Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park
IUCN category II (national park)[1]
View from Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park
Location in Colorado Show map of Colorado Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Larimer / Grand / Boulder counties, Colorado, United States
Nearest city	Estes Park and Grand Lake, Colorado
Coordinates	40°20′48″N 105°44′11″W / 40.3466°N 105.7364°W / 40.3466; -105.7364 (Rocky Mountain National Park)
Area	265,461 acres (1,074.28 km2)[2]
Established	January 26, 1915; 109 years ago (January 26, 1915)[3]
Visitors	4,300,424 (in 2022)[4]
Governing body	National Park Service
Website	Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park is a national park of the United States located approximately 55 mi (89 km) northwest of Denver^[5] in north-central Colorado, within the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The park is situated between the towns of Estes Park to the east and Grand Lake to the west. The eastern and western slopes of the Continental Divide run directly through the center of the park with the headwaters of the Colorado River located in the park's northwestern region.^[6] The main features of the park include mountains, alpine lakes and a wide variety of wildlife within various climates and environments, from wooded forests to mountain tundra.

The Rocky Mountain National Park Act was signed by President Woodrow Wilson on January 26, 1915, establishing the park boundaries and protecting the area for future generations.^[3] The Civilian Conservation Corps built the main automobile route, Trail Ridge Road, in the 1930s.^[3] In 1976, UNESCO designated the park as one of the first World Biosphere Reserves.^[7] In 2023, 4.1 million recreational visitors entered the park.^[8] The park is one of the most visited in the National Park System, ranking as the third most visited national park in 2015.^[9] In 2019, the park saw record attendance yet again with 4,678,804 visitors, a 44% increase since 2012.^[10]

The park has five visitor centers,^[11] with park headquarters located at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center—a National Historic Landmark designed by the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture at Taliesin West.^[12] National Forest lands surround the park on all sides, including Roosevelt National Forest to the north and east, Routt National Forest to the north and west, and Arapaho National Forest to the west and south, with the Indian Peaks Wilderness area located directly south of the park.^[6]