Rocky Mountain National Park officials warned visitors to proceed with caution after a wave of fall-related injuries this week in high elevations areas, including Loch Vale and Sky Pond.

According to officials, hikers suffered leg injuries in two separate incidents Tuesday  from falling on the snow.

The first incident unfolded early Tuesday morning when a 32-year-old man slipped and fell on the snow near Loch Vale, injuring his lower leg. A “hasty team of park rangers” was able to reach the hiker y around 8:30 a.m, officials said. A 20-member search and rescue team faced “unfavorable trail conditions” while carrying the injured hiker to safety. Rescuers arrived at the Glacier Gorge Trailhead around 3:40 p.m. The injured hiker was then transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital.

Just hours later, park rangers responded to another rescue involving a 28-year-old woman who fell at Timberline Falls. A two-person team made contact with the injured hiker, providing her with micro spikes and trekking poles. She was assisted down the trail and arrived near the Glacier Gorge trailhead at about 7:15 p.m. 

Spring trail conditions are often tricky due to deep snow and fluctuating temperatures.

“Park visitors should expect icy, narrow, and steep trails on the way to Loch Vale,” park officials said in a news release. “Past Loch Vale … the snow gets deeper, the trails get icier, and the terrain is difficult to navigate.”

Park officials are urging hikers to be prepared for winter conditions across higher elevations crampons, winter clothes, sturdy boots, poles, and headlamps.

An injured hiker is carried out after the Loch Vale incident.

courtesy of Rocky Mountain National Park