Opening Weekend in Rocky Mountain National Park

The new sign at the Fall River Entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park.

Rocky Mountain National Park is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. 

This weekend – Memorial Day Weekend – is, however, considered opening weekend. It is the weekend when the park does its best (barring any impacts from Mother Nature) to open Trail Ridge Road across the park. (See below about status of Trail Ridge Road.) The roads into Endovalley and Beaver Meadows already opened a little over a week ago. 

The park begins requiring timed entry reservations starting this Friday, May 23, to enter all areas of the park during certain times of the day. 

Opening weekend always brings with it a sense of access, a release of the bars that can constrain winter visitors. No more gates barring entry into certain areas of the park. Hikers can now venture a mile closer to the trailhead in Wild Basin. Visitors can now enjoy the picnic area of Endovalley without having to walk the mile along the road from the Alluvial Fan parking lot. Birders can now drive into Beaver Meadows to glass for the plethora of bird species that enjoy the open sage brush habitat so coveted by birds. 

Rocky Mountain National Park has installed kiosks at several entrances to the park, including at Fall River Entrance, Lily Lake and Gem Lake. Visitors can now purchase entrance passes (Rocky day or week passes only) at these kiosks. A park pass is required for everyone who enters the park. If you would like to purchase an annual Rocky or federal pass (America the Beautiful), take this pass to a visitor center or staffed entrance gate to upgrade.

So, what can visitors expect this weekend?

First, the new Fall River Entrance (also known as the North Entrance) has been dedicated and is now officially open. With an additional booth, 24-hour pass kiosks and better facilities for the staff working in this area, this expanded entrance should help relieve the congestion often experienced at Beaver Meadows. 

Moraine Park Campground remains closed for camping at this time, but guides and permit holders were told during our recent training that it will be available for camping at some point this summer. The specific date was yet to be released, however, so reservations are currently not available. 

The bathrooms at the Bierstadt Lake Trailhead remain under construction. As a result, the parking lot for Bierstadt Lake remains closed and shuttles will not stop at this location. To access Bierstadt Lake, hikers need to park at the Storm Pass Trailhead, which only has four non-accessible parking spots, or Sprague Lake. There are trails from both locations through the forest on the south side of Bear Lake Road that connect to the parking lot and trailhead up to Bierstadt Lake.

Old Fall River Road remains closed, opening each year near Fourth of July weekend.

Timed entry reservations return this year, being made a permanent aspect of visiting Rocky Mountain National Park last year. There will again, be two different reservations: Timed Entry Plus (+) reservation, which is required to enter the Bear Lake Corridor from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the Timed Entry reservation for accessing the remainder of the park from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The reservations go on sale on the first of each month (May 1, June 1, July 1, August 1 and September 1) for dates in the next month (ie., June 1 for July dates). Reservations are also released for purchase at 7 p.m. the night before a date. For example, if visiting on June 21, reservations for June 21 will be released at 7 p.m. on June 20.

Keep in mind that if you want to hike to places like Sky Pond, Mills Lake, Glacier Gorge, Bear Lake, Dream Lake, Emerald Lake or any other destination that begins along the Bear Lake Corridor, you must have a timed entry + reservation to enter between 5 a.m. and 6 p.m. If you leave the Bear Lake Corridor, you cannot re-enter until after 2 p.m. the same day.

All other areas of the park, including Trail Ridge Road, Kawuneeche Valley, Horseshoe Park, Beaver Meadows, Gem Lake, McGraw Ranch, Lily Lake, Longs Peak and Wild Basin, require a timed entry reservation between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

It is best not to wait until just a few minutes before 9 a.m. or at the tail end of your entry window to enter the park. If you do not reach the entrance gate by 9 a.m., you will not be given access to the park without a reservation. Reservations are good for two-hour windows and you must enter within that two-hour window. 

The lines are also long at 2 p.m. as people eagerly await to get into the park as soon as the reservation requirement expires each day. Give some time for the lines to clear (maybe stay a little longer in downtown Estes Park) and then enter the park.

In addition to the timed entry reservations, daily shuttle service starts this weekend. Shuttles can be picked up at the Estes Park Visitor Center and at various shuttle stops along the Bear Lake Road Corridor. Visit Hiker Shuttle for more information, schedule and routes.

Wildlife have been returning to the park in large numbers. More elk are migrating back into the park on a daily basis. The antlers on the bulls are growing quite large, with even a few of the identifiable bulls having large enough antlers to see their distinct features. Elk and moose calves have started to make appearances in the park, and more will be born in the next few weeks. Coyotes seem abundant this year and birds, such as mountain bluebirds, western bluebirds, western tanagers, and tree swallows, are already building nests.

Snow continues to fall at higher elevations of the park, with three feet dropping the week of May 12 and several more inches falling on the morning of May 21. The weather forecast for Memorial Day Weekend could bring more snow, with several storms predicted to move through the area over the course of the weekend. Be prepared for rapidly changing weather (as the sign says) with layers of clothes, hats, gloves and coats. It might be sunny and 60 in Estes Park, but within the matter of minutes, a storm can roll in across the Continental Divide and turn a sunny day into a stormy experience at 12,000 feet on Trail Ridge Road. 

Because of the weather conditions (see above photo provided by Rocky Mountain National Park), Trail Ridge Road will not open for Memorial Day Weekend. An opening date has not been announced and it is pending weather conditions on this high-altitude road where wind often creates hazardous conditions with blowing snow, drifts and icy conditions on the roadway. 

If hiking in the park, expect to encounter snow above 9500 feet. This would include places like Bear Lake and higher. 

Aspen trees are quite green in Estes Park but they still have a ways to go to looking like spring above 8500 feet. It won’t be long, however, before the full park starts experiencing green aspens and colorful wildflowers. 

Enjoy your visit to Rocky Mountain National Park this weekend or over the course of the summer. It truly is one of the most magnificent places in the National Park System. 

For more information about visiting Rocky, including road conditions and the opening of Trail Ridge Road, check out the park’s website. If you are interested in a tour to learn more about the park, get expert guidance on where to find wildlife or the best photo spots, or how to take better photos, visit Creeks and Critters Nature Tours to book a tour.

NOTE: All of these photos were taken within the last week, except the photo of the gate to Old Fall River Road. The photo of the blowing snow on Trail Ridge Road is provided by the National Park Service/Rocky Mountain National Park. These images give a great representation of the variety of weather conditions and scenery at the various elevations throughout the park, which has a 7,000-foot elevation change from the lowest point in the park to the highest on Longs Peak.