Winter Storm Shuts Down Portions of Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park officials published the following messages on their social media accounts today:

"Due to continued whiteout conditions and wind gusts over 80 mph, Beaver Meadows Entrance and Fall River Entrance of #RMNP will remain closed to all vehicles overnight. Will reassess in morning. Snow and high winds in forecast through Saturday."

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"Winter storms with heavy snow accumulation are in the forecast for Rocky Mountain National Park from Wednesday evening through Friday afternoon. All park roads remain snow packed and icy."

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"All roads inside Rocky Mountain National Park continue to be snow packed and icy. Strong winds blow fallen snow in the air, reducing visibility and making road surfaces very icy. There have been over 70 vehicle slide offs in the park since December 23.

Winter storms are in the forecast through Saturday, with heavy snow and wind gusts up to 75 mph, expect white out conditions.

Park Rangers are recommending that anyone planning to drive in the park should have 4-Wheel Drive or All-Wheel Drive Vehicles with good snow tires. 2-Wheel Drive Vehicles are not encouraged to drive in the park at this time.

While driving in the park, remember to slow down and keep your distance from other vehicles. Also keep an eye out for wildlife crossing the road and other potential hazards that could be in the roadway."

The park is currently under a winter storm warning through Saturday morning. For Estes Park:

"Heavy snow likely. Total snow accumulations between 5 and 10 inches expected. Higher amounts to 1 foot possible for higher terrain in the foothills and near Estes Park.

West winds 25 to 40 mph with gusts to 80 mph. The strongest winds are expected to slowly diminish through the evening."

For Grand Lake and the area along the west side of the park:

"Heavy snow. Total snow accumulations between 6 and 12 inches expected. Winds gusting as high as 35 mph."

If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency. The latest road conditions for Colorado can be obtained by calling 5 1 1 or by going to www.cotrip.org



Jeff
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Join CPW for a First Day Hike at a Colorado state park on Jan. 1

On Jan.1, 2022, Colorado Parks and Wildlife invites you to participate in First Day Hikes at a Colorado state park.

First Day Hikes offer a chance to start 2022 off on the right foot by exercising in nature. Each participating state park offers a unique opportunity to enjoy self-guided hikes, scavenger hunts or limited capacity guided hikes.

About First Day Hikes:

* Hikes are free but park visitors must possess a valid parks pass.

* Participating parks may require a reservation prior to the hike, check the park’s webpage for details.

* Hikes will vary in skill level and length depending on location and weather conditions.

* Bring snacks, water, extra clothing, and hiking shoes with good traction. If trails are icy or snowy consider bringing trekking poles, snowshoes or shoe spikes.

For a list of participating parks, visit the CPW Event Calendar,



Jeff
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Christmas Bird Count to be Held December 23

Great Sand Dunes invites birders and nature enthusiasts in the San Luis Valley to participate in the annual Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count (CBC) to be held at various locations within Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve on Thursday, December 23 at 8a.m. Great Sand Dunes is one of many locations that is listed as a site for birders to join in Audubon's longest-running wintertime tradition.

Rocky Mountain N.P. will hold its count on 1/2/2022.

Birders of all skill levels are invited and encouraged to participate. To participate in the bird count at Great Sand Dunes, participants must be signed up as volunteers. Prior to the event, interested individuals should contact the visitor center at 719-378-6395 between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to register. Participants who are registered to volunteer will receive an entrance fee waiver for the day of the bird count. Volunteers must arrive at the visitor center by 7:45a.m. on December 23rd to complete volunteer paperwork, review safety guidelines and receive map of assigned area and instructions for returning count results. All volunteers must wear a mask in federal buildings. Participants should bring a pair of binoculars and come prepared to hike in winter conditions.

For more information on the bird count, please direct inquiries, and questions to Dewane Mosher, Dewane_Mosher@nps.gov. To register for the Christmas Bird Count, contact the visitor center at 719-378-6395 between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. seven days a week. A ranger will confirm your registration and provide directions for where to meet to sign volunteer paperwork on December 23rd.

The longest running citizen science survey in the world, Audubon’s annual Christmas Bird Count takes place nationwide in late December each year. Tens of thousands of volunteers throughout North America brave winter weather to add a new layer to over a century of data.

The Christmas Bird Count began over a century ago when 27 conservationists in 25 localities changed the course of ornithological history. On Christmas Day in 1900, the small group posed an alternative to the “side hunt,” a Christmas day activity in which teams competed to see who could shoot the most birds and small mammals. Instead, it was proposed that they identify, count, and record all the birds they saw, founding what is now considered to be the world's most significant citizen-based conservation effort – and a more than century-old institution. The CBC is vital in monitoring the status of resident and migratory birds across the Western Hemisphere, and the data, which are 100% volunteer generated, have become a crucial part of the U.S. Government’s natural history monitoring database.

Please go to the Audubon website for additional information, news, and history on the Christmas Bird Count: https://audubon.org/conservation/science/christmas-bird-count.



Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
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Ramble On: A History of Hiking
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Shooting Incident In Rocky Mountain National Park

Today, December 8, 2021, at approximately 10:15 a.m. MT, a National Park Service law enforcement ranger was involved in a shooting with two suspects near the Fall River Entrance within Rocky Mountain National Park. The two suspects were reported to be involved in a vehicular pursuit earlier that morning outside park boundaries. During contact with the suspects, the law enforcement ranger was shot, but was protected by their ballistic vest and did not suffer serious injuries. The law enforcement ranger discharged their firearm, and one suspect was injured. Both the law enforcement ranger and injured suspect were transported to a local hospital for medical care. A second uninjured suspect is in custody.

Rocky Mountain National Park remains closed from outside the Fall River Entrance (US Highway 34) to Deer Ridge Junction for the ongoing investigation. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is assuming the lead role in the investigation.



Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
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Ramble On: A History of Hiking
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Rocky Mountain National Park Proposes Changes In Entrance And Camping Fees

Rocky Mountain National Park is proposing a change in its current entrance fees. 

The park is proposing a 5-dollar increase to the Daily Vehicle Entrance fee. This pass would increase from $25 to $30 for a day pass to Rocky Mountain National Park. There are no proposed changes to the park weekly pass ($35 per week), park annual pass ($70 per year), or any of the interagency American the Beautiful passes.

The park is also proposing increases to front-country campground overnight fees:

Summer campground fees would increase from $30 to $35 per night at Moraine Park, Glacier Basin, Aspenglen, and Timber Creek Campgrounds.

Winter campground fees would increase at Moraine Park Campground (the only campground that is open in the winter season) from $20 to $35 per night

Group campsite fees in Glacier Basin Campground would increase by $10 per night. This would increase the group sites from $40, $50, and $60 per night (depending on the size of the site) to $50, $60, and $70 per night.

These proposed campground fee increases are based on comparable fees for similar services in nearby campgrounds.

The proposed fee increases are necessary for Rocky Mountain National Park to improve and maintain high-quality visitor services. While basic park operations are funded by direct appropriations from Congress, the recreation use fees collected by the park are used to support new projects and the ongoing maintenance of park facilities that directly enhance the visitor experience.

The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) is the legislation that allows the park to collect entrance and amenity fees. This law allows parks like Rocky Mountain National Park to retain 80 percent of the fees collected in park for use on projects that directly enhance the experience of park visitors. The remaining 20 percent of all collected fees is distributed for use throughout the National Park System.

Some of the projects funded through the collection of entrance station and campground fees at Rocky Mountain National Park include:

Hazard Tree Mitigation: The park is among many areas along the Rocky Mountains where trees have been dying from a beetle epidemic. Recreation fee monies have funded extensive mitigation of hazard trees in or near developed areas and other popular park facilities, such as campgrounds, parking lots, road corridors, housing areas and visitor centers.

Hiking Trail Repairs and Improvements: Many hiking trail repair projects have been funded by recreation fee monies, such as repairing washed out sections of trail, the installation of bridges, and the installation of vault toilets at heavily used trailheads.

Wilderness Campsites Improvements: Rocky Mountain National Parks wilderness campsites are used by thousands of backcountry campers each year. Recreation fee monies help fund the maintenance of these cherished campsites.

Bear Management: Park entrance and campground fees help keep bears wild at Rocky Mountain National Park. Thanks in part to fee dollars collected over the past 20 years, 100% of the park’s garbage cans, recycling bins, and dumpsters are now bear-resistant. The park has also gone from 0 food storage lockers to 352. Your recreation fees also help support visitor education programs focused on black bears.

Restoration of Historic Rock Walls along Trail Ridge Road: The historic rock walls along Trail Ridge Road provide for visitor safety and a visually pleasant drive. Originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, recreation fee program funding allows for damaged sections of these rock walls to be restored by Rocky Mountain National Park staff who specialize in rock work.

Public engagement is an important part of the park’s planning process. Rocky Mountain National Park is accepting public comments on the proposed fee increases. Please submit all comments to: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/RMNP_FEES_2022

Comments may also be submitted via mail to:

Rocky Mountain National Park 

Office of the Superintendent 

1000 US Hwy 36 

Estes Park, CO 80517

Please be advised, before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment – including your personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time. Although you can ask in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee we will be able to do so.

All public comments on the proposed fee increases will be accepted through January 7, 2022.



Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com

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