Summer is here, which means it’s Colorado time! Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the most visited National Parks in the US especially during the long weekends. If you are also one of the many visitors planning your summer itinerary to this park, read this complete blog for tips to make the best out of this trip
What is the best time to visit Rocky Mountain National Park?
If you are planning to visit Rocky Mountain National Park from October through May, you need to be aware of the following things:
- Heavy Snow can occur at higher elevation areas like Estes Park (7,522 ft) which is the nearest town to two entrances on the east of the park. You can expect snow in Bear Lake Corridor, Trail Ridge Road or Longs Peak Road
- Jan-March is ideal for people looking to ski or snow shoe in this area
- Apr-May are good months to view some wildflowers at lower elevation areas of the park
The best time to visit this National Park is from late May to mid-October. So what makes this the best time to visit Rocky Mountain National Park?
- Trail Ridge Road is completely open for the season which is one of the major attractions of this National Park
- Summer is one of the best times to spot wildlife in Rocky Mountain National Park, as many animals emerge from the harsh winter and become more active in the warmer weather
- Fall (late September to mid-October) is the best time to see the Aspen trees change colors
- September and October is the best time to visit the park. The weather is dry, the air is cool and crisp making it ideal for hiking and exploring the park
Source: NPS
How to Plan Your Summer Visit to Rocky Mountain National Park?
Summer is the most popular time to visit Rocky Mountain National Park and Colorado, in general. This means larger crowds and long waiting lines at the entrance of the park. I am sharing our best tips that helped us hike the most beautiful trails with hardly a few people around and see so many animals like deer, elk and moose
- You will need a permit to access the most popular area of the National Park – Bear Lake Road. The trailhead for four lakes hike is 15-20 mins drive from the entrance to Bear Lake Road. This is the important part. There are two types of permits required to enter Rocky Mountain National Park from May 23rd, 2025 to Oct 19th, 2025
- Timed Entry Reservation provides you access to all the areas of the park between 9 AM to 2 PM except the Bear Lake Corridor. Some of the notables areas you can explore with just this reservation include Trail Ridge Road, West Side of the Park, Lily Lake and Wild Basin
- Timed Entry + Bear Lake Road Reservations provide you access to all the areas of the park including Bear Lake Corridor between 5 AM to 6 PM. Some of the notable areas you can explore with this include Bear Lake, Sprague Lake, Moraine Park, Glacier Gorge Trail and Park & Ride Area
- We booked our permit for Timed Entry + Bear Lake Corridor on recreation.gov with a $2 fee. The reservations open a month in advance on the first day of the month. So, for example, if you are planning a visit in July, you will need to make reservations on June 1. The booking starts at 8 AM MDT
- In case you missed booking your time slot, you can try again the day before your entry. Slots open at 7PM MDT a day in advance. They are first come first serve and book really fast
- The timed entry to Bear Lake does not give you unlimited re-entries during the day. You can only enter the area during your time slot. If you leave the Bear Lake Corridor anytime and are looking back to re-enter, you will be able to do so only after 2 PM. I suggest exploring the entire area before exiting because we saw a long line of vehicles waiting to enter this area after 2 PM. The wait time can range from 45 mins to 1 hour at the entrance.
- Some of the hikes at Rocky Mountain National Park take you to very high elevations. Pack a lot of sunscreen and water to keep yourself hydrated. It can get difficult to breathe after reaching a certain altitude. Make sure to take ample rest and pace yourself
- Pack extra layers to keep yourself warm while exploring the park. The temperatures can drop by 10 to 20 degree Fahrenheit during the day
Source: Recreation.gov and NPS
Where to Stay when you visit the Rocky Mountain National Park?
The accommodations around the Rocky Mountain National Park can get sold out really fast. It is important to plan ahead if you are looking to stay within the park or close to the park. There are three areas you can look at based on your planned activities
Camping: If you are planning to camp inside the park, you will have to very pro active. The campgrounds need to be reserved 6 months in advance on recreation.gov
Estes Park: This is the next best option based on its proximity to all the highlights of the park. This town has all the necessities like Safeway Grocery Store, Restaurants and Gas Stations. It is also close to popular hiking trails like the Bear Lake and Sprague Lake. You can stay at airbnbs or lodges. We stayed at the Coyote Mountain Lodge. It was decent and was close to all the important points on the east side of the park
Grand Lake: If you are planning to spend more time on the West Side of the park, this area has some great airbnbs that you can check out. It is also easier to book an accommodation in this area compared with Estes Park
What activities can you do at the National Park that do not require hiking?
Bear Lake Road
This is one of the most beautiful areas of the Rocky Mountain National Park and attracts a lot of visitors each year. There is something for every kind of traveler in this area, whether you are travelling solo, couple or as a family. If you have the permit mentioned in the earlier section of the blog, you can experience breathtaking views of rocky mountains and the Bear Lake just 5 mins from the parking lot
We visited this area twice during our visit to the Rocky Mountain National Park. We visited on two different days, once in the morning slot and once in the afternoon slot. Here’s what we learned. The parking lot at the Bear Lake trailhead fills up fast. Even with timed entry, it can get difficult to find a spot at the main parking lot next to trailhead
People come to this lake especially for sunrise. We booked the 5 AM slot so we could watch the golden hour on the lake. Even at 5:30 AM in the morning, we were able to luckily get one of the last parking spots at the main trailhead. If you are unable to get a parking spot here, you can park your vehicle at the Park & Ride area which is the extra parking lot just 10 mins before the main parking. Once you park there, you can catch a shuttle that runs from here ever 10-15 mins to different trails on Bear Lake Corridor
Hot Tip: We highly suggest watching the sun rise over Bear Lake. It still is one of the best sunrises we have witnessed in our life. As a bonus, you might also get to see animals waking up and looking for food if you enter the park early morning
Trail Ridge Road
This road is the highest continuously paved road in the United States at roughly 12,183 ft above sea level. You can drive the entire length of this road from Beaver Meadow Entrance to Grand Lake in roughly 2 hours
As you move up the road, you will see the vegetation reduce and see breathtaking alpine peaks still covered with some snow. You can spend time slowly driving through this road and spotting wildlife. If you want a break from driving, you can stop at Alpine Visitor Centre which has restrooms and a beautiful overlook
Hot Tip: We drove three times through this road and saw a moose which crossed our path and a herd of elks grazing in the mountains with a big bull. We saw this animals during our first drive which was early in the morning. We recommend driving through this road around 7 AM to 9 AM with lesser crowds and more possibility of animal sightings
Sprague Lake
This beautiful lake requires no hiking and is one of the spots you must see on the Bear Lake Corridor. If you feel like doing the trail, there is a loop that goes around the lake. It’s a 0.8 mile loop and takes only 20-30 mins. If you are travelling with kids, this is one of the best places to visit. You can have a nice picnic by the lake and unwind from your day
Estes Park
It is the nearest town on the east entrance of the Rocky Mountain National Park and is one of the most beautiful towns I have seen. Anywhere you drive or walk in this town, you can see views of the Rocky Mountains towering over the town. Spend half a day walking around town, exploring shops that sell handmade taffy, souvenirs and enjoy the weekend farmer’s market.
You can also dine at one of the many great restaurants in town. Mama Rose’s has great italian food options and a gorgeous river view. Trailhead restaurant also has great views of the Rocky Mountains. If you are craving a New York Pizza, we suggest grabbing a bite at Antonio’s Real New York Pizza. The pizza was delicious and perfect for a post-hike fuel
Hot Tip: If you missed out on seeing elks during your time inside the Rocky Mountain National Park, you can spot them in the town. We saw so many just chilling out at the park in town. Please be mindful of your interactions with wild animals and keep a respectful distance
Grand Lake
If you are staying at the east side of the park and do not mind a little detour, we suggest driving through the Trail Ridge Road and climbing down towards the west, Grand Lake. This area has a lot of meadows where you can spend some time taking walking around small lakes, kayak in the Grand Lake or just explore the town
Old Fall River Road
If you are feeling adventurous and want to explore a less visited park area, you can drive the Old Fall River Road. This is a 11 mile road that branches off from Trail Ridge road and is very gravelly. There are no guardrails in this road and it can get pretty narrow. Make sure that you only drive through this road if you have a proper vehicle and enough driving experience. Unfortunately, our car was an electric rental so we did not take the risk of driving this road.
If you read this blog and take a drive down this road, let me know about your experience in the comments. It might also help our other readers
What can Hikers do at the Rocky Mountain National Park?
Colorado is a hiker’s paradise and Rocky Mountain National Park tops the list of some of the most beautiful hikes in this state. We are sharing some of the hikes we did and some that we could not get to
Four Lakes Loop Trail
If you only have time for one big hike in the National Park, we cannot recommend this trail enough. The hike is called the four lakes loop but it has a bonus fifth lake, the Nymph Lake. It is a 7.2 mile loop that takes you through stunning alpine lakes and scenic overlooks. Even if you cannot do the entire loop, you can still hike half the distance and cover 4 lakes. How wonderful is that! Top lakes that you should cover on this lake based on their priority – Bear Lake, Emerald Lake, Dream Lake, Lake Haiyaha and Nymph Lake
Personally, my favourite lake was the Lake Haiyaha. I know people love Emerald Lake for its beauty but I fell in love with Lake Haiyaha. At this point, you are probably wondering why I didn’t rate it at the top. Well, while the lake was beautiful, it is the topmost point of this trail and might not be feasible for all hikers. The air gets thinner as you hike higher and you will need to take more breaks
The entire hike took us around 5 hours with lots of breaks. We had our lunch at Lake Haiyaha and I even swam a bit in the glacial waters. You cannot swim in Bear Lake and Nymph Lake but I did not read any guidelines on the other lakes when we visited. Make sure you research about the rules around preservation before jumping into a lake.
Important: The temperature of the lakes are glacial and I felt pain when I got in. Think of cold plunges. Swim in the lake only if you think you can do it. Else you can still get breathtaking views from the shore
Coyote Valley Trail
If you are not a fan of strenuous long hikes but still want to hike and enjoy with your family, this trail on the west side of the park is ideal. It has a well defined path that winds through the trail. I even saw parents walking with strollers. It is 1.9 mile out and back trail that takes 40 mins
While we read that this trail is famous for spotting wildlife like elks, we did not see any. Animal sightings greatly vary based on the time of the day when you hike. It is still a beautiful hike without animals
Bierstadt Lake Trail
While we had this trail on our list, we could not get to it because we did not have a Bear Lake Corridor permit for Day 3 of our trip. Yes, the permits sell out that fast! This lake is on the Bear Lake Corridor so you will need both Bear Lake and Timed Entry reservations
It is a family friendly hike with amazing views. The trail is a 2.9 mile loop and should roughly take you about one and a half hour to complete
If you hike this trail, drop a comment on your experience! We would love to hear about it so we can plan for it the next time
Glacier Gorge Trail
This trail is on the top of our Colorado bucketlist but unfortunately we couldn’t do this the last time we visited Rocky Mountain National Park. We think of ourselves as beginner hikers and did not think we could do this 9 mile hike
It takes you through one of the most beautiful lakes in the park, Sky Pond. The hike is rated Hard in AllTrails so do this only if you have experience. Again, this trail is in the bear Lake Corridor and connot be accessed unless you have a permit. The trek has multiple lakes and falls that you can enjoy while hiking
Are any of you planning to hike this trail? Let us know in the comments!
If you want to read about our other National Parks experiences, we talk about White Sands National Park here
Now that you have all the information about planning a summer trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, get your National Park Passes and book the stays! If you enjoyed reading this or have any feedback for us, let us know in the comments.