Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

This concise handbook presents a natural-history guide to a high-altitude mountain park, outlining the geologic origins and the sculpting role of glaciers. It describes plant communities by elevation—from lower montane forests through mid-elevation belts to alpine tundra—highlighting plant adaptations and community structure. The text surveys animal life, organized into hoofed mammals, predators, small mammals, birds, and cold-blooded vertebrates, and offers practical guidance for observing wildlife. It also covers climate and visitor seasons, suggests automobile and trail trips, summarizes recreational regulations, and lists further readings and appendices for mammal and bird observation.