A Park Alive: RMNP in Winter!

Jared Gricoskie of Yellow Wood Guiding is today's guest blogger:

February is generally the dead of winter in Rocky Mountain National Park, but it can also be one of the most beautiful and captivating times of the year. The thought of an icy landscape, bare branches, and howling winds conjures up images of stagnancy and hibernation – though this time of year is more alive than one would think if you are willing to look closely! Even the ice on Rocky’s subalpine lakes that we think of as a frozen solid is moving and shifting as it constantly freezes and refreezes while the temperature fluctuates and the wind blows. The sights of the undulating ripples of ice can transport you into another world…that is until a 30 mph gust of wind jolts you back to reality! Even the rivers come alive with the ice. Imagine walking down the river beds as they wind through the Park’s meadows, catching glimpses of a coyote against the snowy back-drop, and following the tracks of an elk as he uses the river bed as an easy winter route to travel. Embrace the ice!

For help planning your Rocky Mountain National Park winter adventure (information on renting snowshoes, places to stay, and other winter activities in Estes Park) please visit: Estes-Park.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.

Rocky Mountain National Park Announces Winter Pile Burning Operations

Fire managers at Rocky Mountain National Park plan to take advantage of winter weather conditions to burn piles of slash from several forest thinning and hazard tree mitigation projects. Exclusion of fire for the past century has resulted in unnatural forest conditions in some areas, with significant accumulations of forest fuels and an increased risk of wildfire. Thinning is done to help alleviate these risks. In addition, park crews have been cutting hazard trees for mitigation of the effects of beetles.

Slash from these projects has been cut and piled by park fire crews and contractors during the last two years. Pile burning operations may began in early February and continue through April as weather permits. The piles, which are now dry enough to burn, are located in several locations on both the east and west sides of the park.

Safety factors, weather conditions, air quality and environmental regulations are continually monitored as a part of any fire management operation. For more information please contact the park’s Information Office at 970-586-1206.

Exciting Educational Opportunity with the RMNA!

If you love to travel, then the Rocky Mountain Nature Association has the trip for you! In the fall of 2011 (Sept 13-24), the RMNA is hosting an overseas adventure to the Tatra Mountains National Park in southern Poland. As a sister park to Rocky Mountaina National Park, this reagion has similar spectacular scenery coupled with unique flora, fauna, and a rich cultural heritage which make it an important international biospheric reserve of Europe. Explore spectacular caves, raft lazy rivers, and take a journey to the top of one of the premier mountains within the Park. Other activities will include travel to the Wieliczka Salt Mine, famous as a world heritage site for it's underground cathedrals and salt statues. This trip should not be missed! To view the itinerary and costs associated with this trip click here.

Big Horn Sheep - Love on the Rocks in RMNP

Today's Guest Blogger is Jared Gricoskie of Yellow Wood Guiding YWGuiding.com

Here in Rocky Mountain National Park, December is the Big Horn Sheep's mating season. Big Horns spend most of the year in small bands of females and lambs, with the males in separate bands of mixed ages. Most of the time females just want to eat grass generally on a southern facing slope, but for as little as 48 hours a year the ladies are in estrus and looking for the right guy. During these extremely brief mating periods, females attract males through scent and may attract more than a handful of suitors. Females select males on a basis of body size, horn size, and fitness. They attract a few males and then run, much like a scene from a school yard where the boys chase the girls. During the pursuit, the lead male will often turn on the males behind him and clash. The sounds of two rams crashing their heads together can be heard from over a mile away. In the end, the female selects a male to mate with and will very likely not interact with him again. So be sure to scan the rocky southern facing cliffs around Estes Park during the first two weeks of December. For Big Horn Sheep, love really is on the rocks.