Rocky Mountains National Park









Please contact the Rocky Mountains National Park visitor centers to find out more details on accessibility to the camping and hiking locations. Also, the visitor centers in the park have current park information on weather, wild flower locations,open trails, and active wildlife.

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Disclaimer - Most of the information viewed on this map is correct. However, this Rocky Mountains National Park map is made with old USGS point data along with fairly new National Park data. In some areas some features may be located wrong, or missing due to the age of the USGS data. Viewers should consider the map as historic general reference only. Use the official free park map for exact locations of maintained park sites.

Source: CENSUS, NPS, USGS


Rocky Mountain National Park is located in the north-central region of the U.S. state of Colorado.

Rocky Mountain National Park features majestic mountain views, a variety of wildlife, varied climates and environmentsÑfrom wooded forests to mountain tundraÑand easy access to back-country trails and campsites. The park is located north-west of Boulder, Colorado in the Colorado Rockies, and includes the Continental Divide and the headwaters of the Colorado River in its land area.

The park has five visitor centers. The park headquarters, Beaver Meadows Visitor Center, is a National Historic Landmark, designed by the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture at Taliesin West.

The park is accessed by three roads, U.S. Highway 34 and 36, and Colorado State Highway 7. State Highway 7 enters the park for less than a mile, where it provides access to the Lily Lake Visitor Center. Highway 36 enters the park on the east side, where it terminates after a few miles at Highway 34. Highway 34, known as Trail Ridge Road through the park, runs from the town of Estes Park, Colorado on the east to Grand Lake, Colorado on the south west. The road reaches 12,183 feet (3,713 m) in elevation, and is closed in the winter due to snow.

The park is surrounded by Roosevelt National Forest on the north and east, Routt National Forest on the northwest, and Arapaho National Forest on the southwest.

Geography
Rocky Mountain National Park encompasses approximately 265,770 acres (1,076 km) of land in Colorado's northern Front Range. The park is split by the Continental Divide, which gives the eastern and western portions of the park a different character. The east side of the park tends to be drier, with heavily glaciated peaks and cirques. The west side of the park is wetter and more lush, with deep forests dominating.

The park contains 359 miles (578 km) of trails, 150 lakes, and 450 miles (720 km) of streams. The park contains over 60 named peaks higher than 12,000 feet (3,700 m), and over one fourth of the park resides above tree line. The highest point of the park is Longs Peak, which rises to 14,259 feet (4,346 m; surveys before 2002 show 14,255 feet (4,345 m) ) above sea level. Longs Peak is the only fourteen thousand foot peak in the park.

Several small glaciers and permanent snowfields are found in the high mountain cirques, including Andrews Glacier, Sprague Glacier, Tyndall Glacier, Taylor Glacier, Rowe Glacier, Mills Glacier, and Moomaw Glacier.

Ecosystems
The lowest elevations in the park are montane forests and grassland. The ponderosa pine, which prefers drier areas, dominates, though at higher elevations douglas fir trees are found. Above 9,000 feet (2,700 m) the montane forests give way to the subalpine forest. Engelmann Spruce and Subalpine Fir trees are common in this zone. These forests tend to have more moisture than the montane and tend to be denser. Above tree line, at approximately 11,500 feet (3,500 m), trees disappear and the vast alpine tundra takes over. Due to harsh winds and weather, the plants in the tundra are short with very limited growing seasons. Streams have created lush riparian wetlands across the park.

Climate
July and August are the warmest months in the park, where temperatures can reach the 80s although it is not uncommon to drop to below freezing at night. Thunderstorms often appear in the afternoons, and visitors should plan on staying below tree line when they occur. Heavy winter snows begin around mid-October, and last into May. While the snow can melt away from the lowest elevations of the park, deep snow is found above 9,000 feet (2,700 m) in the winter, causing the closure of Trail Ridge and Fall River roads during the winter and spring. Most of the trails are under snow this time of the year, and snowshoeing and skiing become popular. Springs tend to be wet, alternating between rain and possibly heavy snows. These snows can occur as late as July. The west side of the park typically receives more precipitation than the drier east side. Popular areas
The park is dominated by Longs Peak, which is visible from many vantage points. Each year thousands of people attempt to scale it. The easiest route is the Keyhole Route, however due to snow and ice the Keyhole Route is impassable to regular hikers for all but the hottest summer months. The vast east face, known as The Diamond, is home to many classic big wall rock climbing routes. Bear Lake, in the heart of the park, is a popular destination and trailhead. The lake rests beneath the sheer flanks of Hallett's Peak and the Continental Divide. Several trails, from easy strolls to strenuous hikes, start from the lake. The Bear Lake Road is open year round, though it may temporarily close due to adverse weather conditions. Trail Ridge Road connects the town of Estes Park in the east to Grand Lake in the west. The road reaches 12,183 feet (3,713 m), and long stretches of the road lie above tree line. The Alpine Visitors Center is a popular destination along Trail Ridge. The road crosses the Continental Divide at Milner Pass. Numerous short interpretive trails and pullouts along the road serve to educate the visitor on the history, geography and ecology of the park. Wild Basin consists of the southern area of the park. As the name implies, the area is a wild and remote region. Several trails penetrate the wilderness and backpacking is popular there. The Mummy Range is a small mountain range in the north of the park. The Mummies tend to be more gentle and forested than the other peaks in the park, though there are some heavily glaciated areas, particularly Ypsilon Mountain and the area around Mummy Mountain. The snow-capped Never Summer Mountains are found in the west side of the park. Here the south-trending Continental Divide takes a brief sharp northward turn, which creates the interesting scenario where the Pacific Basin is on the east side of the divide, and the Atlantic Basin on the west. The mountains themselves, the result of volcanic activity, are very craggy and more often than not, covered in deep snow. This area saw the most extensive mining activity in the park, and trails lead past old mines and ghost towns. Paradise Park is hidden in the peaks above Grand Lake. This area has no trails penetrating it, and is extremely rugged and wild.

Source: Wikipedia
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