Rocky Mountain National Park
| Rocky Mountain National Park | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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View from Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park
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| Location | Larimer / Grand / Boulder counties, Colorado, United States |
| Nearest city | Estes Park and Grand Lake, Colorado |
| Coordinates | 40°20′00″N 105°42′32″W / 40.33333°N 105.70889°WCoordinates: 40°20′00″N 105°42′32″W / 40.33333°N 105.70889°W |
| Area | 265,461 acres (1,074.28 km2) |
| Established | January 26, 1915 |
| Visitors | 4,517,585 (in 2016) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | Rocky Mountain National Park |
Rocky Mountain National Park is a United States national park located approximately 76 mi (122 km) northwest of Denver International Airport 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 westerns 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. 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 then–President Woodrow Wilson on January 26, 1915, establishing the park boundaries and protecting the area for future generations. The Civilian Conservation Corps built the main automobile route, named Trail Ridge Road, in the 1930s. In 1976, UNESCO designated the park as one of the first World Biosphere Reserves. In 2016, more than four and a half million recreational visitors entered the park, which is an increase of about nine percent from the prior year.
The park has a total of five visitor centers 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.National Forest lands surround the park 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.
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