Rocky Mountain National Park Seeks Public Input on an Environmental Assessment for Long-Range Day Use Visitor Access

Rocky Mountain National Park is seeking public comment on an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the park’s long-range day use visitor access plan. This plan is needed to provide day use visitor access in a way that protects resources while creating opportunities for high-quality visitor experiences.

The park experienced a 44 percent increase in visitation from 2012 to 2019. In 2021 the park received 4.4 million visits making it the second busiest visitation year. Rapid growth in day use visitation and changing use patterns in the park have degraded natural and cultural resources, diminished quality of the visitor experience, increased visitor and staff safety concerns, and created a heavy strain on the park’s facilities and ability to perform daily operations. The goal of the plan is to identify strategies that will help protect park resources, offer varied opportunities for high quality visitor experiences, and enhance visitor and staff safety.

Between 2016 and 2023, the park piloted several day-use visitor management strategies to address crowding, congestion, and impacts on park resources. The park also asked the public for their participation in envisioning the future of day use visitor access at Rocky Mountain National Park during the summer of 2021 and the winter of 2022-2023. Based on public feedback and information gathered during the pilots, the preferred alternative described in the EA would establish two timed entry reservation systems, one for the Bear Lake Road Corridor and one for the rest of the park, similar to the 2021, 2022, and 2023 pilots.

Park staff are eager to continue engaging with stakeholders and park visitors about the purpose and need for action; the environmental issues and impacts being addressed, and the proposed alternatives. We hope to hear from members of the public who have visited the park, local businesses, and the surrounding community. Park staff invite members of the public to submit their comments via the park’s Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/ROMO_DUVAS through December 14, 2023.

The park will host public open houses on Tuesday, November 14, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Grand Lake Center in Grand Lake, Colorado and Monday, November 27, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Estes Valley Community Center in Estes Park, Colorado. These open houses will provide an opportunity to drop in, meet with National Park Service (NPS) staff, and learn more about the EA and the proposed alternatives.

The park is also hosting a virtual public meeting on Wednesday, November 8, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. to provide opportunities for the public to learn more about the EA, ask questions of NPS staff, and learn how to provide formal written comments through the PEPC website.

To participate in the virtual meeting, please register here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information on how to join the Teams Webinar. We recommended joining the webinar via computer to have full use of the webinar tools that Teams provides.



Jeff
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Ramble On (2nd edition book on the rich history of hiking)
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Bullhead Lake

Though it's a 7.2-mile roundtrip hike, Bullhead Lake in Glacier National Park is relatively easy, considering there's only 425 feet of elevation gain. Along the route hikers will visit Fishercap Lake, Redrock Lake and Redrock Falls begore reaching Bullhead. From Bullhead hikers will enjoy great views of Swiftcurrent Mountain, Swiftcurrent Glacier, as well as the headwall above the lake:

Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
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Ramble On (2nd edition book on the rich history of hiking)
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

CPW wildlife officers respond to a bear attack in Aspen late Monday night

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers responded to a bear attack at the St. Regis Aspen Resort in Aspen late Monday night. The victim, a male security guard, was transported to an area hospital by ambulance with injuries to his back.

Around 11 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 23, Colorado Parks and Wildlife was notified by Aspen Police Department (APD) of a bear attack inside the kitchen of the hotel.

After receiving reports of a bear inside the hotel, the on-duty security guard went to investigate. While in the kitchen, the security guard surprised the bear as he was going around a corner into another area of the kitchen. The bear attacked the guard, swiping at him and knocking him down to the ground. He was able to get away from the bear and call 911. The victim was transported by ambulance to a local hospital where he received care for scratches to his back, and was later released from the hospital early Tuesday morning.

Wildlife officers arrived on scene just after midnight, Tuesday, Oct. 24 to investigate and search for the bear. During the investigation wildlife officers learned the bear had entered the hotel through a series of doors near the courtyard. Wildlife officers were also able to get a description of the bear, including specific identification markers to assist in locating and properly identifying the bear.

CPW wildlife officers remained in the area to search for the bear responsible for the attack. As of early Tuesday morning, wildlife officers were able to locate the bear in an area near the hotel; however, due to public safety they were unable to safely tranquilize and capture the bear. Wildlife officers will return to the area and continue search efforts Tuesday evening.

This incident serves as an unfortunate reminder that bears are still active as they prepare for hibernation. While it is common for people to see bears and other wildlife inside Aspen town limits, it is everyone's responsibility to give wildlife space and remember the importance of being “bear aware” at all times.



Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com

Ramble On (2nd edition book on the rich history of hiking)
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

The Sprague Lake Boardwalk Replacement Project is Complete Inside Rocky Mountain National Park

The Sprague Lake Boardwalk Replacement Project is now complete inside Rocky Mountain National Park. Located along Bear Lake Road, the Sprague Lake Loop is a 0.7-mile trail around the lake. Sprague Lake is a popular destination where visitors can enjoy scenic views of the lake and the Continental Divide as well as activities like fishing and wildlife viewing. There is also a picnic area and vault toilets located near the parking area in addition to an accessible backcountry campsite located a short distance from the lake.

On Friday, October 20, 2023 Gary Ingram, Superintendent of Rocky Mountain National Park, and RMNP staff members were joined by Rocky Mountain Conservancy Board President Brian Ross and other members of the Conservancy Board and staff to celebrate the completion of this important project.

Over the 2023 summer season, NPS Staff and partners worked to replace a 230-linear feet section of the Sprague Lake Trail (or 2044-square feet). This section of trail included an elevated boardwalk that crosses riparian habitat along the southwest shore of the lake. This project worked to replace an old boardwalk that was built in 2000 and had outlived its lifespan, addressing structural deficiencies and widening the trail to improve accessibility for visitors who use wheelchairs and strollers.

This project involved removing the old wooden boardwalk, improving the substructure, installing a steel frame as the support base to protect wetlands areas, widening this section of the trail, and installing new wooden boards on the surface of the boardwalk. This project also widened and improved two scenic overlooks. The new boardwalk contains nearly 50,000 pounds of materials.

Many people were involved with the successful completion of this project, including Rocky’s trail crew staff, members of the Rocky Mountain Conservancy-Conservation Corps, NPS staff from the Denver Service Center, Northern Colorado Helitack, volunteers with Teens Inc. and volunteers with Heli-Pile.

This project was funded primarily through recreation fee dollars with additional funds from the Rocky Mountain Conservancy. Thank you to the Rocky Mountain Conservancy for helping to support the Sprague Lake Boardwalk Replacement Project for the enjoyment of current and future generations.



Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com

Ramble On (2nd edition book on the rich history of hiking)
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Grand View Point

This is what the Grand Tetons looked like about a month ago. After a couple of days of rain and thick fog, the mountains finally emerged in all their glory. This was taken from Grand View Point:

Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com

Ramble On (2nd edition book on the rich history of hiking)
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park