Guide to Rocky Mountain National Park

The United States is home to nearly 60 national parks. With over 300 miles of trails, 147 lakes and 450 miles of streams, Rocky Mountain National Park has become the fourth most visited national park in the country. The park is also home to 124 named peaks — 20 of which are over 13,000 feet — and straddles the Continental Divide allowing access to both the east and west slopes of the Rocky Mountains.

The park has much more to offer than incredible mountain scenery. Over 280 species of birds, 11 fish, 142 species of butterflies and 1100 plants call the park home. Lynx, wolverines, bears, bighorn sheep, coyotes, deer, elk, moose and mountain lions are among the 66 mammals living in the park.

There is almost too much to do in Rocky Mountain National Park. This introductory guide to the park has everything you need to know to enjoy all the beauties the park has to offer. And, if you don't feel like crunching all those numbers, it will help you narrow down your must-do list.

Click here for a great online magazine about hiking Rocky Mountain National Park.

Need To Know

Entrance Fees and Passes

Daily Entrance Passes
During this time of year, timed Entry Permits are not currently required to enter Rocky Mountain National Park.  Are you planning a trip to the Park between May 26 and October 22, 2023?  If so, visit the Timed Entry Permit Reservation page to learn what you need to do to be ready to visit Rocky Mountain National Park this summer.

Entrance Fees and Passes
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, but is not exclusive to, Lumpy Ridge, Lily Lake, Longs Peak, Wild Basin, East Inlet, and North Inlet.

How Can I Purchase My Park Pass Before I Arrive at the Park?
Park vehicle and motorcycle entrance fees and the Rocky Mountain National Park Annual Pass are available for purchase via Recreation.gov. To purchase your pass online before you arrive at the park, visit Rocky Mountain National Park's Entrance Pass page at www.recreation.gov.

How Can I Purchase An Interagency or Lifetime Pass Before I Arrive at the Park?
Passes that are part of the America The Beautiful - The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass Series are not available for purchase via Recreation.gov. These passes are available for purchase in-person at park entrance stations or via the USGS Online Store.

Credit/Debit Cards Only
To prevent the spread of infectious diseases, only credit and debit cards—not cash—are being accepted at park entrance stations

1-Day Pass - Automobile - $30.00

Valid for date of purchase. Covers single, non-commercial vehicle with capacity of less than 16 passengers.

1-Day Pass - Automobile - $25.00

Valid for date of purchase. Covers single, non-commercial vehicle with capacity of less than 16 passengers.

1-Day Pass - Per Person - $15.00

Valid for date of purchase. Applies to walk-ins, bicycles, and non-commercial groups.

1-Day Pass - Motorcycle - $25.00

Valid for date of purchase. Covers one motorcycle.

7-Day Vehicle Entrance Pass - $35.00

Rocky Entrance Fee - vehicle entrance pass valid for 7 consecutive days

7-Day Motorcycle Entrance Pass - $30.00

Rocky Entrance Fee - motorcycle entrance pass valid for 7 consecutive days

Passes

Rocky Mountain National Park Annual Pass - $70.00

Unlimited entry for one year from date of purchase. 

America the Beautiful Pass with entrance to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites – $80.00

  • Annual Pass: $80
  • Current U.S. Military Annual Pass: Free
  • 4th Grade Pass for U.S. students in fourth grade: Free
  • Senior Pass: $80 (lifetime); $20 (annual)
  • Access Pass: Free
  • Volunteer Pass: Free

The park offers free days periodically throughout the year. Free days this year:

January 16 - Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
April 22 - First day of National Park Week
August 4 - Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
September 24 - National Public Lands Day
November 11 - Veterans Day

Hours

Rocky Mountain NP is open 24 hours a day. 

Camping

Camping is available in the park at designated locations only. There are five campgrounds — Aspenglen, Glacier Basin, Longs Peak, Moraine Park and Timber Creek — as well as numerous backcountry locations. Aspenglen and Glacier Basin are only open during the summer. Reservations are highly encouraged. Reservations are encouraged for Moraine Park during the summer but the campground is first-come, first-served during the winter. The Longs Peak and Timber Creek campgrounds are open year-round and are first-come, first-served.

Backcountry permits are required for all other camping locations. Visit recreation.gov for reservations.

Weather

Weather in the mountains can be unpredictable. It isn’t uncommon for certain elevations to see snow in July. Keep an eye on forecasts for Estes Park, Grand Lake and the Alpine Visitor Center on Trail Ridge Road. Even if the weather is stable the temperature difference between the trailhead and your destination can vary greatly. Dress in layers.

Trail Conditions

With unpredictable weather comes uncertain trail conditions. Depending on winter storms— or spring — certain trails can still be covered in large snow fields in July. Rocky Mountain NP keeps their website up to date with conditions for certain areas. Be aware the further in and higher up you go the greater chance there is to see snow on the trails.

Some deeper trails only have social trails rather than full paths.

Fishing

The park is home to four species of trout including brook, rainbow, greenback and Colorado River cutthroat. Fishing is allowed in most areas of the park. A Colorado fishing license is required — options include annual, five-day and one-day. A Habitat Stamp fee of $10 is also required with the first fishing license purchase of the year.

Fishing is prohibited in certain areas of the park. Some areas are catch-and-release only.

Safety

Cell phone service is very limited in the mountains and in RMNP. Know where you are going and make sure someone else knows where you are and how long you expect to be gone. Before you go download an area map from an app such as AllTrails or use the free maps from the entrance station. Even experienced hikers and locals get lost.

If you plan to hike alone in less traveled areas it is a good idea to take a bear bell so you don’t sneak up on any wild animals. If bear bells aren’t your style some hikers prefer to talk or sing to themselves.

Please stay on the trails to prevent degradation of the surrounding flora. Practice the Leave No Trace principles and remember to take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints.

Area Guide

RMNP is too big and has too many options to include everything here. This area guide is an intro to some of the best and least seen gems the park has to offer. Featured hikes are listed by distance for easy picking of what might work best for individual fitness and time.

Many trails connect with other areas. If you want to go further or see more take a friend and park a car at two different trailheads. Make sure you know the correct route to connect the two trailheads so you don’t get lost.

All distances listed here are one-way.

Trail Ridge Road/Fall River Road

If you aren’t one to hike Trail Ridge Road and Old Fall River Road are excellent options for a beautiful drive. Fall River Road is not for the faint of heart. The narrow, one-way, dirt road runs from the Lawn Lake trailhead to the Alpine Visitor Center and is closed most of the year. Both roads offer pull offs and lookout points. Trail Ridge Road has more options and views. There are several hikes off both roads worth exploring if you have the time.

Iceberg Lake — Trailhead: Lava Cliffs Pullout — Distance: 0.2 miles

Lava Cliffs — Trailhead: Lava Cliffs Pullout — Distance: 0.3 miles

Thousand Falls — Trailhead: Endovalley Picnic Area — Distance: 0.3 miles

Chasm Falls — Trailhead: Endovalley Picnic Area — Distance: 1.5 miles

Timberline Pass — Trailhead: Ute Crossing — Distance: 1.9 miles

Forest Canyon Pass — Trailhead: Alpine Visitor Center — Distance: 2.3 miles

Mount Chapin — Trailhead: Chapin Pass — Distance: 2.4 miles

Mount Chiquita — Trailhead: Chapin Pass — Distance: 3.0 miles

Ypsilon Mountain — Trailhead: Chapin Pass — Distance: 4.0 miles

Mount Ida — Trailhead: Poudre Lake — Distance: 4.9 miles

Other Hikes to Try:

Arrowhead Lake
Poudre Lake
Sundance Mountain
Toll Memorial
Tombstone Ridge
Ute Trail

Bear Lake 

Between 2012 and 2016 Rocky Mountain National Park saw a 40% increase in visitation. In 2016 the park saw over 4.5 million visitors — many of whom go to Bear Lake. Despite having an overflow lot in addition to the main parking lot the area gets so congested rangers turn cars around at the base of Bear Lake Road. During peak times the lots can fill up as early as 9 a.m. If you choose to go to Bear Lake arrive by 8 a.m. to make sure you actually get in.

Other trailheads in the area fill up almost as quickly. There are very few places — unless you plan on a longer hike — where you can actually be alone with nature.

Eagle Cliff Mountain — Trailhead: Moraine Park Museum — Distance: 0.5 miles

Bierstadt Lake — Trailhead: Bierstadt — Distance: 1.3 miles

Chaos Canyon Cascades — Trailhead: Bear Lake via Lake Haiyaha Trail — Distance: 1.8 miles

Mill Creek Basin — Trailhead: Hollowell Park — Distance: 1.9 miles

Glacier Falls — Trailhead: Glacier Gorge — Distance: 2.3 miles

Jewel Lake — Trailhead: Glacier Gorge — Distance: 3.1 miles

Flattop Mountain — Trailhead: Bear Lake — Distance: 4.4 miles

Shelf Lake — Trailhead: Glacier Gorge — Distance: 4.7 miles

Andrews Glacier — Trailhead: Glacier Gorge — Distance: 4.8 miles

Odessa Lake — Trailhead: Fern Lake — Distance: 4.8 miles

Blue Lake — Trailhead: Glacier Gorge — Distance: 5.5 miles

Lake Helene — Trailhead: Fern Lake — Distance: 5.7 miles

Notchtop Mountain — Trailhead: Bear Lake — Distance: 6.1 miles

McHenrys Peak — Trailhead: Glacier Gorge — Distance: 7.1 miles

Chiefs Head Peak — Trailhead: Glacier Gorge — Distance: 7.8 miles

Other Hikes to Try:

Black Lake
Cub Lake
Deer Mountain
Fern Falls
Fern Lake
Frozen Lake
Hallett Peak
Lake Haiyaha
The Loch
Mills Lake
Otis Peak
Ribbon Falls
Sky Pond
Solitude Lake
The Spearhead
Sprague Lake
Spruce Lake
Taylor Peak
Timberline Falls

 

Mummy Range 

This range is the largest area in RMNP and has seven named peaks over 13,000 feet. But Mummy Range has many different hikes and destinations to choose from. There is something here for every level — from the easy paved walk up to Alluvial Fan, the family go-to of Gem Lake and the exhausting experience of doing the Mummy Kill.

The Cow Creek parking is a limited selection of roadside spots. Arrive as early as possible. Parking at Lumpy Ridge is generally guaranteed and trails connect to Cow Creek if parking is full there.

McGregor Mountain — Trailhead: Fall River Visitor Center — Distance: 1.2 miles

MacGregor Falls — Trailhead: Lumpy Ridge — Distance: 3.2 miles

Balanced Rock — Trailhead: Cow Creek — Distance: 4.0 miles

Ypsilon Lake — Trailhead: Lawn Lake — Distance: 4.7 miles

Sugarloaf Mountain — Trailhead: Stormy Peaks — Distance: 5.3 miles

Chiquita Lake — Trailhead: Lawn Lake — Distance: 5.5 miles

Lawn Lake — Trailhead: Lawn Lake — Distance: 6.3 miles

Mummy Mountain — Trailhead: Lawn Lake — Distance: 7.2 miles

Crystal Lake — Trailhead: Lawn Lake — Distance: 7.9 miles

Fairchild Mountain — Trailhead: Lawn Lake — Distance: 8.8 miles

Rowe Peak — Trailhead: Lawn Lake — Distance: 9.1 miles

Lake Louise — Trailhead: Dunraven — Distance: 10.9 miles

Other Hikes to Try:

Alluvial Fan
Bridal Veil Falls
Gem Lake
Hagues Peak
Horseshoe Falls
Lost Falls
Lost Lake
Mummy Kill
The Saddle
Twin Owls
West Creek Falls

 

Wild Basin 

Wild Basin is located south of Longs Peak off Highway 7 and is in a secluded area of the park. A single dirt road takes hikers back to the main Wild Basin trailhead. Other pull offs and trailheads — such as Finch Lake and Sandbeach Lake — lay along the road. This area is more water than many other areas in the park. Many of the trails follow streams and many destinations are lakes and waterfalls. There is plenty of room to explore here and take in the incredible views and wildflowers.

Lookout Mountain — Trailhead: Horse Creek  — Distance: 3.2 miles

Sandbeach Lake — Trailhead: Sandbeach Lake — Distance: 4.2 miles

Mertensia Falls — Trailhead: Wild Basin — Distance: 6.2 miles

Mount Meeker — Trailhead: Sandbeach Lake — Distance: 6.5 miles

Lion Lakes — Trailhead: Wild Basin — Distance: 6.9 miles

Mount Copeland — Trailhead: Wild Basin — Distance: 7.0 miles

Pipit Lake — Trailhead: Wild Basin — Distance: 7.2 miles

Fan Falls — Trailhead: Wild Basin — Distance: 7.4 miles

Boulder-Grand Pass — Trailhead: Wild Basin — Distance: 7.8 miles

Mount Alice — Trailhead: Wild Basin — Distance: 8.8 miles


Other Hikes to Try:

Bluebird Lake
Box Lake
Calypso Cascades
Copeland Falls
Finch Lake
Isolation Lake
Isolation Peak
Ouzel Falls
Ouzel Lake
Thunder Falls
Thunder Lake
Pear Lake

 

Longs Peak

Longs Peak is a daunting mammoth of a mountain that is both enticing and intimidating. Don’t let it overshadow some of the other amazing hikes that start at its trailhead. The trail up to Longs and the other destinations along the way offer many incredible views of the Beaver and the surrounding area. Be aware that hikers headed to the summit of Longs arrive between midnight and 3 a.m. The parking lot can often fill up quickly. Either plan to do the shorter hikes later in the day or start the longer hikes at zero dark thirty.


Eugenia Mine —
Trailhead: Longs Peak — Distance: 1.4 miles

Moore Park — Trailhead: Longs Peak — Distance: 1.8 miles

Peacock Pool — Trailhead: Longs Peak — Distance: 3.9 miles

Chasm Meadows — Trailhead: Longs Peak — Distance: 4.0 miles

Mount Lady Washington — Trailhead: Longs Peak — Distance: 4.2 miles

The Loft — Trailhead: Longs Peak — Distance: 5.2 miles

Longs Peak — Trailhead: Longs Peak — Distance: 7.4 miles

 

Other Hikes to Try:

Columbine Falls
Chasm Lake

 

Highway 7

There are many easier hikes off Highway 7 that are perfect for casual day hiking. This area includes national forest land and expands into Allenspark and Estes Park. This provides perfect and easy access to post hiking refuel. Go for an early and stop by Meadow Mountain Cafe in Allenspark for lunch. They are open Wednesday - Monday until 2 p.m.

Oldman Mountain — Trailhead: Old Ranger Drive — Distance: 0.3 miles

Lily Lake — Trailhead: Lily Lake — Distance: 0.8 miles

Emerald Mountain — Trailhead: East Portal — Distance: 0.8 miles

Lily Mountain — Trailhead: Lily Mountain — Distance: 1.8 miles

Kruger Rock — Trailhead: Hermit Park — Distance: 2.0 miles

Homer Rouse — Trailhead: Fish Creek — Distance: 2.4 miles

Homestead Meadows — Trailhead: Lion Gulch — Distance: 2.8 miles

Storm Pass — Trailhead: Lily Lake — Distance: 2.8 miles

Twin Sisters — Trailhead: Twin Sisters — Distance: 3.4 miles

Crosier Mountain — Trailhead: Crosier Mountain Gravel Pit — Distance: 3.8 miles

 

Other Hikes to Try:

Prospect Mountain
Estes Cone

 

West Side

This side draws fewer visitors and tourists than the east side of RMNP. You'll enjoy more solitude here if that is what you're looking for. The western slope sees more precipitation than the east so scenery tends to be more green and lush. After a day of hiking explore nearby Grand Lake.

Adams Falls — Trailhead: East Inlet — Distance: 0.3 miles

Lake Irene — Trailhead: Lake Irene Picnic Area — Distance: 0.5 miles

Green Mountain — Trailhead: Green Mountain — Distance: 1.7 miles

Big Meadows — Trailhead: Green Mountain — Distance: 2.0 miles

Cascade Falls — Trailhead: North Inlet — Distance: 3.6 miles

Timber Lake — Trailhead: Timber Lake — Distance: 5.0 miles

Granite Falls — Trailhead: Green Mountain — Distance: 5.3 miles

Lone Pine Lake — Trailhead: East Inlet — Distance: 5.3 miles

Lake Verna — Trailhead: East Inlet — Distance: 6.9 miles

Bench Lake — Trailhead: North Inlet — Distance: 7.3 miles

Ptarmigan Mountain — Trailhead: East Inlet — Distance: 7.6 miles

Andrews Peak — Trailhead: East Inlet — Distance: 8.2 miles

 

Other Hikes to Try:

Big Pool
Mount Craig
Murphy Lake
Summerland Park

 

Paradise Park

The southwest corner of RMNP is the most isolated and primitive. There are trails that start around the boundaries of the park but these destinations require more off-trail hiking. A lack of well-maintained trails also makes for longer mileage. If you choose to explore this area make sure to come prepared. Check out the safety section of this guide for more tips.

Watanga Lake — Trailhead: Roaring Fork — Distance: 4.8 miles

Shadow Mountain — Trailhead: East Shore — Distance: 5.6 miles

Adams Lake — Trailhead: Roaring Fork — Distance: 6.5 miles

Twin Peaks — Trailhead: Roaring Fork — Distance: 6.5 miles

Mount Adams — Trailhead: Roaring Fork — Distance: 6.6 miles

Mount Bryant — Trailhead: East Shore — Distance: 7.3 miles

 

Never Summer Mountains

The Arapahoe Indians named this range ni-chebe-chii — never no summer — for the beautiful colors and scenery the area provides. The mountains here are volcanic rather than the standard granite found in most of the park. Because of this the rotting rock makes hiking more difficult. The challenge makes the hikes very worthwhile though as you will find more solitude here to be alone with nature.

Coyote Valley — Trailhead: Coyote Valley — Distance: 0.5 miles

Lake Agnes — Trailhead: Lake Agnes — Distance: 0.8 miles

Thunder Mountain — Trailhead: Never Summer — Distance: 2.0 miles

Lulu Mountain — Trailhead: Never Summer — Distance: 2.6 miles

Specimen Mountain — Trailhead: Poudre River — Distance: 3.2 miles

Lulu City — Trailhead: Colorado River — Distance: 3.5 miles

Snow Lake — Trailhead: American Lakes — Distance: 3.9 miles

Parika Lake — Trailhead: Bowen/Baker — Distance: 5.4 miles

Pinnacle Pool — Trailhead: Colorado River — Distance: 5.7 miles

Red Mountain — Trailhead: Colorado River — Distance: 6.2 miles

Blue Lake — Trailhead: Bowen/Baker — Distance: 6.9 miles

La Poudre Pass — Trailhead: Colorado River — Distance: 7.0 miles

Bowen Pass — Trailhead: Bowen/Baker — Distance: 8.4 miles

 

Other Hikes to Try:

Farview Mountain
Lake of the Clouds
Mount Cumulus

Expect Changes in Operations Due to COVID-19
Shuttle bus operations within the Bear Lake Road corridor will begin on May 27. The Hiker Shuttle from the Estes Park Visitor Center will NOT be operating for the 2021 season. In order to practice proper social distancing to minimize community spread of COVID-19, the capacity of the shuttle buses in the Bear Lake Corridor will be limited to 15 passengers per trip.