Latest photos from Rocky Mountain National Park

Happy New Year! Today was a wonderful start to this year. At 5am we had the aurora borealis shining out to the north over the park with deep reds. Then for sunrise I headed up to Sprague Lake where the wind was howling. The blowing snow just added so much great atmoshphere to the scene as the snow swirled around the mountains and down across the mostly frozen lake.

I climbed up Twin Sisters Peaks to film a new video, which I'll release next week. The conditions were perfect, with warm sunshine and very little wind. I made this photo just above tree line, looking back towards the Mummy Range. The mountains you can see here are: Chapin, Chiquita, Ypsilon, Fairchild, Hagues, and Mummy. It was the perfect mid-December day.

On this morning there was a storm moving in from the west while an opening in the clouds remained on the eastern horizon, allowing the sun to shine through below the storm clouds. In this photo Twin Sisters Peaks can be seen as snow falls all around it.

I always love looking at the ice on the lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park. Sometimes it's as if I'm looking into deep space with all the bubbles caught in the ice and in other locations there are unusual cracks that create this artful look. This week I make a couple of trips up to Dream Lake to photograph the ice. I can get lost doing this for hours.

A lone aspen tree bathes in the sunlight while the hill behind it is still in deep shade. I made this photograph from the lower end of Old Fall River Road looking across to the south.

We had a very pink sunrise at Bear Lake. Due to clouds being illuminated in the east, there was a strong pinkish purple cast to everything. The lake has now completely frozen over, but there are some areas around the edge that have frozen only recently and so don't have any snow on them, making them look like open water. It was so still and quiet this morning.

Despite being late in October, there is still a little bit of autumn color left in a few spots, such as along the Endovalley just west of the Alluvial Fan.

Clouds wrapped themselves around Otis Peak, Hallet Peak, and Flattop Mountain above Sprague Lake on a late October morning.

Overnight a few inches of snow fell on the high peaks and tundra of Rocky Mountain National Park. It probably won't be long before Trail Ridge Road closes for the season.

The high peaks of Rocky Mountain National Park stand proudly among the clouds. Here, in this rarefied air, they are dressed in fresh snow and the regal light of the setting sun. These ancient ones are the first to greet the dawn and the last to bid farewell to the day, as they silently keep watch over the world far below. You can see a video from this adventure here:

Autumn color has arrived here in Rocky Mountain National Park. We're now enjoying the beauty of golden aspen leaves at an elevation of about 9,500'. Slowly these colors will make their way downward over the next weeks while elk bugle and visitors stand in awe.

As the sun rose on the alpine tundra, the rock wall of Ptarmigan Point caught its first rays. As you can see, there is still some nice color up at 12,000' on top of the mountains. This is one of my favorite times of year to be in the tundra. Next week I'll release the video of this hike which takes you all the way from Bear Lake to Grand Lake.

The rain and lightning headed off to the east as the skies in the west began to open, allowing the day's last light to illuminate this small tarn at tree line. In just another few minutes the light would fade ending another wonderful day in Rocky Mountain National Park.

This morning the clouds in the east put on a show at sunrise. In this view you are looking at The Twin Owls formation in Lumpy Ridge as seen from the Black Canyon Trail.

In this scene the light dances across the autumnal landscape of the Cache la Poudre Valley. In the nearby woods two bull elk were bugling nonstop for a couple of hours as I enjoyed this peaceful part of Rocky Mountain National Park.

I hiked up to this beautiful area of Rocky Mountain National Park to summit a mountain I hadn't been to the top of before. The autumn colors were out in the tundra and it was simply idyllic being up at these gorgeous mountain lakes.

As the sun rose, it illuminated the falling rain over Specimen Mountain. As you can see, the tundra is slowly turning brown, but if you look closely you'll still see lots of wonderful color. It's a great time to be up in the tundra before winter arrives in just a few weeks.

On a quiet evening a star-filled sky can be seen above Longs Peak and Chiefs Head Mtn. I actually made a full video about this outing and how I go about photographing the night skies. You can watch it at this link:

The clouds break raround the spires above Sky Pond on a late August morning. The light broke through for just a minute, but that was enough to make this photo of this breathtaking place. You can watch a video about this morning here:

As is quite typical, the second half of August usually has a lot of dynamic weather and often rain. This morning, fast moving clouds were pouring over Longs Peak while the day's first light illuminated its eastern face. It was quite a delight to watch.

This morning I was out for sunrise and storm clouds were threatening. For just a short while, the sun broke through with most of the light falling around Clarks Peak, which is about 10 miles northwest of Rocky Mountain National Park. If you look closely at this photo you might be able to spot Old Fall River Road in the foreground on the left side.

This morning there was a gentle beauty to the park. Longs Peak looked so peaceful as it towered high over Beaver Meadows on this mid-August morning. At this time of year the late-summer hues are appearing as the grasses begin to change and the light is often diffused by the smoke of distant wildfires. This creates a special softness ot the world. It's a wonderful, but overlooked beauty that often appears at this time of year.

It may be a couple of weeks until I can post again as I have some family responsibilites to attend to. Thanks for your patience!

This morning the smoke has cleared from Rocky Mountain National Park and the fires just east of Estes Park have been contained. It was wonderful to again experience Rocky in all its beauty. I hiked in about six miles this morning for sunrise and enjoyed some of the last of the wildflowers below jagged peaks. What a great way to start a day!

We've had a lot of smoke lately, making it hard to do much photography at all. This has been exacerbated by the active fires just to the east of Rocky Mountain National Park. As the smoke clears, I'll get back to my photography and will share new images here. In the meantime, this is what it looks like up here.

Last night I hiked up to a lake that still had quite a bit of ice in it. In the still water of that lake I was able to photograph the reflection of Longs Peak as it was lit by the warm light of the setting sun.

I've been trying for a number of years to get a good photo of this remote area, but without success until today. This is a valley deep in Rocky Mountain National Park that is off trail and is often filled with wildflowers. It is also a very wet and marshy area with plenty of mosquitoes to protect the valley from over-visitation. :)

I think this was either my third or fourth visit here this summer trying to get this photo. Today, the clouds cooperated. They filled the sky over the mountains but also opened up to the east allowing the rising sun to fill them with color. I was so delighted to be here and finally see this image come together. I hope you enjoy it!

After photographing the sunset about 10 miles back into the wilderness in Rocky Mountain National Park, I sat on the edge of this calm lake to have dinner before continuing my hike back to the trailhead. There was such a wonderful peacefulness to this quiet place as the last of the day's light disappeared into the darkness.

This morning I spent sunrise up at Chasm Lake, at the base of the towering east face of Longs Peak. The entire area lit up with deep red as the sun rose, making this magnificent scene even more incredible. This is definitely one of my favorite hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park, especially early in the morning.

The wildflowers are out in the alpine tundra and when you pair that with a gorgeous sunset it becomes magical. This was one of those really special evenings along the Eastern Ute Trail.

Despite it being the month of July we had a snowstorm up on Trail Ridge Road with about a half inch of snow. It only lasted for about an hour and then it cleared up. The rest of the day was quite nice and delightful, even up in the high country. Here's a video I made that day: https://shorturl.at/4AEfF

This morning at sunrise we had a rainstorm pass through. There was an opening to the east allowing the sunlight to shine into the storm creating a beautiful rainbow over the Eagle Cliff formation. The day then went on to be quite sunny, though a bit windy. If you are enjoying these photos, be sure to stop by my gallery in Estes Park.

This morning I headed up to Black Lake for sunrise. It was overcast and windy and it felt like a storm was blowing in. Nonetheless, I continued on because mornings like this can result in no interesting light or it can result in something really special. It seemed worth the gamble and somehow the sun found a crack in the clouds for a few minutes and put on an amazing show. The color up on McHenry's Peak and the surrounding clouds was so vibrant that it didn't seem real. It was a real treat to be there to see it.

The Never Summer Mountains live up to their name as they hold on to snow longer than most mountains in Rocky Mountain National Park. On this beautiful morning, they catch the first rays of the rising sun as white crowned sparrows joyfully sing their new day song.

As the sun sets on this Saturday evening, it illuminates the mountains along Forest Canyon. Storm clouds roll back and a deep silence settles over the land as it prepares for the arrival of the nightfall. Soon, darkness and sleep will prevail in this beautiful landscape until the sun returns.

This morning was the earliest sunrise of the year and the most northerly the sun will rise. I decided to head up to spend some time with Notchtop Mountain this morning. There was still quite a bit of snow on the trail and the first light was a bit delayed due to clouds in the east, but when the sun arrived it put on a spectacular show.