A search intensified Saturday for a man missing in Rocky Mountain National Park/NPS HO

Heavy snows and wind chills to 11° Fahrenheit have hampered the search for a young man missing in Rocky Mountain National Park, but improving weather conditions Saturday were expected to allow for an aerial search.

Steven “Steve” Grunwald, of Greenville, New York, was reported missing Thursday by a friend. Park rangers found the 24-year-old's vehicle parked at the Glacier Gorge Trailhead. His last contact with family and friends was August 28.

Grunwald's exact route or destination were unknown, but it is believed he may have been attempting the Glacier Gorge Traverse on August 29, a park release said. The Glacier Gorge Traverse is an expansive route touching 11 summits over roughly 19 miles. It entails sections of fifth-class climbing and difficult terrain. 

Friday's search was made complicated by winter-like conditions of 8-10 inches of drifting snow, 30° temperatures, and 50 mph winds producing wind chills of 11° at elevations above 10,000 feet. That made visibility and probability of detection low to nonexistent, a park release said Saturday. 

Investigative leads have been positive from an established tip line and have continued to assist in defining the search area, though officials did not specify what those leads were.

Improving weather Saturday had search officials planning to rely on aerial operations and putting skilled technical staff into the search area along the Glacier Gorge Traverse and other high probability areas defined by investigative efforts. 

If you have information that could help investigators, if you may have seen Steven Grunwald, or if you were in the upper Glacier Gorge area and/or ridge lines on surrounding peaks on August 29 or August 30, contact the park.

• CALL or TEXT the National Park Service Investigative Services Bureau Tip Line 888-653-0009
• ONLINE form www.nps.gov/ISB 
• EMAIL [email protected]