One of the drawbacks of visiting Rocky Mountain National Park during the winter months is that Trail Ridge Road is closed. You can also see more travel itineraries on our Travel Itineraries page and our National Park Itineraries. Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the highest national parks in the USA. Go back to the fork and then take the trail to Loch Vale. And bring a headlampyoull be hiking before the sun comes up. miles of dramatic beauty, high rugged mountains, sparkling lakes, 350 miles of hiking trails, and abundant wildlife. The longer and harder the hike, the earlier you will have to start. Also, if Longs Peak is on your list, watch the weather report for your visit. Rocky Mountain National Park Itinerary - Colorado.com Snow on the trail in July (hiking to Fern and Odessa Lakes from Bear Lake). Important Things to Know Before You Plan Your Rocky Mountain National Park Itinerary, When to Visit Rocky Mountain National Park. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. We spent seven days in RMNP and every day we did at least one hike. Cheers, Julie. Hotels in Rocky Mountain National Park, USA - save 15% with the best deals great service , clean and location is in the center of town. Altitude sickness is rare in RMNP, unless you are hiking to peaks over 12,000 feet and are not acclimated. Rocky Mountain National Park Neighborhood Guide. When Trail Ridge Road closes, there will be no access to the west side of the park, if you are staying in Estes Park. This is an essential hike in Rocky Mountain National Park. Cheers, Julie, Your email address will not be published. With towering mountain peaks, alpine lakes and waterfalls, and the opportunity to hike along the Continental Divide, this park offers world-class hiking experiences. If the weather was clear yesterday, and you drove Trail Ridge Road, I recommend doing another hike this morning. This has been implemented to limit crowds at the busiest sections of the park during the peak visitation season (the summer months). I am travelling solo. Odessa and Fern Lakes, Mills and Black Lake, Sky Pond, and Hallett Peak can all be hiked from this trailhead. There are a million different ways to put together a Rocky Mountain National Park itinerary, and how you choose to do so really depends on your interests, the time of year you plan to visit the park, and the weather. There are numerous pull-over areas on each side of the road for this purpose. The Perfect Rocky Mountain National Park Itinerary If you choose to skip Sky Pond, you can combine Loch Vale and Mills Lake into one hike. Which entrance would be better. Cheers, Julie. Longs Peak is the biggest at 14,259 ft and can be seen from nearly anywhere. This itinerary is best from Memorial Day through mid-October, when Trail Ridge Road is open. This station is .25 miles from our newest visitor center, the Fall River Visitor Center. Unsubscribe anytime by clicking the link at the bottom of your email. Chasm Lake. The best places to have your questions answered is at one of the park visitor centers. There are many things to do here. Youll reach Trail Ridge Road a lot faster than those waiting in line at the Beaver Meadows Entrance during the summer and fall seasons. Rocky Mountain National Park is a relatively large park, with a total area of 415 square miles. By continuing to browse this website you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Visiting RMNP from Breckenridge regardless of which entrance you use is not ideal. Ideally, you want a day with crystal clear skies and no chance of rain. Would that help mitigate some of the altitude sickness? There are four main entrance stations to Rocky Mountain National Park. This helps control crowd levels on the roads and hiking trails. Turn west onto Highway 84 (Wild Basin Road) and follow it for 0.4 miles to the Wild Basin entrance station. Colorado has also designated Trail Ridge Road as a scenic and historic byway. On the east side of the park, located on highway 36 and 3.5 miles west of Estes Park, is the Beaver Meadows Entrance Station. On the way you'll pass the Kawuneeche Visitor Center on your right. The views from the overlooks are stunning. If you are looking for a relatively uncrowded trail with the chance to visit multiple alpine lakes, this is a nice hike to consider. The Best Campgrounds in (and Near) Rocky Mountain National Park You can either hike to Fern Lakes and Odessa Lake as a point-to-point hike, starting at Bear Lake and ending at Moraine Park (or vice versa). RMNP East or West Entrance? - Rocky Mountain National Park Forum Because the entrance is so accessible from Estes Park and open year round, it is the most popular. CO Bodies of Water. From $73.48 per night. To reach the Wild Basin Entrance from Estes Park, head south on CO 7. 9 miles, strenuous, 4 to 6 hours. This station, which is one mile west of the park's headquarters and Beaver Meadows Visitor Center, usually receives the highest volume of visitors. Once you are finished hiking, hop back into your car. Show more. Snow can linger on the trails as late as July, especially for the trails at higher elevations. This is one of the most popular hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park. This hike adds on Lake Haiyaha, another very pretty alpine lake. Approaching Moraine Park, the road winds through large open meadows where the elk love to congregate. Is there anything you recommend to bring on the hikes? Thats crazy how early parking lots fill up, too. Flattop Mountain to Hallett Peak. MESA VERDE: Learn about the best things to do and how to plan your visit in our Guide to Mesa Verde National Park. Learn about each of them and find the entrance station that will best meet your needs. We stayed in a 3-bedroom house, #402, and it was perfect. . You will have to find your own way to the park from Estes Park because the shuttle only runs to the town. Aspenglen, Moraine Park, and Glacier Basin are the most popular campgrounds and these get reserved well in advance. The various view points along trail ridge road were worth the stop overs as well (especially Forest canyon overlook and the small hike behind Alpine visitor center) Thanks again !! On the other side of this entrance station you enter the meadows of the Kawuneeche Valley. Phone. Ive lived down the hill and explored RMNP a lot for 44 years. The elevation of the lowest sections of the park range from 5,600 to 9,500 feet. You can stay in a cozy cabin with a river view or a well-decorated suite. Autumn ushers in cooler days, smaller crowds, golden aspen and elk bugling. Rocky Mountain National Park (Estes Park) - All You Need to Know BEFORE 6 Things to Do on the East Edge of Rocky Mountain National Park If you plan to do a lot of hiking and drive Trail Ridge Road, plan on visiting Rocky Mountain National Park between Memorial Day and mid-October. Put your higher hikes in the second half of your RMNP visit and you should be fine. I climbed 3 different volcanoes in 3days and it was lovely. This year's system has loosened to 75% to 85% of parking capacity. If you think you can go farther, and if skies are clear, consider going all of the way to Sky Pond. For reference, we live in Maryland, visited RMNP as our first Colorado park last summer, hiked to Emerald Lake and Fern Lake on our first day here, and had no issues whatsoever. The only thing to note is that each day I started the hike between 4a-5a (especially because some parking lots like the Glacier gorge one and Longs peak one get filled up by 5a). Odessa & Fern Lakes Hike. Gem Lake | Rocky Mountain National Park Itinerary. 17 Best Things to Do in Rocky Mountain National Park (2023) Unlike other RV parks in the area, Elk Meadow has spaces for tent camping so it is more accommodating to a wider variety of camping styles. Grand Lake's bustling little downtown with its charming historic boardwalk is right outside of Rocky Mountain National Park's West Entrance. Republishing this articleand/orany of its contents (text, photography, etc. 10 Best Weekend Trips From Denver - Bearfoot Theory Lake Estes | Rocky Mountain National Park Itinerary. If you plan to hike Sky Pond, Mills Lake, or Black Lake later in this itinerary, you will pass Alberta Falls, so there is no need to hike to it today. Thunderstorms dont happen every single day, but it is something that you need to plan for. We have visited Rocky Mountain National Park several times in the past. Turn around and look for the trailhead on your left. Get answers to your questions about Rocky Mountain Do's and Don'ts When Visiting Rocky Mountain National Park, Timed Entry FAQ's and Explaining the Bear Lake Corridor. If you did not do it yet, you have the option to hike the short but sweet Ute Trail to Tombstone Ridge. Timed Entry Ticket: Park Access (excludes Bear Lake Road Corridor) is sufficient unless you choose to hike to Fern and Odessa Lakes. If you want to see some of the best lakes such as Bear Lake, Glacier Gorge, or Sprague Lake, then you should go to the Beaver Meadows entrance. How To Plan A Perfect Rocky Mountain National Park Itinerary 970 586-1206 Mills and Black Lake. Most recently, in 2020, we spent one very busy week here, and learned a lot about this park. Each residence is individually managed, so some are better than others. If you are an avid hiker, your itinerary will look something like this: Day 1: Nymph, Dream & Emerald Lakes plus Trail Ridge Road and the Alpine Ridge Trail Day 2: Deer Mountain in the morning, Estes Park in the afternoon/evening Day 3: Sky Pond Day 4: Continental Divide Trail to Mount Ida Day 5: Longs Peak Day 6: Rest day from hiking (Old Fall River Road and activities in Estes Park) Day 7: Chasm Lake. You can also access Bear Lake Road, but it requires an additional 10 minutes of driving. It is only staffed in the busy season and during the busiest hours of the day the line can get long. You can get to this entrance without going through the middle of town by following highway 34 up East Wonderview Avenue. From the summit you have a great view over Moraine Park and Longs Peak. If you want to stay in the park, you will be limited to campgrounds. But it looks like you have some free time on Thursday and Friday afternoon in case an afternoon gets rained out earlier in the week. It does get tiring, but these trails are so much fun and offer such a wide variety of views and experiences that it never gets monotonous or boring. Along the way explore over 300 miles of hiking trails and incredible wildlife viewing. 10. Less known, but my personal favorite moderate hike in the Bear Lake Trailhead: Jewel Lake. Park at Bear Lake Trailhead. In this post, get all of the information you need to plan your Rocky Mountain National Park itinerary. $70. Even for Old Fall River Road, a 44 or SUV is not necessary, as long as road conditions are good, and you can get updated info on this either on the NPS visitor center or at one of the visitor centers. For Longs Peak, that means starting by 3 or 4 am. If you are coming from Estes Park, this drive takes 30 minutes. Within the boundaries of Rocky Mountain National Park, more than 100 peaks rise above 11,000 feet in altitude, including Longs Peak at 14,259 feet.