Rocky Mountain National Park

National park in Colorado, United States

Rocky Mountain National Park is an American national park in north Colorado. It is a bit northwest of Denver.[5] It is in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The park is between the towns of Estes Park to the east and Grand Lake to the west. The Continental Divide goes through the middle of the park, and the headwaters of the Colorado River are in the northwest area of the park.[6] People mostly go to the park to see the mountains and alpine lakes. The also go there to see the many types of wildlife within different climates and environments in the area.

Rocky Mountain National Park
IUCN category II (national park)[1]
View from Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park
Map showing the location of Rocky Mountain National Park
Map showing the location of Rocky Mountain National Park
Location in Colorado
Map showing the location of Rocky Mountain National Park
Map showing the location of Rocky Mountain National Park
Location in the United States
LocationLarimer / Grand / Boulder counties, Colorado, United States
Nearest cityEstes Park and Grand Lake, Colorado
Coordinates40°20′48″N 105°44′11″W / 40.3466°N 105.7364°W / 40.3466; -105.7364 (Rocky Mountain National Park)
Area265,461 acres (1,074.28 km2)[2]
EstablishedJanuary 26, 1915[3]
Visitors3,305,199 (in 2020)[4]
Governing bodyNational Park Service
WebsiteRocky Mountain National Park

President Woodrow Wilson said yes to the Rocky Mountain National Park Act on January 26, 1915. This set the borders for the park. It also protected the area for future generations.[3] The Civilian Conservation Corps built the park's main road, Trail Ridge Road, in the 1930s.[3] In 1976, UNESCO made the park one of the first World Biosphere Reserves.[7] In 2018, more than 4.5 million people visited the park.[8] The park is one of the most visited parks in the National Park System. It was the third most visited national park in 2015.[9] In 2019, the park had 4,678,804 visitors, which was a 44% increase from the number in 2012.[10]

The park has five visitor centers.[11] The park headquarters is located at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center. That visitor center is a National Historic Landmark.[12] National Forests are on all sides of the national park. These include Roosevelt National Forest, Routt National Forest, and Arapaho National Forest. The Indian Peaks Wilderness area is south of the park.[6]

References