Trail Ridge Road is Open in RMNP!

Trail Ridge Road - which spans Rocky Mountain National Park and connects Estes Park (on the eastern side of the park) with Grand Lake (on the western slope) opened today for the season! Park visitors have loved this picturesque drive, and the bragging rights that they drove on the United States highest continuously pave road. Reaching 12,183 feet above sea level, is nothing to sneeze at!

The National Parks Service reports, "This year snowplow operators faced many challenges while clearing the road; encountering the most snow they have seen this late in the season for thirty years." Kyle Patterson of NPS shares that the amount of winter snowpack, in combination with late spring storms really made snowplowing efforts difficult.

Historically, Trail Ridge Road is opened to the publice on Memorial Day weekend. The latest opening date (other than this year!) in the past 20 years was June 4, 1994, and the latest it has ever opened was June 26, 1943!

Because the weather conditions at this high altitude can change rapidly, park visitors should be prepared to adjust travel plans, and are encouraged to call the park's Trail Ridge Road recorded phone line at (970)586-1222. The NPS staff will update the recording during and after regular office hours if the road status changes.

For more information about RMNP's Trail Ridge Road, go to RockyMountainNationalPark.com

Snowmobiling in RMNP

Did you know that the town of Grand Lake - at the western entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park - allows snowmobiles to drive on the streets right through the heart of downtown? With access to over 300 miles of groomed trails, Grand Lake is a snowmobiler's HEAVEN. After spending a day enjoying the incredible beauty of the winter wilderness, you can drive your snowmobile into town to warm-up over dinner. After this weekends' snowfall, perhaps a trip to Grand Lake is in order! Find out where you can rent a snowmobile for a great adventure here.

Carnival in the Rockies!

By mid-winter, the excitement of the holidays are over and many people are looking for a fun diversion. On February 5, 2011 downtown Grand Lake pulls out all the stops to host a festival that's as unique, quirky, and laughter-inducing as you can find. The Grand Lake Winter Carnival is a day of off-beat fun combining parades, contests, races, and merriment - so dust off your halloween costumes and get ready to join the fun! This year the theme is "A Space Oddity", so there will be Snow-alien contests (How much fun is that? A snowman with three heads, tenticles, and antennae...my creative juices are flowing), flying saucer human bowling, comet teapot curling and more. There are great activities to do with the kids too: a steeplechase, and parent and child sled pull to name a few. After sundown, the sky will be ablaze with an awesome fireworks display and space creatures will cut a rug at the annual ball.