Latest photos from Rocky Mountain National Park

I've been traveling quite a bit recently and so have fallen behind on posting photos here. Despite some snow early in the month, the rest of November has been quite warm with temperatures getting into the upper 50s and low 60s. It is a great time to get out and enjoy some of the lower trails of the park. You can expect snow above 9,000'. This morning as you can see, was simply gorgeous.

It's been a while since I've updated this page, as I've been so busy doing photography. It has been beautiful and I hope to eventually update this page with more photos from the last weeks.
This morning I was overlooking Horseshoe Park and watched the sunrise light the Mummy Range. Horseshoe Park was wearing its autumn colors and looked simply delightful today.

Stones Peak sports a coat of fresh snow as winter creeps ever closer. The winds were howling this morning making it difficult at times even to stand in place, yet somehow the aspen leaves at the far side of the lake managed to hold on.

Taylor Peak looks down on Bear Lake Road before dawn as the aspen glow vibrantly in the pre-dawn light. All along Bear Lake Road the colors have been looking gorgeous these last days.

Aspen trees show off their brilliant autumn color above the entrance to Hidden Valley, just off of Trail Ridge Road.

Autumn colors are really beginning to roll in the Bear Lake Cooridor. Bear Lake is at peak color and the Bierstadt moraine is just beginning to turn. It sure is gorgeous out there!

In 2020, a large swath of Rocky Mountain National Park was hit by a major wildfire. Today, life is returning in the form of grasses and bushes. These are turning color and looking beautiful this autumn.

There was fog blowing in and out on the mountains all day long, creating a feeling of mystery and wonder to this beautiful area of the park. The tundra grasses have been turning from red to brown as winter begins to arrive up high.

On a stormy morning, the mighty Longs Peak and the surrounding clouds briefly glow at sunrise.

In the night it rained quite hard in Estes Park, but up high it was cold enough that it snowed. We received several inches up in the tundra and that made for some interesting driving on Trail Ridge Road. Shortly after I made this photo, the NPS closed the road for a while until it melted out. At this time of year, you never know what type of whether you will get.

The elk rut is now underway. The elk are gathering in the lower meadows and bugling up a storm. You can see them gathering harems of female elk and chasing off rivals. They put on quite a show and fill the air with their haunting bugles.

We've had a lot of days with clear skies and no threat of thunderstorms, as is typical for this time of year. That has meant that I've been able to get up to some of the more remote high peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park where you can enjoy spectacular views like this one. The highest mountain at the back of the photo is Longs Peak.

A new day dawns on the Never Summer Mountains in Rocky Mountain National Park. Here, first light illuminates Nimbus Mountain and begins to kiss the edges of Mount Cumulus. As you can see, almost all of the snow is gone. That means that it will soon be time for the weather to change and bring fresh snow to the mountains, perhaps at some point in the next few weeks.

We had a very colorful sunrise this morning. I enjoyed it from Beaver Meadows where the grass is taking on its autumn hues. Longs Peak was partially covered in pink clouds that looked like cotton candy. From here, I could hear the buggle of a bull elk filling the valley. Not a bad way to start the day.

On a gorgeous last day of August, Copeland Mountain towers high over Junco Lake. This is one of the many dramatic, yet rarely seen views of Rocky Mountain National Park. There is so much wonder and beauty in this national park. I've spent 20 years exploring it and am still finding different views that awe and inspire me.

This morning there was an inversion with clouds filling the valleys and clear skies above. I headed up to a place right where the clouds broke and watched the sun rise. Its warm gentle light made the entire landscape glow. It seemed as if every blade of grass and tree branch came to life as the clouds danced just below.

On Tuesday I spent most of the day way back in the mountains. The weather forecast was for clear sunny skies all day, so I figured it would be a good day to spend up above tree line. I covered quite a few miles and visited six summits. It was wonderful to get back to these areas that few visitors get to see. As this photo shows, there is still snow in some parts of the park, even in late August.

Teepee Mountain and Mount Richthofen can be seen in the distance catching the day's first light. This view was from Forest Canyon Overlook on Trail Ridge Road. You may notice that there is a light haze in the air and the tundra is slowly beginning to lose some of its vibrant green as it begins transitioning to its autumn dress.

As the sun illuminates the clouds above, a couple of small trees reflect in the still waters of a tree line tarn. This image does a good job to convey the peaceful feeling of summer high up in the Rocky Mountains.

I hiked up to Finch Lake with my wife today and it was simply idyllic up there. Finch Lake is in the Wild Basin area of Rocky Mountain National Park, on the way to Pear Lake. It lies tucked in the forest with views of Copeland Mountain and Elk Tooth.

Mount Alice and Pilot Mountain look down over the outlet of Thunder Lake in the Wild Basin region of Rocky Mountain National Park during an idyllic summer day. The water levels up here are still much like springtime. I don't think I've ever seen the water levels so high and the vegetation so green in mid-August in the last 20 years.

I stood on the Continental Divide and looked down on Rocky Mountain National Park's East Inlet. From here you can see Spirit Lake, Lake Verna and Grand Lake stretching towards the horizon as sunbeams reach out from above

On this day, I climbed up a few of the Never Summer Mountains overlooking the Kawuneeche Valley on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park. The views from up here are truly stunning and the day could not have been more beautiful. Always remember if you climb peaks in Rocky to be back below the trees before storms move in.

Just off of Trail Ridge Road, at the Rock Cut pull over, is a trail known as the "Tundra Communities Trail", which refers to the many communities of small plants that live at this elevation. This morning, the sky illuminated dramatically in the east for just a few minutes as a lone hiker walked the trail.

This morning all was calm high up in the tundra, creating glasy tarns that reflected the sky. The light was warm and gentle and the scene of beauty was spectacular.

A lone car makes its way along Trail Ridge Road on Saturday evening as the majestic summit of Longs Peak towers high above the road.

Intense storms rolled through the park today along with lightning and intense hail in some places. Where I was, at Rock Cut on Trail Ridge Road, there was nearly an inch of hail. It looked like it had snowed. Knowing the danger of lightning, I stayed in my car until the storm had passed. The view of the breaking storm over the Gorge Lakes was gorgeous as pockets of sunlight danced over the peaks.

Longs Peak towers over Beaver Meadows on a July morning. Storm clouds were beginning to break up as the sun broke through them to illuminate the summit of Longs Peak shortly after sunrise.

Just after the sun set, the clouds above the Never Summer Mountains began to gently glow with a soft pastel hue. In this light, the tundra here at tree line became like a gentle rolling meadow. Back in 2011 I photographed this location and I have been searching for the exact spot ever since. Last night, I finally found it again and look forward to spending more time enjoying this view.

Last night I spent sunset out on top of a mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park and enjoyed watching the way the setting sun illuminated the rolling tundra hills. There was a bit of haze in the air which added a nice softness to the scene.

This morning I enjoyed this delightful stream. The roar it made was so peaceful as it cascaded down from the mountains high above, passing through this lush green valley of pine and aspen. I felt so grateful to see it at this exciting stage as it begins its epic journey to the ocean.

It was a stormy afternoon with low-lying clouds blowing through along with occasional rays of sun. These dynamic conditions create a wonderful sense of mood and atmosphere. This photo was made on the Cache la Poudre Trail, which is currently very wet and muddy. It is best hiked in late summer when this area has had a chance to dry out.

This morning I watched the sunrise light the Never Summer Mountains. It was a glorious start to this beautiful day. The mountains in the west are still holding on to a lot of snow, but every day there is a little less up there. Slowly, summer is working its way upward.

The alpine tundra puts on its own colorful display on a July 4th morning. The yellow wooley actinella and various types of alpine phlox flourish between the boulders at about 11,500 feet above sea level.

The rising sun breaks through the lush green trees on a gorgeous July morning along the horse trail in Little Horseshoe Park.

This morning I was up near Chasm Junction at sunrise watching Longs Peak and Mount Meeker warm with the day's first light. It was so colorful and beautiful. There is however a large icy snowfield between Chasm Junction and Chasm Meadow on the way to Chasm Lake. You can see part of it in this photo. This should not be crossed without proper equipment, as a fall along this section would have serious consequences.