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Colorado
Parks - Rocky Mountain National Park
Gross Area Acres - 265,769
Total Recreation Visits FY 2001 - 3,213,029
Click here for Full Screen Map (pdf)
BUDGET
FY 2003 Annual Budget is $10,093,000 *
FY 2002 Annual Budget is $10,093,000
FY 2001 Annual Budget is $9,647,000
FY 2000 Annual Budget is $9,167,000
* The park’s appropriated operating budget for fiscal
year 2003, under the current Continuing Resolution, authorized by Congress
to keep the federal government operating at fiscal year 2002 funding levels
until a budget is passed. Additional information about the park’s budget
will be provided as soon as possible.
Camping Regulations Special
Uses Wilderness
Areas FAQ
Established by Congress on January 26, 1915, the park exhibits the massive
grandeur of the Rocky Mountains. Trail Ridge Road crosses the Continental
Divide and looks out over dozens of peaks that tower more than 13,000
feet high. Longs Peak, the highest peak in the park, is 14,259' in elevation.
The high point on Trail Ridge Road is 12,183'. The road is closed from
late fall, to the Memorial Day weekend. Because of the high elevation
of the park (8,000' to over 14,000') visitors need to take time to acclimatize.
People with various medical problems should check with their physician
before coming to the park. Elk, mule deer, big horn sheep, moose, coyotes
and a great variety of smaller animals call the 416 square miles (265,769
acres)of the National Park home. During the winter months snowshoeing
and cross country skiing are very popular. Hiking is available on 355
miles of trails. Many trails can be hiked any time of the year. June and
July are the best months for seeing the wild flowers. Weather conditions
determine when and where flowers bloom; call 970-586-1206 for up to date
information. In the fall, viewing the elk rut (mating season) is a wonderful
opportunity to see and learn about these magnificent large animals. Almost
90% of the park is managed as wilderness, making it a great place to enjoy
solitude and the natural beauty of the Rocky Mountains. History and Culture
Rocky Mountain National Park has great natural resources, but did you
know that it has great cultural resources, too? Cultural resources include
historic structures (such as roads and bridges), cultural landscapes,
archaeological sites, museum artifacts, and historic buildings.
Holzwarth-Never Summer Ranch, in the Kawuneeche Valley, is open to the
public during the summer season. Visit this former trout lodge and guest
ranch during your visit to the park.
Historic Buildings
There are more than 100 historic buildings in Rocky Mountain National
Park, a fraction of the buildings once found within park boundaries. For
much of the twentieth century, the National Park Service considered Rocky
Mountain a natural park, and therefore management decisions aimed to return
the landscape to pre-human conditions. Though some buildings were protected,
not until 1988 was the "natural" designation lifted and a new mandate
towards historic preservation embraced. Since then, numerous park buildings
have been restored or rehabilitated. The Beaver Meadows Visitor Center
received the highest designation possible for historic sites in the nation;
it became a National Historic Landmark in January 2001. In September 2001,
Rocky Mountain National Park completed its Historic Building Treatment
Plan, which assessed the physical condition and historic integrity of
each historic building and prioritized them according to condition, use,
available funding, and estimated cost.
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