Mystery in Rocky Mountain National Park

Mystery in Rocky Mountain National Park is the first book in the National Park Mystery Series written and illustrated by Aaron Johnson. There are 10 books in the series, and the first introduces the trio of major characters, as well as the premise behind their quest to solve clues as part of a generations-long scavenger hunt. Jake, Amber, and Wes learn The Power of Sharing Responsibility as they rely on teamwork to complete tasks, and together, they demonstrate Finding Freedom Through Adventure. Jake’s story is also a personal one of Connecting to One’s Family Legacy as the hunt began over 100 years before with his great-great-grandfather Abe. Mystery in Rocky Mountain National Park was a Barnes & Noble Book of the Year and a Best Fiction Book of 2024. Aaron Johnson’s professional history is in education and teaching, which is why his stories are filled with learning opportunities.

This guide utilizes the 2022 self-published paperback edition of the novel.

Plot Summary

The story alternates between moments that take place in the present and feature Jake, Amber, and Wes’s adventures and moments in 1880 that center around Abe, Jake’s great-great-grandfather and the original creator of the scrapbook Jake is given. In 1880, Abe is captured by two men who know he saw them burying an important object at a creek nearby. Abe manages to escape the shed where he is kept by fooling the men into thinking he left and hiding in the loft and then leaving through the window once they are gone looking for him. He goes to the creek and digs up the object, which is heavy, triangular, and made of silver. Afterward, Abe makes his way to a nearby ranch, hoping to seek shelter there in exchange for helping out. The item is a silver spearhead, one of two that exist. Abe knows that a woman in a nearby town found the spearhead and takes it with the intention of returning it to her. Abe is welcomed by the rancher, named Abner, who already knows why Abe is running and allows him to stay in exchange for helping him build a trail up the mountain. Abner knows the men chasing Abe (Dunraven and Whyte) and believes they seek to take over the entire landscape with their investments. Abner invites Dunraven and Whyte to meet him and tells them the object they seek was already returned to its owner. He threatens to turn them in should they go after the owner or Abe again.

In the present, 13-year-old Jake Evans leaves on a two-month family trip with his parents. They plan to visit 10 national parks across the western United States, each carefully selected by Jake’s grandpa before he died. Jake is given a note from his grandpa that contains a clue about a secret object hidden in the attic, as well as advice about learning from friends and being eager for adventure. Jake uses the clue to find Abe’s scrapbook, which was passed down to Jake’s grandpa and now to him.

Jake and his parents start driving from their home in Ohio and pass through Illinois on their way to Colorado and the first park, Rocky Mountain National Park. On the way, Jake looks through the scrapbook and, on a photograph of a cabin, sees that he is supposed to talk to a man named Jasper at the park. Jake’s dad explains that his grandpa has likely sent him on a scavenger hunt that will extend through all 10 parks, and Jake is thrilled at the prospect. He finds a second clue in the scrapbook, which tells him to seek out the “Old Man of the Mountain” (21). The family arrives in RMNP at night, and Jake wakes up the following day eager to start his adventure. He is amazed by the natural beauty and size of the mountains and meets a kind ranger who gives him a topographical map of the park. Jake goes on a solo hike and finds the cabin in the photograph. Inside, he meets Jasper, who gives Jake a package from “the Keeper” and warns him not to discuss it with anyone. The package contains a locked wooden box with no key, but it also has a note that refers to someone named the Marmot (Jake’s grandpa).

At the campground, Jake’s cousin Wes and his parents, as well as a family friend named Amber and her parents, arrive to meet Jake’s family. The three families plan to stay and travel together, and Jake’s parents encourage him to share his scavenger hunt with Amber and Wes. Jake is reluctant to do so at first, but Wes helps Jake solve the Morse code on the back of a photograph, which leads him to the next location at Emerald Lake. Later, Wes’s father gives the kids a speech about the risks and dangers of hiking and how to avoid them, as well as the need for an itinerary so they can always be found. The kids will be allowed to explore on their own, provided they can show they are responsible enough to do so. The next day, Amber and Wes accompany Jake to Emerald Lake, but the weather turns harsh, and snow starts to fall. They pass by Alberta Falls and big horned sheep, and as the weather worsens, Wes and Amber suggest going back, but Jake insists on getting to Emerald Lake. There, Jake discovers an old tree with long roots, and Wes and Amber help him dig through the roots until Amber finds a bottle with a message inside. Once the task is complete, Amber insists on heading back. On the way, Jake falls through some snow into a crevice, and Amber and Wes have to carefully pull him out. Back at camp, Jake realizes how much he needed Wes and Amber on his adventure and decides to tell them about the scavenger hunt. They form a team and agree to work together from then on. The clue inside the bottle leads them to the Apache Fort, which Wes discovers is an ambush site used by the Apache tribe hundreds of years ago.

In the past, Abe hears from the other men at the ranch about a man named Hank March, who wanders the forests and knows more about the wilderness than most. Abe wonders if Hank might be able to tell him about his spearhead. He thinks about his upcoming journey up the mountain known as Longs Peak. When that day arrives, Abe follows Abner up the mountain and climbs up a steep cliff face despite feeling terrified. On the way back down, Abe and Abner run into Hank March, who invites himself over for supper. Over dinner, Hank explains the origins of the two silver spearheads and how they are said to be made of silver from the moon. One is a key to a treasure, while the other points to its location. Abe is destined to be the keeper of one of these spearheads.

Jake, Wes, and Amber set out the next day for the Apache Fort, navigating together and making their way up to a meadow overlooked by a large rock face. Amber finds some numbers written on the rocks, which turn out to be the coordinates for Willow Park, the next location of the scavenger hunt. The kids make a plan to be taken up to the top of the mountain and bike down to Willow Park, and along the way, they discover that Jake’s grandpa was the Marmot. When they get to Willow Park, some rangers let the kids into the cabin there, where they find the statue of the mountain man. The statue leads to arrows on the ground, which Jake then uses to determine how they match up to his map. Numbers on the floor indicate the elevation of the next location, a rock formation called Twin Owls. The kids make it back to their parents late again, encountering a mother and baby moose along the way. Jake takes responsibility for being late, which earns him the respect of the parents, but the kids are reminded to plan for surprises.

On their last day in RMNP, the kids bike to Twin Owls and notice they are followed by two men in suits. They make their way deep into the crevice between the rocks until they come across a cement wall. Jake manages to break it open with a stone and pulls out a metal container that instructs the kids to climb up the crevice and out the top. Wes is afraid of heights, but Amber and Jake help him through it, and the kids then head down the other side of the mountain, away from the men who are chasing them. Back at camp, Jake finds a leather journal inside the container. It belonged to Abe and contains a sketch of the silver arrowhead he found. That night, Jake thanks Amber and Wes for their help, and they look forward to the next park, the Great Sand Dunes. Before leaving the park the next morning, a park attendant gives Jake a letter that was written by his grandpa. It explains the scavenger hunt, how he searched for years for Abe’s journal, and how Abe left the scrapbook to him in his will.