Long-term patterns of stream nitrate export and atmospheric N deposition were evaluated over three decades in Loch Vale, a high-elevation watershed in the Colorado Front Range. Flow-normalized concentrations and fluxes were estimated using a regression model, which removes the influence of interannual variability in streamflow to better reveal the underlying patterns of change. Stream N export began increasing in the early 1990s, peaked in the mid-2000s, and has since declined by over 30%. Similarities in the timing and magnitude of N deposition provide evidence the watershed is responding to changes in atmospheric deposition. Other possible explanations including forest disturbance, snow depth, or permafrost melting could not explain stream N export. Our results show that stream nitrate export responds rapidly to reductions in N deposition in high elevation watersheds, similar to patterns observed for reductions in sulfur