After what seemed liked a mostly mild winter followed by an above average month of precipitation in April, spring and the coming approach of summer are becoming readily apparent in Rocky Mountain National Park. This time of year in Rocky is not only transitional, but dynamic and greatly varied.
Stretches of mild and warm days in Rocky can be quickly followed by weather systems that bring cold and snow back to the park. Conditions also vary greatly based on elevation right now. The lower elevations of the park such as Moraine Park, Horseshoe Park and Beaver Meadows are all but free of snow. The Big Thompson as well as Fall River are starting to run swiftly with the spring snow runoff. Grasses are greening in the lower elevations and some wildflowers are just starting to bloom.
Move on up in elevation to places like Dream Lake and spring is not quite as apparent in the higher elevations of Rocky Mountain National Park. Currently about half of Dream Lake is covered under a sheet of ice. The remaining layer of ice should start to melt of quickly moving forward but unsettled weather all week is likely to slow progress. The east inlet of Dream Lake is open though much of the shoreline is still covered in snow. Nymph and Bear Lakes are still mostly covered with ice while lakes such as Sprague Lake, Bierstadt Lake and Cub Lake are now open and free of ice. 
National Park Service crews are busy working on Trail Ridge Road clearing all the snow from the winter. With a little luck from the weather, Trail Ridge should be open again by May 22nd if there are not any major setbacks from late spring snowstorms. Having Trail Ridge Road back open not only signals the start of the summer season, but it opens up a lot of new opportunities for photography.
So as of right now, many seasonal changes are taking place in Rocky Mountain National Park. Lakes are thawing, grasses are greening and wildflowers are beginning to bloom in some of the lower areas of the park. Keep in mind that conditions can and do change quickly this time of year. After a few temperate days, winter may descend right back on the park coating the landscape in white, freezing over the lakes and making the trials difficult to navigate.
So when it comes to photography my advice is to stay flexible and try to keep a handle on the changing and variable conditions. Look for dramatic sunrises unfolding over some of the now unfrozen lakes. If it’s rainy or gray be prepared to use the diffused light to your advantage and photograph moving water and waterfalls. Keep and eye out for newly budded aspen tree’s who’s beautiful and glowing translucent green spring leaves do not get nearly the amount of love they do when they turn golden in the fall. In a nutshell be prepared for just about any and all types of photography and embrace Rocky’s topsy turvy season known as spring.