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Abele Beardsley
Coming to the east side of Rocky? A major construction project is happening at the Fall River Entrance. The Fall River Entrance, Fall River Visitor Center, and businesses outside the park located along Fall River Road are open.
There are several construction projects currently happening in the Town of Estes Park. Please pack your patience when traveling to and from Rocky Mountain National Park this summer.
Rocky Mountain National Park will implement a timed entry permit reservation system during specific hours of the day, beginning on May 24 through mid-October. This system applies to all areas of the park.
There are two different timed entry permit options to choose from: Timed Entry or Timed Entry + Bear Lake Road
Rocky Mountain National Park is committed to trying new things and being adaptive. Each year that the park has implemented a pilot timed entry permit system, we have learned new ways to make improvements.
There are a few key ways that the 2024 pilot timed entry permit system will be different from past years. These include:
Additionally, 40 percent of available timed entry permits will be released first-come, first-served on Recreation.gov at 7 p.m. on the night before a desired arrival date, beginning on the evening of May 23.
Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the busiest national parks. Visitor crowding and congestion at RMNP have led to increased negative impacts to visitor and staff safety, resource protection, visitor experience and operational capacity.
The park has piloted various visitor use management strategies, including managing vehicle access in highly congested areas on a first-come, first served basis (2016-2019). These first-come, first-served restrictions had some limited success initially, but over time began to lose effectiveness - the length of time they were necessary kept expanding and impacts were pushed elsewhere.
Rocky Mountain National Park has piloted different park-wide timed entry permit reservation systems (2020-2023) and will be piloting a system again in summer 2024. The park is learning from these different actions to help inform long- range day use visitor access strategies for the future.
Beginning on May 24 through mid-October, timed entry permit reservations will be required to enter Rocky Mountain National Park during specific hours of the day. There are two different reservation options available to choose from:
To reserve your timed entry permits, visit www.recreation.gov. Reservations can be made beginning at 8 a.m. MDT on May 1, 2024 Timed entry permits are only available through Recreation.gov. They are not available in person at entrance stations or at the park's visitor centers.
There is a $2 Recreation.gov processing fee for each timed entry permit reservation. This will be paid when you complete a reservation on Recreation.gov. Timed entry permits are non-transferable and non-refundable.
A valid park entrance pass is also required to enter the park. There are multiple options available. For all details on park entrance fees, visit
Rocky Mountain National Park's timed entry permits are available in 2-hour blocks of time. This means that when you reserve a timed entry permit, a visitor must initially enter the park within the 2-hour window specified under the reserved permit.
Yes. There is no length-of-stay requirement. Timed entry permit holders are required to initially enter the park during their reserved 2-hour window of time. Once you enter, you may leave at any time.
Visitors with Timed Entry + Bear Lake Road permits, be advised that if you enter the Bear Lake Road Corridor and then want to exit and return to the Bear Lake Road Corridor later in the day, know that re-entry is only allowed after 2 p.m.
Yes. Timed entry permits are valid for one-day only. If you are planning to visit the park for multiple days and also plan to enter RMNP during the times of day when they are required (for instance, anytime between the hours of 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. for most areas of the park), then your party will need to reserve one timed entry permit for each day of your visit.
Alternativly, visitors can enter most areas of RMNP before 9 a.m. or after 2 p.m. without a timed entry permit. To access any destination along the Bear Lake Road Corridor without a Timed Entry + Bear Lake Road permit, visitors can enter Bear Lake Road Corridor before 5 a.m. or after 6 p.m. MDT.
The timed entry permit reservation system allows for some limited last minute reservations. 40 percent of each day's permits will be released via Recreation.gov the evening prior to a desired arrival date beginning at 7 p.m. MDT.
It is best to plan ahead, these night-before reservations will sell out quickly.
No. All timed entry permits are non-transferable. They cannot be gifted or transferred to another person, including parents, children or siblings.
When arriving at the park's entrance station, the person whose name is listed on the timed entry reservation confirmation must be present in the vehicle. The permit holder will be asked to show their reservation confirmation and a valid photo ID.
For visitors who have a campground reservation to stay overnight at Aspenglen, Glacier Basin, or Timber Creek Campgrounds, a timed entry permit is included with your campground reservation.
Campers will be able to initially enter the park beginning at 1 p.m. on the first day of their camping reservation, which is also the check-in time for all park campgrounds.
Campers who have reservations for Glacier Basin and Aspenglen Campgrounds will have access to the Bear Lake Road Corridor as well as all other areas of the park. Park visitors who have reservations to camp at Timber Creek Campground will have access to most areas of the park, excluding the Bear Lake Road Corridor.
When arriving at the park's entrance gate, visitors with campground reservations must show their reservation confirmation to the park ranger at the gate. Campers can show a printed copy of your confirmation or a screenshot on a mobile device. If you take a screen shot, make sure to capture the full reservation confirmation. Partial screenshot images may not be accepted.
Visitors with wilderness backpacking camping permits will use those permits as their timed entry reservations. You may enter the park on the first day of your wilderness backpacking camping trip.
Entrance fees apply and can be paid at the park's entrance station.
Longs Peak Campground is a first come, first-served and tents-only campground that will open beginning in July. The overnight camping fee for Longs Peak Campground does not include a timed entry permit to enter the park.
Glacier Creek Livery, located inside Rocky Mountain National Park, will be open this summer. Reservations for rides can be booked at Hi Country / Glacier Creek Stables (rockymountainhorserides.com).
Visitors with horseback riding reservations will use your reservation confirmation as your timed entry permit. Reservation holders can enter RMNP and the Bear Lake Road Corridor up to two-hours prior to a scheduled horseback ride.
There are additional liveries adjacent to the park who also provide horseback riding opportunities into the park. For a complete list, visit Goods & Services - Rocky Mountain National Park (U.S. National Park Service).
No. A timed entry permit guarantees one vehicle access to Rocky Mountain National Park on the specified day and during the specified time listed on your reservation confirmation. A timed entry permit DOES NOT guarantee parking at any specific trailheads or destinations.
If a desired parking area is full, you may have to visit a different area and try to return again at a different time of day. For instance, if Glacer Gorge and Bear Lake Parking Areas are full, you may have to park your vehicle at Park & Ride and ride the park's free shuttle to your desired trailhead.
When planning to arrive in the morning before 9 a.m., give yourself plenty of time to enter the park. Lines at the park's entrance stations may be 30 minutes or longer. Visitors who do not have a timed entry permit must enter the park through the entrance station prior to 9 a.m. or you will be advised to come back in the afternoon after 2 p.m.
A valid entrance fee or park pass is always required to enter Rocky Mountain National Park, 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. This includes when driving over Trail Ridge Road.
Yes. Beginning on May 24, the park's free shuttle buses will be in service for the summer season. These shuttle buses provide daily service to destinations along the Bear Lake Road Corridor through October 20. There are two shuttle routes available:
The Hiker Shuttle provides bus service to passengers from the Estes Park Visitor Center, located in the Town of Estes Park, to Rocky Mountain National Park's Park & Ride Transit Hub, located on Bear Lake Road, and back.
When entering any area of Rocky Mountain National Park during the times of day when timed entry permits are in effect, all vehicles, including motorcycles, are required to have one timed entry permit reservation per vehicle.
A valid motorcycle entrance fee or park pass is also required to enter Rocky Mountain National Park, 24-hours a day, 7-days a week.
This means that if you are traveling with multiple motorcycles in a group, one person on each motorcycle must reserve a timed entry permit for the motorcycle they are riding on. The reservation holder will be asked to show both the reservation confirmation and a valid photo ID to a park ranger at the entrance to RMNP.
The person whose name is on the timed entry reservation confirmation must be present and riding on the motorcycle.