Latest photos from Rocky Mountain National Park

On Wednesday April 3rd I took a walk up to the summit of Twin Sisters Peaks. The trail begins next to Lily Lake on Highway 7. The trail was snowcovered all the way up and with the warm weather we've been having recently, snowshoes are recommended to keep from breaking through. This photo shows the approach to the summit after the trail leaves the last of the trees. It was another beautiful day to be out in Rocky Mountain National Park.

I skied up Flattop Mountain again for my 12th time this year. The snow was falling and continuing to pile up in the higher ends of the park. While much of the United States enjoys the smells and colors of spring, we're in our snowiest season of the year. However, in about 5 or 6 weeks this snow will begin to quickly melt and share its moisture with the lands below.

We had a snowstorm move through the park last night. So I headed out first thing this morning to get a quick ski run in on Flattop Mountain before working in the office. I arrived early enough that I broke trail up the mountain and then was able to enjoy the fresh snow on the way down. There was 4-8" of fresh powder on all but the top sections. This photo shows my tracks on the lower part of the mountain.

On this day I snowshoed up Flattop Mountain to photograph the evening light on Longs Peak. There are really good views of the west side of Longs Peak from Flattop Mountain and I love the way it all looks in the snow. I actually filmed a video of this outing which shows what's involved in making photos like this. You can watch the video at this link.

It was a gorgeous start to the day today. All of that fresh snow on the mountains made everything look stunning. I started the morning watching the sun rise on the Mummy Range, watching Chapin, Chiquita, and Ypsilon mountains glow as the day's first light reached them. The warm light was such a lovely contrast to the cold snow. The NPS is still at work trying to get Bear Lake plowed. Perhaps it will open later this afternoon.

We had a big snowstorm come through Rocky Mountain National Park this week. It was so big that it closed Rocky Mountain National Park yesterday and again today while they work to clear the roads. Three to four feet of snow fell on the park covering everything in a thick white coat. Here in Estes Park, we had about 30" of snow between Wednesday night and this morning. It took a long while to shovel out. This is the entrance sign to Rocky Mountain National Park this morning as the clouds were beginning to clear from Deer Mountain just behind the sign.

As a large winter storm was moving into Rocky Mountain National Park, the storm clouds were moving in and out around the mountains. It was really dramatic in every direction. For a minute or two, I enjoyed this wonderful view of Longs Peak revealing itself from behind the clouds. This was from the Beaver Meadows entrance station. It was simply magical!

All yesterday it snowed, leaving a wonderful white coat on everything, but unusually the wind didn't arrive after the storm. It was still and quiet all night as the clouds departed. The temperature dropped dramatically in the night as well. It was 3F when I left home and probably considerably colder as I headed up the Twin Sisters Trail. Though there wasn't a cloud in the sky, it was a beautiful morning looking up at the towering face of Longs Peak and its neighbors Mount Meeker and Mount Lady Washington. It was such a gorgeous morning that I couldn't help smiling all morning long.

This mornng Rocky Mountain National Park awoke to a coat of fresh snow, so I headed off to spend a little time in Tuxedo Park which lies between Bear Lake Road and the YMCA property. This area has beautiful Ponderosa Pines whose orange trunks look so wonderful when covered in fresh white snow. It was a delightful way to spend a few hours in the cool quiet.

I skied up to Thunder Lake in the Wild Basin area of Rocky Mountain National Park. There wasn't a lot of snow down at the start of the trail but once I reached Thunder Lake the snow was very deep. It was so deep that the ranger cabin was almost entirely burried in the snow. In many places the snow was 15-20 feet deep. I only had a short time before the clouds and snow moved in and swallowed the mountains, but I was so grateful to have a few minutes to enjoy them.

A couple of spruce trees poke up through the deep snow that seems to grow a little deeper with every passing day. Things are looking very snowy up in the subalpine zone. We've had some snow, but even more wind lately and this has blown much of the snow from the high alpine zone down ito the trees below. This was photographed off of the Fern Lake Trail above Bear Lake.

I skied up Flattop Mountain through an inch or two of fresh powder and as I reached tree line, I came across a stubby Englemann Spruce tree that had been formed in miniature due to the intense cold and extreme winds of this location. Its branches were full of beautiful little pinecones that had opened and released their seeds to the wind.

This morning the mountains had fresh snow on them along with gorgeous warm light as the sun rose. It was one of those mornings where I wish I had the ability to stop time so that I could photograph in a dozen different locations before the warm light faded.

On this morning I skiied up dark and early towards Ypsilon Lake to photograph the sunrise following a snowstorm. The temperature was -6F when I left the trailhead and continued to drop as I climbed about 2,500' in elevation. Fortunately, I was dressed for the cold temperatures and my skis kept me above the deep snow. At this spot the snow was more than waist deep. It was a wonderful start to the day, watching Ypsilon Mountain glow with the first light of the morning.

This morning we briefly had some gorgeous color in the sky out to the east. This was the view from Beaver Meadows looking back towards Prospect Mountain. To the west, the park was covered in thick dark clouds with howling winds.

I skied up to Two Rivers Lake and Lake Helene this afternoon to enjoy the beautiful weather we were having. The temperatures were quite warm and the wind was fairly gentle, making for a perfect day to be out in the mountains just below Notchtop Mountain. This is definitely one of my favorite winter locations in Rocky Mountain National Park.

I skied up to the spires on Flattop Mountain late Wednesday afternoon with the hopes of photographing sunset up there. The temperatures down at Bear Lake were balmy but by the time I got to this spot, the wind began to howl, pushing me around, as the temperatures dropped rapidly. I stayed as long as I could, but despite my multiple layers I wasn't keeping warm enough, so I had to leave before the glorious sunset we had last night. Nonetheless, it was great to be up in the mountains on this last day of January.

On this morning I hiked up to The Loch in Glacier Gorge via moonlight. The moon was so bright that I only needed a headlamp in the deep forest as I made my way up the trail. Then, as sunrise approached, the clouds to the east (opposite direction of this photo) began to glow with a gentle red color which then colored the mountains with their warm hue. The ice on the lake had such interesting textue as well. Although it was rather breezy, it was a gorgeous start to the day.

It's been looking absolutely winter wonderful up at Dream Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park lately. Hallett Peak and Flattop Mountain are covered in rime ice and the snow is beginning to build up. It's one of my favorite times of year.

On this morning Longs Peak had gorgeous light on it for about three and a half minutes at sunrise. The mountain was coated in a layer of ice that brought out all the texture of each rock and crack. It was so beautiful this morning that I found myself clapping when the light hit it. It didn't last long, but it was wonderful. Rocky Mountain National Park is really beginning to look its winter best.

We've had some more snow recently and the Mummy Mountains in Rocky Mountain National Park is looking wonderful. On this morning there were clouds clinging to their tops as the first light of the day illuminated them. Sometimes I'm in awe of how beautiful this park can be.

This is the first sunrise of the year, a beautiful start to 2024 in Rocky Mountain National Park. There was no wind, mild temperatures, and beautiful clouds over the Mummy Range as the first light of the year warmed the jagged peaks!

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.