Latest photos from Rocky Mountain National Park

High in the backcountry there is still quite a bit of snow and even frozen lakes as you see here. I love the way the warm light on the mountain costrasts with the dark stormy skies and the icy foreground. I made this photo while out filming a video in Rocky Mountain National Park. It should come out on my YouTube channel on Friday June 20th. 

I spent sunrise this morning up at Chasm Lake at the base of Longs Peak. It was a gorgeous morning up there. Most of the lake was frozen, but this area you see in the photo had opened up. Be aware that there is still a steep snowfield that has to be crossed to get here and the consequences for slipping are serious. It should melt out in the next two weeks or so, making it accessible to everyone. 

Mount Baker is one of my favorite mountains in Rocky Mountain National Park. I love to see it from the Kawuneeche Valley like in this photo or from up on top of the nearby mountains. It is always so impressive. This morning a small band of rain falls on the peak and is lit by the rising sun. 

I was up in the alpine tundra for sunrise this morning and it was looking gorgeous. The snow is melting, the first flowers are blooming, and elk were grazing nearby. Does anyone know where I can find the pause button, so we can enjoy this special time of year for a little longer?

The weather was cold and rainy most of the day, but when I arrived at Odessa Lake, the sun was occasionally breaking through and illuminating the surrounding peaks making for a beautiful scene up at this recently melted lake. The trail up to the lake is not recommended right now as there is still a lot of snow as well as some fallen trees, but that snow should melt in the next couple of weeks. 

It is simply stunning in Rocky Mountain National Park right now whether you are up high in the mountains or simply taking a stroll through Beaver Meadows, everywhere you look the world is full of color and life.

With all the moisture we've had recently everything is very green right now. The mountains still have a fair amount of snow on them as well, which makes for idyllic scenes. This is Mount Meeker and Longs Peak this morning.

Many of the lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park are still covered in snow and ice. On this evening the sky lit on fire at sunset and it reflected off of that snow and ice, creating a wonderful orange glow all around. It was one of the most beautiful nights I've seen this year.

The streams in Rocky Mountain National Park are flowing very fast and full right now with all the snow melting up high. This makes places like Calypso Cascades in the Wild Basin area of the park really stunning to view right now. Just be sure to keep your distance from these streams as they are quite dangerous.

It was a wet morning in Rocky Mountain National Park. Clouds were moving in and out along the with the rain. Everything was so lush and green it felt like being in the Pacific Northwest. These type of days are rare up here and so are greatly enjoyed and appreciated.

The elk babies are beginning to be born in the Estes Valley and in the lower meadows of Rocky Mountain National Park. This young one was just born shortly before I made this photo.

Be sure to stay far away and give them plenty of space. It can be very dangerous to upset a mother caring for her newborn.

Mount Ypsilon is looking pretty this morning at the start of the Memorial Day Weekend. Snow covers the high peaks and down low it is a beautiful spring day. It's hard to beat the weather we're having today!

I love this little grove of ponderosa pines up above Moraine Park. These trees always have such personality and and seem to be so joyful all year long. I really enjoy spending time in the ponderosa forests near the eastern entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park.

I spent this day making a video showing the difference in the weather conditions between the low meadows and the high mountains of Rocky Mountain National Park. As you can see, there's still a lot of snow up high as we look across at Longs Peak.

The pre-dawn light was very pretty this morning in Moraine Park and the mountains seemed to loom over the meadow. Nearby were herds of elk grazing on the fresh grass. In a few weeks they will give birth to a new generation and a joyfulness will return to these meadows.

Longs Peak is looking gorgeous this morning with all of that wonderful spring snow from last week's snow storm. Today, the temperature in Estes Park is supposed to reach 76F which is far too warm for this time of year. Fortunately, later this week the temperatures are supposed to go back down to highs in the mid-50s, but over the next couple of day's we're likely to lose a lot of snow on our mountains.

I found this pasque flower surviving in the snow next to Lily Lake this morning. The temperature was a very chilly 20F. Yet this will probably be the last time I see a pasque flower in the snow this year. Today the temperature is predicted to reach almost 70F and the next few days are supposed to be even warmer. So, our beautiful white snow is going to vanish very quickly. So I'm enjoying it while I can.

This morning Longs Peak and all the mountains were covered in a beautiful white blanket of snow while the meadows below are quickly turning to green. It's a wonderful time of year to be in Rocky Mountain National Park!

The last few days have been wet and snowy, mostly snow at the higher elevations and rain at lower elevations. Bear Lake received about 7" of new snow. The storm ended last evening, so this morning I headed up to Dream Lake and it was simply magical with fresh snow covering everything. It's not going to last long though. The sun is out and everything is beginning to melt quite quickly, turning the lower parts of the park various shades of green as life returns.

Fog hovered just over the trees above Beaver Meadow this morning while frost covered the meadow. It was 25F (-4C) this morning which felt a little chilly after the last warm days. We're all hoping for some snow later this week as things are really pretty dry right now.

There was fog hovering over the Estes Valley this morning which made for some great photo opportunities up in Lumpy Ridge. Above the fog was clear sky and it looks like it is going to be a warm and sunny day up here.

This last week has been really beautiful with life returning to the lower parts of the park and snow still covering the higher peaks. On this day I spent a little time up at Gem Lake enjoying the dramatic views of Longs Peak before starting work on a new hiking video that should come out on Monday.

This morning in Rocky Mountain National Park was extraordinary. The snow storm that came through yesterday broke in the night, but without the normal high winds following it. All morning it has looked like a winter wonderland. I spent hours outside today with my camera enjoying the best winter views of the year.

This view shows Longs Peak over a snowy Moraine Park.

During the night Estes Park received about 5 or 6 inches of snow and up at tree line on Flattop Mountain where this photo was taken, there was a foot of snow. It is still snowing hard both up on the mountain and here in Estes Park. It makes for some great skiing, but even more importantly it helps bring a little moisture back to the mountains after all we've lost these last weeks. Let's hope there is still more snow to come before summer arrives.

This morning Ypsilon Mountain looked very dramatic with a fresh blanket of snow and storm clouds behind it. Spring is such a dynamic time of year up here in Rocky Mountain National Park.

We awoke to a little fresh snow and fog, making for a stunning spring morning. Mount Meeker and Longs Peak briefly appeared through the clouds, but they were swallowed up again just seconds after I made this photo. These spring snows are gorgeous, but they are also very important, providing much needed moisture. Often, just a day or two after a spring snow, flowers and other plants appear bringing life back to Rocky Mountain National Park following a long winter.

The elk here in Rocky Mountain National Park are in the process of losing their antllers. I made this photograph this morning and as you can see, several of these bulls have lost theirs already. If you look closely, you may see that new ones are quickly beginning to grow. Over the next weeks they will become quite large and covered in beautiful smooth velvet.

This morning felt particularly chilly. It was 18F at Sprague Lake, but for some reason it felt a lot colder. As you can see, the lake has been melting and freezing, so do not try to walk on any of the lower lakes in the park as that ice is very thin. This morning we were treated to some nice light in the east. It was gentle and didn't last too long, but it was gorgeous all the same.

This morning I hiked up to Fern Lake for sunrise. There wasn't much of a sunrise to be seen as there were lots of clouds and it was snowing and blowing. Just a little light broke through onto the surrounding peaks and the Little Matterhorn seemed almost ghostly through the falling snow.

I skied across Trail Ridge Road all the way from Hidden Valley to the Colorado River Trailhead today. It was a 20 mile adventure on one of the most beautiful days we've had so far this year. I made a video of othe entire journey which you can find on my YouTube Channel.

It's still cold and wintry in Rocky Mountain National Park. This morning, I watched the sunrise at The Loch, a stunning mountain lake nestled just under three miles up the trail from the Glacier Gorge parking area on Bear Lake Road. The hike up was peaceful, but at the lake, the wind was howling. Despite the biting gusts, the mountains glowed as the sun crested the horizon, painting a breathtaking winter scene to take in.

This morning I was up on the north side of Flattop Mountain. The wind was howling and the snow was blowing. The temperatures up there was pretty chilly as well, but despite that, there was a beauty to it. In these conditions the world becomes simple and graphic as objects fade in and out of the whiteness.

It has been quite warm and lot of snow has melted over the last couple of weeks. As a result of this, most of the snow in the meadows is gone. If you get down on your hands and knees you may even see some brave bits of new grass emerging. However, there is still a lot of winter to come over the next two months. It looks like the next snowstorm is supposed to arrive on Thursday. We are now entering the period that is often the snowiest of the entire year.

We had a very chilly start to the day this morning. It was about 7F when I made this photo along highway 7, just south of Estes Park. I've always loved this old cabin with Longs Peak as its background, especially when there is a bit of fresh snow like we had today.

This morning I enjoyed sunrise up at Lake Haiyaha in Rocky Mountain National Park. It's always so wonderful to start the day out in the beauty of our world. It helps set everything in perspective and calms my often busy and anxious mind.

Be aware that the trail from Dream Lake to Lake Haiyaha is prone to avalanches. That route should only be taken when the avalanche danger is low. Also, be aware that it requires walking on a very narrow and sometimes icy trail with steep drops. This trail is best hiked in the summer and autumn.

This morning we awoke to a couple inches of fresh snow in Rocky Mountain National Park and no wind. It was calm and yet not bitterly cold. It was a perfect winter morning, so I headed over to the Endovalley to walk in the woods and see what I could see. I found myself captivated by the aspen trees with the orange willows behind them.