Rocky Mountain National Park, with its sky-scraping peaks, deep valleys gouged out of the landscape by creeks and rivers fueled by snowmelt, and forests thick with conifers and dappled with aspens, is a hiker's dreamscape. Though there are only 355 miles of marked trails, far fewer than Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, Glacier, and many other national parks, Rocky Mountain "hikes" much bigger than it seems.

Though just a mile in length, short by most national park trails, the Crater Trail at Rocky Mountain National Park has turned into a problem due to erosion, its crossing of an archaeological site, and its passage through an area for bighorn lambing. As a result, park officials are proposing to permanently close the trail and restore that landscape.

In the fall, animals and birds prepare for winter. Bears eat constantly to fatten up before they slow down. Many birds are already on their migration path. Elk and other ungulates are preparing for the mating ritual, the rut. Take a look -- or stop and listen -- in many national parks this fall and you'll catch a glimpse of this autumnal spectacular.

A Texan who had planned to stand atop Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park but failed to return as planned was found Saturday by searchers. Steve Elliott was cold but otherwise in good condition, and rangers were working to bring him off the mountain in threatening weather.