TL;DR—If you plan to visit Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), you will need to either book an entry reservation (if you’re driving) or book a spot on the Hiker Shuttle from Estes Park. Either way, reservations are released on May 1 at 8 AM MDT. Once inside the park, you can drive around or hop on and off shuttles.
Remember that with great altitude, comes great responsibility – so plan accordingly!
There are two ways to access RMNP:
BY CAR (full details available here)
If you plan to drive into the park, reservations are required throughout most of the day. Reservations can be made here.
Entry reservations for June are released at 8 AM MDT on May 1. We strongly recommend reserving your entry time as soon as they release.
Once inside the park, you can continue to drive around or you can leave your car at the RMNP Park & Ride Center and hop on two different free shuttle routes that run around the park (Bear Lake route and Moraine Park route).
There are two types of timed entry reservation: 1) Timed Entry + Bear Lake Corridor and 2) Standard Timed Entry
RECOMMENDED: The Timed Entry + Bear Lake Corridor reservation is required between 5 AM - 6 PM and gives you access to the whole park including Bear Lake Corridor. You must enter the park and the Bear Lake Corridor area during your entry window. We recommend this reservation as Bear Lake Corridor contains several of the most popular trails on the Estes Park side of RMNP. Alternatively, Beak Lake Corridor can be accessed without a Bear Lake Corridor reservation via the free park shuttles from the RMNP Park & Ride Center.
The Standard Timed Entry reservation is required between 9 AM - 2 PM. You must enter during your 2-hour entry window but can exit whenever you want. If you enter before 9 AM or after 2 PM, you don’t need a reservation. This reservation provides access to the whole park except the Bear Lake Corridor.
Entry reservations are $2 per vehicle, but don’t include park entry fee itself ($30 per vehicle).
If you do not get an entry reservation in advance, some last-minute timed entry passes are released every night at 7 PM for the following day. You can also enter the park outside the timed entry windows (9 AM - 2 PM for Standard and 5 AM - 6 PM for Bear Lake Corridor) without a reservation.
BY SHUTTLE (full details, including shuttle schedules and route maps, available here).
There is a “Hiker Shuttle” that runs in 30 - 60 min intervals from Estes Park Visitor Center direct to the RMNP Park & Ride Center. Reservations can be made here.
Reservations must be made online in advance and are released May 1 at 8 AM MDT. We strongly recommend reserving your entry time as soon as they release.
Once in the park (at the RMNP Park & Ride), visitors can hop on two different free shuttle routes that run around part of the park (Bear Lake route and Moraine Park route).
The last Hiker Shuttle back to Estes Park departs the RMNP Park & Ride Center at 6 PM.
If you do not get a Hiker Shuttle reservation in advance, some last-minute timed entry passes are released every night at 7 PM for the following day.
The Hiker Shuttle costs $2 per person, but doesn’t include the park entry fee ($15 per person).
RMNP is home to some of the most breathtaking hiking you’ll find anywhere in the country… dare we say, the world. Below is a selection of hikes categorized by difficulty. Each of these hikes is located in the east side of the park (the Estes Park side) in the Bear Lake Corridor, but there is also plenty of beautiful hiking in the west side if you have a car and more time.
Easy
-Emerald Lake Trail (Bear Lake Trailhead)
The trail to Emerald Lake is busy, but it’s popular for a reason. It’s great because there are various natural turnaround points for groups of diverse fitness levels. The trail starts at Bear Lake, passes Nymph Lake (1 mile round trip) and Dream Lake (2 miles round trip), and ends at Emerald Lake (3.4 miles round trip).
Distance: 1 - 3.4 mi
Elevation: 49 - 718 ft
Moderate
-Lake Haiyaha via Nymph, Dream, Emerald Lakes (Bear Lake Trailhead)
If you want to hit all the gorgeous lakes on the Emerald Lake Trail but add some mileage and another beautiful lake, this is a great moderate trail.
Distance: 5.2 mi
Elevation gain: 1,112 ft
-The Loch (Glacier Gorge Trailhead)
Distance: 5.6 mi
Elevation gain: 1,062 ft
-Mills Lake (Glacier Gorge Trailhead)
Distance: 5.2 mi
Elevation gain: 826 ft
-Or do The Loch and Mills Lake together (Glacier Gorge Trailhead)
Distance: 6.7 mi
Elevation gain: 1,236 ft
Challenging
-Sky Pond Trail (Glacier Gorge Trailhead)
Also takes you past The Loch.
Distance: 8.7 mi
Elevation gain: 1,765 ft
Don’t You Dare
-Long’s Peak (Long’s Peak Trailhead)
The only fourteener in RMNP. If you’re considering this, you probably don’t need advice, but leave around 2 AM as it’s important to be back below the tree line by ~1PM when thunderstorms can roll in. Check conditions, as late June is still a bit early to summit. (Please) don’t do this the day of the wedding.
Distance: 13.6 mi
Elevation gain: 4,934 ft
Hiking not your thing? Here are other activities to do in RMNP:
Drive around the park (including the iconic Trail Ridge Road)
Go wildlife spotting for elk and bighorn sheep
Horseback riding
