The flooding has struck at the very mountains that give the state its identity and attract millions of hikers, campers and skiers. Months and possibly years of painstaking, expensive repairs lie ahead, but Colorado officials must also deal with a second problem – the risk that catastrophic damage could keep tourists away, even from places that are unharmed.

Some tourism operators want to see a media campaign to counter the photos of raging rivers and towns ruined by muddy floodwaters.

David Leinweber owns Angler’s Covey in Colorado Springs, which caters to fly fishermen seeking prime trout. He said the images on television and social media make it look as if this year’s fishing season is finished.

“Our out-of-state business is down 15 percent. People don’t realize that we still have 9,000 miles of fishable water and 2,000 lakes in Colorado that aren’t affected,” he said. “And they won’t know unless we tell them.”

Thousands of tourists flock to the Front Range this time of year to visit Rocky Mountain National Park. Some come for elk mating season, when the animals clash with their antlers and make bugle-like calls. Other visitors drive the Peak to Peak Highway in the foothills west of Boulder to see fall colors.

But right now, the national park and its eastern gateway, the town of Estes Park, are off-limits.

Eastern approaches to both places are cut off, and many Estes Park residents are still in salvage-and-recovery mode. The town hopes it can welcome visitors in about a month, once some initial fixes are made and a smaller access road is repaired. One of the main access roads, through Big Thompson Canyon, took several years to repair after a 1976 flood that killed more than 140 people.

“We need a little time to get back on our feet and then, as soon as possible, want people to come,” town spokeswoman Kate Rusch said.

The extent of damage to the park, visited by 3.2 million people last year, still isn’t known. Trail Ridge Road, which normally carries tourists marveling at the sweeping views above the treeline, is now a supply route for trucks going to Estes Park.

The park could reopen in stages but when depends on those access roads being repaired.

“It’s something that we don’t have any control over. We’ll deal with it the best we can,” park spokeswoman Kyle Patterson said.

Lily Brown, manager of the Briar Rose Bed & Breakfast in Boulder, said dozens of people canceled reservations Thursday and Friday after they saw water from Boulder Creek running rampant through the center of town. She said her establishment got only a little water in the basement, and customers are only gradually coming back.

She hopes the lost business returns when the water recedes, but so far, there is no end in sight.