The tradition of Rocky Mountain geology remains strong at all scales, spatially and temporally. This volume fosters that tradition with its collection of peer-reviewed papers associated with the 2010 GSA Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado. Spatially, this volume discusses theories of continental mountain building events in tandem with microscopic observations and parts per billion trace element concentrations. Temporally, the volume covers geologic history from the Precambrian to modern issues of climate change and energy, groundwater contamination, geologic hazards, and landscape evolution. Many of the trips propose new interpretations of famous geologic ideas and environs such as Laramide deformation, the Colorado Mineral Belt, the Lewis and Clark Line, the Chalk Cliffs, and Garden of the Gods.