputy located a lost hiker and dropped a flashlight to him from a drone. That light guided him back to the trail and helped the Summit County Rescue Group locate him quickly — resulting in a safe outcome for all.

The Summit County Sheriff’s Office — Always Here for You.

Here's a report from CBS Colorado that provides a few more details:





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Check out our online trail guides:

• Glacier National Park: HikinginGlacier.com

• Grand Teton National Park: TetonHikingTrails.com

• Rocky Mountain National Park: RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Explore Park Science and Stewardship at Rocky Mountain National Park’s Biennial Research Conference

Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) invites you to explore research, monitoring, and management during the Biennial Research Conference “Park Stewardship: From Discovery to Decision” on March 4-5 at The Holiday Inn in Estes Park. Scientific research is an integral part of science-informed decision making and adaptive management at RMNP. The park utilizes a collaborative process in which park staff and research partners work together to conduct research to address management questions.

The Biennial Research Conference is presented by the Rocky Mountain Conservancy. It is free and open to all who are interested in attending. No pre-registration is required.

Conference highlights include 27 oral presentations by research partners and park staff, a poster session highlighting over 20 research and public engagement activities in the park, an Alpine Ecosystem Question and Answer Panel with park staff and partners, and a Conversation Café in which members of the public can engage in structured, small-group discussions about vital wetland ecosystems in the park.

Oral presentations are organized into sessions covering related subjects. Sessions will focus on forestry and wildfire, park histories and cultural resources, research conducted by Rocky Mountain Conservancy fellows, wildlife studies, long term monitoring projects and management applications, and alpine ecosystem research and stewardship. Oral presentations in the alpine ecosystem session and following subject expert panel will also be available to attend virtually.

New to this year will be an in-person screening of the Alpine Ecosystem oral session and panel held at the Kawuneeche Visitor Center in Grand Lake. This event is free and open to the public to provide an opportunity for engagement with the conference for the Grand Lake community and will include opening remarks from park staff. The screening will take place in the Auditorium of the Kawuneeche Visitor Center, located at 16018 US Highway 34, Grand Lake, CO.

Conference events begin at 8 a.m. each day and conclude at 5 p.m. on March 4 and 4:30 pm on March 5. For a complete schedule of events, to access the wetland ecosystems session virtually, and other accessibility information, visit: go.nps.gov/RMNPConference2026

The conference will take place in the Ballroom of The Holiday Inn Estes Park, located at 101 S Saint Vrain Avenue, Estes Park, CO.



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Check out our online trail guides:

• Glacier National Park: HikinginGlacier.com

• Grand Teton National Park: TetonHikingTrails.com

• Rocky Mountain National Park: RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Update: Treasury Department Cancels Contracts with Booz Allen Hamilton (Recreation.gov)

Earlier this week we reported that the Treasury Department had canceled their contracts with Booz Allen Hamilton, the government contractor that runs Recreation.gov, the website that facilitates reservations for timed entry permits, campsites, etc. Since then, no one has said anything with regards to the future of Recreation.gov - that includes the Department of the Interior, the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, Booz Allen Hamilton, or even Recreation.gov. The only comment I've seen on this topic comes from RVtravel.com. In an article they posted on Tuesday, they concluded:

Despite the headlines, Recreation.gov reservations aren’t in jeopardy. The contract news involves a different agency, a different system, and a different issue altogether.

Although they didn't provide any sources for this conclusion, it seems that they might be correct. If anything changes, I'll post something on this blog



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Check out our online trail guides:

• Glacier National Park: HikinginGlacier.com

• Grand Teton National Park: TetonHikingTrails.com

• Rocky Mountain National Park: RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Timber Creek Campground in Rocky Mountain National Park to Close August 10, 2026 For Sewer System Rehabilitation Project

Timber Creek Campground, located on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park, will close at noon on Aug. 10, 2026, and remain closed through the end of the 2026 summer season, for a sewer system rehabilitation project. The campground will open for the season in mid-May, and the last night for visitors to camp at Timber Creek campground will be Aug. 9.

This closure is necessary to begin a major construction project to rehabilitate the campground’s aging sewer system. The project will replace damaged and deteriorating sewer manholes, perform spot repairs on broken pipes and rehabilitate existing pipes in place using pipe lining technology.

These improvements are essential to maintain safe and reliable infrastructure for future visitors. The campground is expected to reopen for the 2027 summer season.

Visitors planning camping trips to the west side of the park should plan for alternative arrangements after Aug. 9. There are additional camping opportunities located in communities outside of the park. Aspenglen, Glacier Basin and Moraine Park Campgrounds, located on the east side of the park will remain open.

Reservations for park campgrounds can be made up to six months in advance at www.recreation.gov



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Check out our online trail guides:

• Glacier National Park: HikinginGlacier.com

• Grand Teton National Park: TetonHikingTrails.com

• Rocky Mountain National Park: RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Treasury Department Cancels Contracts with Booz Allen Hamilton (Recreation.gov)

The Treasury Department just announced that they have canceled its contracts with Booz Allen Hamilton, a government contractor and consulting firm that runs Recreation.gov, the website that National Parks and National Forests use to sell timed entry permits, campsite reservations and other services. According to a press release issued earlier today:

Today, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent announced the cancelation of all contracts with consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton. The Treasury Department currently has 31 separate contracts with Booz Allen Hamilton totaling $4.8 million in annual spending and $21 million in total obligations.

“President Trump has entrusted his cabinet to root out waste, fraud, and abuse, and canceling these contracts is an essential step to increasing Americans’ trust in government,” said Secretary Bessent. “Booz Allen failed to implement adequate safeguards to protect sensitive data, including the confidential taxpayer information it had access to through its contracts with the Internal Revenue Service.”

Most notably, between 2018 and 2020, Charles Edward Littlejohn — an employee of Booz Allen Hamilton — stole and leaked the confidential tax returns and return information of hundreds of thousands of taxpayers. To date, the IRS determined that the data breach affected approximately 406,000 taxpayers. Littlejohn has pled guilty to felony charges for disclosing confidential tax information without authorization.

Right now, it's not exactly clear what will happen to Recreation.gov. If you recall, there was a class action lawsuit that was filed against Booz Allen Hamilton in 2023, claiming that Recreation.gov was charging "junk fees" to consumers. Several months later, however, the lawsuit was dropped. Hopefully, we'll soon have a better understanding of the future of Recreation.gov, especially for those wishing to visit a park or area this year that requires a permit or reservation of some type.



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Check out our online trail guides:

• Glacier National Park: HikinginGlacier.com

• Grand Teton National Park: TetonHikingTrails.com

• Rocky Mountain National Park: RockyMountainHikingTrails.com