By now you must know that I love visiting National Parks and getting my parks passport stamped. Since spraining my ankle last year, I lean towards the parks that are less wild with easier hikes. Rocky Mountain National Park was a top park on my bucket list. I was intimidated by the rugged hikes at altitude. Also, I was nervous about visiting on my own. What if there were bears? I shouldn’t have worried. My summer girls trip in late June was wonderful. Instead, I found Rocky Mountain to be one of the least intimidating parks. Check out this guide I made to plan a summer trip to the Rocky Mountains:
About Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park, or RMNP, is located in Colorado, around 1.5 to 2 hours north of Denver. The park is divided into the East and West halves, on either side of the Continental Divide. The gateway to the East part of the park (and more popular side) is Estes Park, a charming town full of hotels, cabins and campgrounds. We flew into DIA (Denver International Airport, although the call letters are DEN, which makes no sense) and made the easy drive to stay in Estes Park in early summer for our trip to the Rockies. The park’s busy season is the summer, from June-September, with July and August the most busy. The rest of the year it’s under snow! When we visited in late June, it was crowded but not insane. I can’t imagine what summer at Rocky Mountain is like in peak-peak season.
The gateway to the West side is Grand Lake, accessible by driving down and under the park from Denver or in from Grand Junction. This side of the park was hit hard by a wildfire in 2020, and many campgrounds in the area remain closed. We crossed the park east-to-west on Trail Ridge Road, and this part of the park was far less busy or developed, and the charred remains of trees were evident.
RMNP covers 415 square miles and has a number of different ecosystems through the park. The entrances to the easternnpark (Beaver Meadows, Fall River and Grand Lake/Kawuneeche) are all meadows or prairie, with herds of elk roaming. As you move up the mountains, you’ll find montane, sub-alpine and eventually tundra environments as well. The Alpine Visitors Center is on the tundra at 12,000 feet above sea level and WOW you’ll feel the chill and lack of oxygen.
While Rocky Mountain National Park makes a great summer trip, it is also the 4th busiest park in the US. Accordingly you will need to plan ahead during the peak summer season of May-October. RMNP requires a timed-entry ticket to enter during the busiest parts of the day throughout the summer. Unfortunately, this process is tricky to understand, although while Rangers are available at the Visitors Centers to help you. Allow me break it down for you and give you some tips. I will assume you’re staying in Estes Park and entering on the East side, since that is where the bulk of visitors stay.
Timed-Entry System, or: How to Confuse Yourself Immediately
First, there are two main roads in the park. Trail Ridge Road runs across and over the park, gaining altitude to 12,000 feet and crossing the continental divide. It can be reached from Fall River (best entrance) or Beaver Meadows on the east, and Grand Lake/Kawuneeche on the West. Sites along Trail Ridge include Alpine Visitors Center, Tundra Communities Trail, Old Fall River Road, Continental Divide Trail, Milner Pass, and the Kawuneeche Valley. This is also a great place to stargaze from at night.
Bear Lake Road Corridor is accessed from the East side of the Park via Beaver Meadows (closest, but busiest) or Fall River (my entrance of choice). Bear Lake Road ends at Bear Lake, which you see on all of the postcards, and is also where you can park at the Park & Ride and take a shuttle to numerous other trails. The Holzwarth Historic Site is in Bear Lake Road Corridor, as are hikes to: Dream Lake, Emerald Lake, Nymph Lake, Cub Lake, Sprague Lake and Alberta Falls.
Two types of timed entry vehicle passes are available at recreation.gov: ‘Park Access+ Includes Bear Lake Road Corridor’, which gives you access to the ENTIRE park, and just ‘Park Access without Bear Lake Road’, which gives you access to Trail Ridge Road and its offshoots but not Bear Lake Road.
Timed-entry goes on sale at Recreation.gov the month prior to entry for $2. I recommend creating an account ahead of time and log on a few minutes early to have the best chance at your preferred pass. If you miss the initial signup, additional passes go on sale the night before entry at 5pm. While we managed to secure passes for most of our trip, we accidentally missed getting one for Sunday. We tried our luck the night before and easily secured a non-Bear Lake for the next morning. In addition to the timed-entry, you will also need a national parks pass or to pay the $30 entrance fee. Campsite reservations supercede the need for timed entry so campers, you can ignore this whole post.
Timed-Entry Scenarios at Rocky Mountain NP
Let’s run through some scenarios that explain how the system works.
You have a car and have planned ahead for your August 15 trip: Timed-entry rezzies go on sale July 1, so you log in with your recreation.gov account and score a Bear Lake Corridor pass for 9:30AM. After getting some Starbuckles and a sandwich, you get in line at the Fall River Entrance and drive over to the Bear Lake Corridor gate at 9:30AM. Huzzah!
You have a car and did manage to score a timed entry reservation for your August 15 trip: You can enter the park before 9am or after 3pm at any entrance. You get up early, grab a Starbuckles and a sammie and are through the Fall River line (which you know from this blog is the shortest) at 8AM. By driving along Trail Ridge Road, andyoustop at a number of hiking trails and lookouts on the way to Alpine Visitor Center. *If you had been very ambitious, you could have been through the gates to be at the Bear Lake Road access point before 5am or after 6pm. With it staying light until 9pm or later in the summer, this isn’t a bad option.
You don’t have a car or don’t mind leaving it behind for your August 15 trip: The night before your excursion, you book a reservation on recreation.gov for you and three friends for only $2 (plus park entrance fee). You get up early and walk over to the Estes Park Visitor Center to catch the Hiker Shuttle bus to the Park & Ride. From there you can catch another shuttle to trailheads along Bear Lake or Moraine Park route. Be forewarned, the line for the PNR shuttle was very long while we were driving around looking for parking. You get karma points for a green option, but it does take longer. This is a good option if you don’t have very specific plans and can be flexible.
You don’t have a car, don’t have a timed-entry pass, and really want to see most of the park: You book a guided tour with Explore Estes or Green Jeep Tours. Tours are around $100-$130 per person, include the entrance fee, and take you on a scenic tour around the park. This is a good option if you are taking the Bustang bus from downtown Denver, don’t have any access to a car, or are looking for a mobility-friendly option to see the parks.
Where to Eat at Rocky Mountain National Park
Look, I’m not a foodie. I mostly ate tortilla chips and trail mix on this trip. We loaded up on fruit, veggies, yogurt and snack packs at the Safeway in Downtown Estes Park. Several books and blogs said there was no grocery store, but there is! A number of liquor stores are also nearby. The only restaurant inside the park is at the Alpine Visitor Center, so if you want lunch you should pack it in. Estes Park also has a Subway and Starbucks if you want to grab coffee and a bite beforehand.
We ate at Notchtop Bakery & Cafe which had amazing breakfast food and cinnamon buns. For dinner we ate at Ed’s Cantina which was fine. Fine. The Trailhead Restaurant just before the Fall River entrance had enormous pancakes and biscuits & gravy. Plus it had free parking, a huge gift shop, and restrooms. Highly recommend!
Where to Stay: Not Pet Friendly
In national parks, pets are only allowed on roads and paved areas. I’m posting primarily non-pet friendly stays below. Unlike some larger parks, like Denali or Yosemite, there is no lodging besides campsites inside RMNP. Estes Park is the closest location, although you could expand to Lyons or even Boulder if you do not mind a drive.
I compiled a list of my favorite dog-friendly National Parks. Find out if Rocky Mountain cracked the top ten!
The Estes Park Resort: This is where we stayed, and the website oversells it a little. EPR is very wedding-friendly, and was a little loud at times. The site makes it seems more spacious and outdoorsy than it is. EPR sites right on Lake Estes, with a walking/running trail that leads into Downtown Estes Park. EPR is a 15 minute drive to the park itself. You can rent kayaks next door at the marina. We paid about $350/night including taxes.
Historic Stanley Hotel: This is the hotel The Shining was inspired by. It sits up on a hill looking over the town. Everyone I talked to suggsted staying here or at the very least stopping for drinks.
The Inn on Fall River: We looked at this but they did not have availability on our dates. It’s very close to the entrance, and if you look on Google Maps you’ll see a number of other small inns/cabins nearby.
Driving around Estes Park to the Fall River entrance there were many small inns and cabins. Check out VRBO for a charming location (affiliate link, help a girl out).
Helpful Sites for Trip Planning
- NPS.GOV/ROMO: The one stop shop for all your park info.
- NPS Hiker Shuttle Info
- Shuttle Bus & Public Transit Info
- Estes Park Visitor Center: Located in Downtown Estes Park, this visitor center has free parking, water bottle fillers, restrooms, a small gift shop, and loads of maps to help guide your trip. We thoroughly enjoyed chatting with the folks there!
Books I Read About the Rocky Mountains
A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains by Isabella Bird: Isabella Bird was a genteel British woman who set out to explore the Western frontier. This is her memoir from her time exploring what would become Estes Park. What a trailblazer!
- Moon Guide Rocky Mountain National Park by Erin English: a terrific guidebook, we kept this in the car with us daily
- Best Easy Day Hikes RMNP by Kent Dannen: This book was everywhere, including a vending machine in our hotel. True to form, lists out all of the easiest hikes in the park. There is a similar “Best Hikes” version if you want to skip to the good stuff.
Beyond the Hundredth Meridian: John Wesley Powell and the Second Opening of the West:Come for the imperial colonization of the West, and stay for the racist stereotypes! I could not get past the first chapter and I suggest you not read it at all.- Each of these is an affiliate link to Bookshop.org, which supports independent bookstores. I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. It’s a win-win-win as Michael Scott would say!
I acknowledge with respect Rocky Mountain National Park is on the ancestral lands of many indigenous communities, including the Ute and Arapaho.
If you visit RMNP or find this information helpful, please let me know. Follow me on IG: @HiFriendsItsLaura
Check out MY GUIDE TO OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK. Want to read more about my LOVE OF NATIONAL PARKS? All of my Parks posts are here.
