Old Friend Winter May Return

What a difference a day makes. Sunrise over Moraine Park on Monday was beautiful sight to behold. With the Big Thompson River just a trickle, Stones Peak had some nice fresh snow on it from last weeks storms. Grasses are greening and spring is in the air in Rocky Mountain National Park but this calm morning was just prior to the current winter storm dumping snow on Rocky as I write this. Technical Details: Nikon Z8, Nikkor 24-120mm F4 S VR Lens

I’m not out this morning photographing Rocky Mountain National Park though I feel I should be. It’s currently dumping snow over the park and while I have not seen an official Bear Lake measurement since 4:00 PM yesterday of 20 inches, I have to assume there is at least another 6-10 that has fallen overnight. Rocky after a nearly nonexistent winter season, is now one week into May and official winter wonderland complete with news stations and camera crews, including the Weather Channel setup on every corner in Estes Park.

If there was a chance for some sunlight this morning at sunrise I would have headed up to Rocky for the chance to capture the light but with the roads above 7000ft dicey and the park not having been plowed since yesterday evening, I figured I would stay out of the way and make another run at the park the next time it snows.

I had to travel back to New York last week to attend my Uncle’s funeral so I wasn’t able to get out to photograph in the park. I did get a chance for sunrise on Monday which was quite beautiful before the weather quickly change.

While we are finally getting the snow and moisture we really neeed over Rocky, spring conditions the past few weeks had started opening up new locations in Rocky. Upper Beaver Meadows Road was open and the trails out of the meadow were in summer like conditions as I shot this image of Longs Peak with Steep Mountain in the foreground from Beaver Mountain two weeks ago. Like seeing and old friend, locations difficult to access over the long winter in Rocky are now opening again allowing a reunion of sorts. Technical Details: Nikon Z8, Nikkor 28-400mm F4-8 VR Lens

Spring is in the air in Rocky and once this all this snow that has just fallen melts, the much needed moisture is going to boomerang the condition from brown to green to summer like quickly. I’ll take some more snow or rain as we desperately need all that we can get in Rocky right now, but I’m also stoked about being on the edge of the summer season.

NPS crews have been busy plowing Trail Ridge Road, before our big storm, Upper Beaver Meadows Road was open, Wild Basin Road was open as was the Twin Sisters access road. Day by day Rocky Mountain National Park is becoming more accessible and hopefully by next week portions of Trail Ridge Road open above Many Parks Curve.

With lakes, ponds and streams thawed, it wont be long until the classic summer views and locations in RMNP are primed for landscape photography. Each time a portion of Rocky is reopened or revised after a long winter away, it feels like getting to visit with an old friend again and catching up. Well catching up is only a few weeks away and I cant wait.