- State: CO
- NPCA Region: Southwest
- Est. Date: 1915
Air Quality Conditions
View the Polluted Parks ReportVisibility
Unsatisfactory
Health
Significant Concern
Nature
Significant Concern
Climate Change Threats
This dramatic landscape of towering mountains and alpine lakes encompasses more than 265,000 acres - 95% of which are designated wilderness. With this intentional focus on protecting this unique landscape, there are few developed infrastructure areas in the park, which leads to traffic problems in areas including the Bear Lake Road Corridor and right off Trail Ridge Road. Alpine tundra also encompasses approximately 1/3 of the park. Alpine tundra is a fundamental and fragile resource, which requires park managers to give this ecosystem increased attention for protection.
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Magazine Article
If You Build It
Can partnering with beavers help restore a long-degraded valley in Rocky Mountain National Park?
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Press Release
Innovative Timed-Entry System Now a Permanent Fixture at Rocky Mountain National Park
“After the park’s visitation increased by nearly 50% over the last decade, innovative and thoughtful action was needed. Park leadership delivered, with a final plan that…
My Park Story
Greetings from Rocky Mountain National Park
Moose reading the "No Pets Beyond This Point" sign at Lilly Lake, CO on August 14, 2015.
More about Rocky Mountain
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Read more about Great American Outdoors Act Success Stories
Fact Sheet Great American Outdoors Act Success Stories The Great American Outdoors Act is providing crucial funding – up to $6.65 billion over five years – to fix our national parks’ crumbling roads, decaying buildings, outdated water systems and many more repair needs. This bill, along with other funding sources, is ensuring our parks can continue to welcome millions of visitors each year and protect the natural and cultural resources that tell our nation’s history.
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Read more about Four Walks in the Park
Magazine Article Four Walks in the Park When I decided to camp four nights over four seasons in Rocky Mountain, I hoped for some time alone in the woods. I got that — plus a snowstorm almost too big to handle.
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Read more about Chasing a Troubled River
Magazine Article Chasing a Troubled River The mighty Colorado River and its tributaries run through seven states and 10 national park sites and provide water and electricity to millions of people. But as photographer Pete McBride documents in a new book, the river is drying up, and the need to correct course grows more urgent every day.
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Read more about The Long Haul
Magazine Article The Long Haul For more than four decades, Jill Baron has studied the changes to the air and water quality of a small corner of Rocky Mountain National Park, and her research exposed one of the biggest threats to the park’s alpine ecosystems.
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our family wants, all people to see and experience the natural landscapes of our country. We want the wilds to remain forever wild and not be destroyed for profit by interests who do not understand the value of these treasures. Our national parks are treasures to be preserved and should be used to educate all people who want to visit them or people who just appreciate their beauty through art and photography. — Bob
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Read more about Visiting Rocky Mountain at Peak Season? Not a Problem.
Blog Post Visiting Rocky Mountain at Peak Season? Not a Problem. An NPCA intern shares her experiences navigating this highly visited park's reservation system — and offers some insights to help make your visit just as successful.
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Read more about 5 More Great American Outdoors Act Success Stories
Blog Post 5 More Great American Outdoors Act Success Stories This historic, bipartisan 2020 legislation has made big improvements in our national parks. As NPCA calls on Congress to extend this critically needed source of funding for deferred maintenance and repairs, these five parks showcase how this investment makes a difference.
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Read more about Pristine No More
Magazine Article Pristine No More Researchers are detecting traces of human waste in some of the national parks’ most remote lakes and streams.
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Read more about Arches, Glacier and Rocky Mountain to Resume Timed Entry Access in 2023
Press Release Arches, Glacier and Rocky Mountain to Resume Timed Entry Access in 2023 “Thanks to managed access, visitors to Arches, Glacier and Rocky Mountain saw more wildlife and wild lands than brake lights and traffic jams the last several years" -- NPCA's Cassidy Jones
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Read more about Paradise Found?
Magazine Article Paradise Found? A century ago, a college student in “cavewoman” attire reportedly braved bears, freezing temperatures and a bearskin-clad suitor in the wilds of Rocky Mountain National Park. Did any of it actually happen?
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Read more about Troubled Waters
Magazine Article Troubled Waters For decades, biologists and anglers stocked national parks with nonnative trout. What will it take to undo the ecological damage?
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Read more about Park Talks
Regional Events Park Talks Join our NPCA community for virtual "Park Talks" to learn about our work and ways you can get involved.
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Read more about Pines in Peril
Magazine Article Pines in Peril Grand Teton’s lodgepole forests are exquisitely adapted to wildfire — but can they survive a changing climate?
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Read more about Protecting and Connecting Our Nation's Treasured Park Landscapes
Fact Sheet Protecting and Connecting Our Nation's Treasured Park Landscapes National parks are key to protecting and connecting our most revered places.
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Read more about Center for State of the Parks: Rocky Mountain National Park
Report Center for State of the Parks: Rocky Mountain National Park As is true of most national parks, Rocky Mountain faces pressures that threaten to diminish its splendor and importance to posterity.
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