Park Headquarters: 1.970.586.1206
Visitor Centers:

East entrance - Beaver Meadows on Hwy. 36
East entrance - Fall River on Hwy. 34
West entrance - Kawuneeche on Hwy. 36
Mountain top - Alpine Visitor Center on Hwy 36 (the top of Trail Ridge Road)

To enter the park from the East, you can take Hwy. 34 or 36 (into Estes Park). To enter from the West, use I-70 and Route 40 to Hwy. 34 and the towns of Granby and Grand Lake.

The park is open all day, every day. You may bring your pet into the campgrounds and picnic areas, but not on any of the hiking trails.

Seven day pass	$20 per car (individual or families)
Seven day pass	$10 per bike, motorcycle, moped, or pedestrian
Rocky Mountain National Park Pass	$35. Unlimited use for 12 months from date of purchase
National Parks Pass	$50 pass. Allows entry to all national parks for 12 months from date of purchase.
America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands - Annual Pass -	$80 pass. available to everyone. Provides access to, and use of, Federal recreation sites that charge an Entrance or Standard Amenity Fee for one year, beginning from the date of sale. The pass admits the pass holder/s and passengers in a non-commercial vehicle at per vehicle fee areas, and the pass holder +3 adults (not to exceed 4 adults), at per person fee areas (children under 16 are admitted free).
America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands - Access Pass -	Free. This is a lifetime pass for the blind or permanently disabled residents of the United States.

Due to its proximity to Denver, the eastern access to park offers more in the way lodging and services, than does the more remote western access, though no less charming. Estes Park is the main gateway town, serving the majority of visitors entering from the east, while the smaller towns of Grand Lake and Granby serve those entering the park from the west. A few other nearby towns you might enjoy are Big Thompson, Glen Haven, Allenspark and Meeker Park.

For more further information, visit:

Rocky Mountain National Park

Estes Park Virtual Visitors Guide

Grand Lake Chamber of Commerce

Rocky Mountain National Park has five roadside campgrounds, with approximately 570 individual tent/RV sites, with fees ranging from $12 to $14/night ($10/night during winter). None of the campgrounds have hook-ups.

Year-round camping is available at Moraine Park, Longs Peak and Timber Creek. Glacier Basin and Aspenglen are only open from Memorial Day through early September. The largest campgrounds (Moraine Park and Glacier Basin) require reservations. Aspenglen, Longs Peak and Timber Creek are on a first-come, first-served basis.

To make a reservation, or to request a family campground brochure, call 1.800.365.2267, or visit http://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/camping.htm

Permits are required for overnight camping in Rocky Mountains’ backcountry/wilderness. They are limited in number, but can be reserved or, if available, obtained the day of your trip at Park Headquarters’ Backcountry Office or at the Kawuneeche Visitor Center.

To reserve your backcountry permit, write, call, or visit:

http://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/backcountry.htm
Backcountry/Wilderness Permits
Rocky Mountain National Park
Estes Park, CO 80517
1.970.586.1242
1.970.586.1319 (TDD for hearing impaired)

A great place to start is to stop by one of the Visitor Centers and pick up their schedule for Ranger-led activities. They offer group walks, talks, and hikes for all levels and interests. Their evening campground talks during summer months are as informative as they are entertaining.Your options for outdoor activities are numerous. Below are just a few of the areas of interest:

hiking
If you are interested in enjoying the park’s wilderness, you’ve got 359 miles of hiking trails from which to choose. Maps and signs at the trailheads describe both simple and rigorous day hikes. Keep in mind, however, that this is a high altitude park. Trails range in elevation from 7,500 to 12,000 feet above sea level. Depending on your fitness level, you can choose between gentle lakefront strolls or arduous climbs. Ranger-led walks are also a fun and educational way to enjoy the outdoors.

But if you live at a much lower elevation you might consider giving yourself an extra day to “acclimatize” before exerting yourself to avoid getting altitude sickness. It’s also very important to check with any of the ranger stations for trail conditions and weather predictions so you can gear up and wear appropriate clothing. The Rocky Mountains are notorious for their rapid change in temperatures. A lovely sunny morning can turn into a deadly thunderstorm with freezing temperatures and snow by midday.

A point of interest – did you know that the headwaters for the Colorado River begin in Rocky Mountain National Park? In the Kawuneeche Valley on the west side of the park, you’ll find a sign for parking and a short trail which will lead you to its peaceful riverbanks. It’s difficult to imagine that this meandering stream soon becomes the primary sculptor of the wondrous geological features of the American Southwest! If you were to follow this river downstream, much like John Wesley Powell’s expedition of 1867, you would pass through Glenwood Canyon, Canyonlands National Park and the Grand Canyon, before being carried into the Gulf of California.

driving
Trail Ridge Road: Let us guide you along this 40-mile drive (90 minute double CD) up and over the highest continuously paved road in the United States. (See our audio products page).

Old Fall River Road: This historic nine-mile ONE-WAY road begins in Horseshoe Park and joins Trail Ridge Road at the Alpine Visitor Center at the top! It was completed in 1920, the first route carved through the park. It is a narrow, dirt road, with hairpin turns and sheer drop offs. A challenging yet popular excursion.

Bear Lake Road: Heavy traffic, but shuttle service is an option. With destinations such as Dream Lake, Emerald Lake, Nymph Lake and nearby Glacier Basin, it’s understandable why this is one of the most popular roads in the park.

bird and wildlife viewing
Rocky Mountain National Park has a wide variety of animals to please any viewer. From the tiniest pika (in the alpine tundra) to the enormous bull moose (lower wetlands), you’ll find it here. Look for elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, black bears, mountain lions, coyotes, foxes, beavers, marmots, weasels, Golden eagles, osprey, goshawks, peregrin falcon, Clark’s Nutcrackers, Stellar Jays, chipmunks, ground squirrels and many other small animals and rodents. You might even see a few of the park’s harmless snakes!

Early September signals the beginning of the rut, and the famous “wapiti mating ritual”, when the restless bull elk become aggressive and fight for dominance and the right to mate with the female cows. Stop and listen in the dim light of the early morning or late evening, and you’ll hear their eerie barks, whistles, and bugles. Even when it’s too dark to see the elk, you can hear their calls and antlers crashing. Thousands of people line the roadsides during September and October to witness this spectacular event in nature.

 

wildflower viewing
The lower meadowlands and hillsides explode in resplendent undergrowth in June. Colorado columbine, daisies, mountain lupine and white geraniums, to name just a few, are sheltered under forests of quaking aspen. Up high on the alpine-arctic slopes, you’ll find a dazzling array of Lilliputian tundra, a world of tiny, delicate, exquisite plants and flowers known as tundra. In the shapes of mats, mounds and cushions, these plants struggle to grow in their harsh high elevation climate. Nevertheless, you’ll find them among yellow buttercups and bright yellow sunflowers known as the Rydbergia.

The Rocky Mountains extend far beyond just the Park! For the outdoor enthusiast, your recreational opportunities are endless. Here are a few other areas to consider exploring:

Comanche Peak Wilderness Area: North of the park, off Highway 14 (west of Fort Collins)

Indian Peaks Wilderness Area: South of the park.

Never Summer Mountains Wilderness Area: West of the park, this wilderness area offers stupendous views of the Never Summer Range.

Colorado State Forest: North of the park via Highway 14, this state park encompasses the northern end of the Never Summer Range.

Roosevelt/Arapaho National Forest: Well-known and popular, these national forests offer a variety of recreational uses.

Cache La Poudre Wilderness Area: Via Highway 14 in the Poudre Canyon, this wilderness area is rugged and remote.

Rocky Mountain’s “human” history is sprinkled with interesting stories about historical figures whose lives have intertwined in ways that led to the preservation of this wilderness. But rather than giving you a chronological summary, we’ve instead elaborated on a few of the “colorful characters” as well as those who most significantly influenced the development and dedication of this national park.

Below are excerpts from Travel Audios’ CD:
“Guided Tour of Trail Ridge Road”:

early inhabitants
Prehistoric hunters were here, on and off for the last twelve to fifteen thousand years. As soon as the glaciers receded from the valleys, it is the assumption of archeologists that Native American prehistoric hunters started coming into the high country in pursuit of game. Archeologists have found knife blades, stone projectile points, hunting pits and game drive walls left behind by ancient mammoth hunters eleven to twelve thousand years ago. Sadly, little else is known, since little was recorded, about the huge gaps in time before the arrival of the modern, Ute Indians, who dominated this area about one thousand years ago. Evidence of their well-worn footpath we call “the Ute Trail” can still be seen and followed today. Eight hundred years later the Arapaho Indians entered the region. Conflict arose between the two tribes that continued for several decades. Ultimately, the Indians were forced out by European-Americans in the early 1900’s.

Ironically, the following decade, a few Arapaho Indians were asked to return to help name these mountains!

early settlers
In the 1860’s, when the east side of what was to become Rocky Mountain National Park was just developing, it’s first known settler came to the area. Joel Estes was his name. Joel brought his wife Patsy and six of his thirteen children to set up cattle ranching in the most beautiful mountain valley he had ever seen. Being one of the first settlers to arrive, they simply claimed the land as their own (later to be named Estes Park). But life was difficult and they were hit hard with particularly brutal winters. The Estes family lived in cramped quarters with primitive conditions and endured six long, lonely winters. The Estes women, however, were true pioneers who made little fuss and shared the tasks of running ranch. It’s been told that Patsy Estes swept the floor of their cabin with the wings of eagles. They cooked splendid meals of wild game, hot biscuits, berries and cream. But by 1866 the Estes family had had enough, and sold their prime property – for a yoke of oxen!

early developers
Seven years later, an enormously wealthy English nobleman arrived known as the Earl of Dunraven. He was devious and controlling and used his power and money to purchase nearly the entire Estes valley for a private hunting reserve. During his twenty-five year residence, he acquired twelve to fifteen thousand acres of land. In 1877 he built the Estes Park Hotel and introduced golf to the area. With a mere $15,000 he commissioned a painting of Longs Peak by the renowned artist, Albert Bierstadt. It was said that the Earl was a rather promiscuous man, returning each year with a new woman – not his wife. It was also said that he kept a stash of whiskey somewhere in the mountains so that he wouldn’t have to worry about where he was going to get his next drink. Nevertheless, his influence drastically changed the image of Estes Park from that of a ranchland to a resort destination. His property dominated the valley for several decades. Some people would argue that it helped to preserve it because he owned so much of it. But gradually, he sold property, he gave property away to some of the people who worked for him and in 1907 he divested himself of his lands.

a visit by a writer
Now during the 1870’s when the Earl of Dunraven was busy buying up land, others moved in – the place was booming! During that time, Estes Park received a visitor, a writer. Her name was Isabella Bird. An English woman who, through her articulate use of the pen, vividly described her adventures and attractions she had for these mountains and people. She was an intelligent and spirited middle-aged spinster, who fearlessly traveled the world. The fact that she was rather plump and out of shape was of no concern to her when she accepted an offer by a local mountain man to be guided in a climb to the top of Longs Peak. It was an arduous and dangerous struggle, and took nothing less than the sheer muscular strength of two men who pulled, pushed and literally dragged her to the top. Though she recounts this episode as a harrowing one, the conquest of the mountain ultimately led to the romantic conquest of her guide. Of the mountain, she spoke of exquisite beauty and splendor, and of her guide, the rugged masculinity of a desperado. Though a grizzly attack left him with but half a face and only one eye, Isabella could appreciate the handsome features that remained.

With an imaginative mind and flair for romance, Isabella recorded her adventures in letters to her sister, now a book entitled A Lady’s Life In The Rocky Mountains, still widely read today.

early conservationists
Let’s jump ahead a few years to 1906, when the famous “Stanley Steamer” clocked in as the world’s fastest automobile. Freeman Oscar Stanley, the proud inventor, was considered a genius. Not only did he invent the Stanley Steamer, but he also invented the concept of dry emulsion for photographic plates. This idea was sold to George Eastman (of Eastman Kodak), which made F. O. Stanley a wealthy man. In 1909 he opened the elegant Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, now world-renowned. His political influence helped create an ethic of conservation and a plan to protect wildlife and wild-flowers. He implemented road and trail improvements and promoted tourism. Quite a man. To this day, Freeman Stanley is known as “The Grand Old Man of Estes Park”.

preservation, protection and national park status
The utmost credit for the establishment of Rocky Mountain National Park, however, goes to a gentleman named Enos Mills. His exceptional devotion and inexhaustible efforts led to the dedication of our nation’s tenth national park. He was a visionary even as an adolescent and recognized that beauty and wildness were something to treasure. As a young man, he developed a deep love and respect for nature. He spent his days in exploration and his nights beneath the stars. He studied wildlife, plant life and mountain climbing. He was a writer, political leader, storyteller and a cowboy. The frontier days were fading fast and urbanization was taking over. Preservation was not a priority of the people. So he began the long and frustrating quest to convince the government to preserve this land. Support grew as local businessmen and other organizations joined the crusade. For five long years he fought -- lecturing, writing and debating.

Finally, on January 26, 1915 President Woodrow Wilson signed legislation to dedicate this land as a national park. The fight was won, and Enos Mills’ dream became a reality for us all.