This stunning video of Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park just might be the next-best thing to actually visiting the park in person. Stretching out across 400 square miles of rugged backcountry, RMNP is home to dozens of towering peaks, countless alpine meadows, and hundreds of miles of hiking trails. All of this makes it one of the most popular national parks in the United States, drawing millions of visitors on an annual basis.
The video was created as part of the More Than Just Parks project, which is the brainchild of filmmakers Will and Jim Pattiz. The two brothers share a love for America’s national parks and have made it their mission to use their short films to introduce others to these iconic places too. Their ultimate goal is to help preserve and protect these wild space for future generations to enjoy. To do that, the filmmakers are hoping to create short films of all 59 of the parks in the U.S. system. So far, in addition to Rocky Mountain National Park, they have also documented Joshua Tree, Olympic, Zion, the Great Smoky Mountains, and half a dozen others.
In took several years of planning and filming to produce the spectacular video above. The journey first began in the northwest corner of RMNP near a town called Estes Park. From there, the brothers spent the better part of two weeks backpacking and camping within the park itself, covering more than 200 miles of backcountry along the way. When it was all said and done, they captured more than 30,000 photos and videos, filling 3 terabytes of digital storage space in the process.
When they returned home, those photos and videos were meticulously assembled to create this video, which captures Rocky Mountain National Park during all four seasons. In it you’ll find breathtaking timelapse shots of snowcapped peaks, lush forests, rushing streams, and tranquil alpine lakes. You’ll also catch a glimpse of some of the wildlife that resides within the park as well, including elk, big horn sheep, and marmots.
If you’re in need of an escape to the Rocky Mountains today, this video will certainly provide your fix. Nothing can quite compete with actually being there of course, but with this short film, the Pattiz brothers have come close.
