If you are planning a trip to Colorado, one of your stops MUST be Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). Josh and I visited July 2022 with our boys (ages 3, 8, 10) and my aunt (80s). We really enjoyed our one-day trip through the park, and it definitely has great activities and sites for kids and adults of all ages!
Let me use our experience to help you plan a great FULL day in the Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s a beautiful place to explore new habitats, see lots of wildlife, and take in the beautiful scenery!
If you need tips for planning a road trip to get there, visit my Best Tips for a Family Road Trip with Kids post!
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I drive thru Rocky Mountain National Park?
Short answer: YES! The park is setup to be very driveable and there are many views to take in from the road pulloffs. Of course, your best day will also include getting out of the car and exploring this magnificent scenery! (See below on my BEST tip for getting the most out of your day driving through RMNP.)
What is the best time to visit Rocky Mountain National Park?
In my opinion, the best time to visit the park is in the summer. (June through September). Other times of the year result in many of the roadways being closed due to snow. Seasonal road closures are even denoted on the map you will receive at the park entrance.
That said, if you are an adventurous snow-loving family trying to avoid crowds, late fall to early spring might be for you.
Do I have to pay to enter Rocky Mountain National Park? How much does it cost?
Yes, you must pay admission to the park. Current park fees can be found here. When we visited Summer 2022, a passenger vehicle was $30 for one day, or $35 for a pass to enter seven consecutive days. BUT if you’re like us and traveling with a fourth grader, get in FREE to national parks, lands, and waters with a fourth grade pass from Every Kid Outdoors! ALSO: MAKE SURE YOU READ BELOW ABOUT THE RESERVATION SYSTEM!
Things to Know Before You Go
You need a reservation to enter Rocky Mountain National Park!
Please, please, please make sure you get a reservation early to enter Rocky Mountain National Park if you are visiting between late May to early October. Dates requiring a reservation may vary year-to-year. In 2022, you must have a reservation if you are visiting between May 27 and October 10.
These are called timed entry permit reservations, and you can make your reservation 60 days before your date of visit. Your reservation will have a two-hour window and you must enter the park within that window. There are two options for reservations: one option includes the Bear Lake Road section of the park, and the other does not. I HIGHLY recommend grabbing one that includes Bear Lake Road, as this was our favorite area of the park.
Check this site to determine when timed entry permits can be made for your date of visit.
My best advice is to log on and snag your timed entry permit AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE! I got on as soon as our date opened, and I noticed times were filling up within minutes of the site being open for that date. You’ll also want to make sure you have an account setup on recreation.gov before the opening window to save time.
Note: If you have reservations for camping in the park or a reservation for a guided tour or commercial trip, you will not need a separate reservation.
Be sure to download the GyPSy Guide App and pay for the RMNP tour
So here’s my BEST tip for visiting Rocky Mountain National Park: BE SURE to download the GypSy Guide App and purchase the Rocky Mountain National Park tour. You will be SO glad you did. A commentary about various features and history of the park will play as you travel around the park. The app uses GPS location, so the information being given is timely as you drive to different areas.
We used Apple Play with the app on my phone, so everyone could hear the commentary through our vehicle’s speakers. We loved that the narrator gave advice of where the must-do stops are and which ones we should skip if we were running short on time. It really helped us make the most of our one day in the park, and provided SO much great information that really helped enhance our visit.
During our visit we only paid $9.99 for this audio tour, and it was definitely money well spent.
Pack a lunch and plenty of water
There are very limited food and drink options in the park. Since the only cafe is located near the Alpine Visitor Center which is pretty far into the park, I recommend packing snacks and lunch for your trip. We had lunch at the picnic area in the Moraine Park section, but maps available at the entrances show other picnic areas throughout the park. Select one that will be convenient for your plans for the day.
Water is also important in the park. The entrance we used was at about 7,800 feet in elevation, and by the time you reach the Alpine Visitor Center you’re pushing 11,800 feet in elevation. Higher elevation means you need more water than normal to avoid dehydration.
Estes park – the best home base for a trip to rocky mountain national park
Most visitors to Rocky Mountain National Park stay in Estes Park before or after their trip. We were no exception, and this cool tourist spot has a lot to offer. We only stayed in Estes Park the night before our day trip to RMNP, but enjoyed quite a few of the sites.
The Riverwalk follows a scenic river through the town, with many shops and restaurants along the banks. You’re likely to see elk grazing and resting throughout this area. We were able to see elk near the Visitor Center a couple times during our evening stay in town.
After exploring the Riverwalk, we walked to the Aerial Tramway. This is a fun and exciting way to get birds-eye views of Estes Park!
Estes Park also offers a free shuttle service throughout many popular areas of the town. Make sure you check the color-coded shuttle routes to get you where you want to go.
At the end of our day, we stayed overnight at Blue Door Inn. We really enjoyed our stay there. It is an older motel-style accommodation, but we found the rooms to be very clean, it has a great free breakfast, and very friendly staff.
Our day at rocky mountain national park
Morning: Bear Lake
We had a 8:00-10:00am entry permit, and arrived at the park entrance right after 8:00. There was a line at the Beaver Meadows Entrance Station on the east side of the park, but it moved quickly. We then proceeded to the Bear Lake Road entrance (as noted above, you have to have the special entry that includes Bear Lake).
Bear Lake is an extremely popular section of the park with limited parking, so you will likely need to stop at the Park and Ride lot and take a bus to Bear Lake from there.
We LOVED this gorgeous area! We got off the bus at Bear Lake, and walked around the 0.5 mile trail that circles the lake. This is an easy, mostly flat hike that even my aunt in her 80s did without any issues. The views of the lake with the mountains in the background are breathtaking here!
After hiking around Bear Lake, Josh and the two older boys hiked the Alberta Falls trail, which is 1.6 miles roundtrip. They really enjoyed the views of this hike.
Other popular hikes with trailheads in the Bear Lake area are Dream, Emerald, and Nymph Lakes.
Picnic Lunch
Exploring the Bear Lake area took most of the morning, and then we were ready for lunch. We took the bus back to the Park and Ride lot, and then drove our vehicle to the Moraine Park area. We had lunch at a picnic area at the Fern Lake Trailhead. It was windy, but very isolated with very few people.
As mentioned above, there are VERY few options for grabbing something to eat in the park. I highly recommend packing a lunch for your day trip.
Afternoon: Trail Ridge Road
After lunch we drove the Trail Ridge Road that has not-so-gradual climbs up the mountain range. There are MANY beautiful places to pull off the road and take photos and enjoy the scenery. Your GyPSy app (mentioned above) will be a great help in determining where to pull over for the very best views. The narrator also explains history of the park as you travel, and tells you names of mountains within the range and other useful information to add to your experience in the park.
Alternatively, you can travel on Old Fall River Road (only open in the summer). It is eleven miles of an uphill climb with many severe, narrow switchbacks without guardrail. Josh would have loved to travel this road, but since we were traveling in a fullsize van we decided to skip the excitement. 🙂
As we climbed elevation, we entered into the subalpine ecosystem and then onto the alpine/tundra area above the tree line.
This is such a neat area of the park to experience, and was our first time traveling above the treeline. There were patches of snow when we visited in July.
Josh and our oldest son really enjoying hiking around the Tundra Communities Trail, a 1.2 mile roundtrip hike in the alpine area.
We then finally made our way to the Alpine Visitor Center, which is approximately 11,800 feet in elevation and is the highest altitude visitors’ center in the US National Park system.
The visitor center includes information about the park, an area to stamp your National Park Passport books, and a large souvenir shop.
We continued from there along Trail Ridge Road and exited the park at Grand Lake on the southwest side of the park. However, many visitors choose to turn around at the Alpine Visitor Center and exit on the east side back to Estes Park.
The Last Thing You Need to Know About Visiting rocky mountain national park
Rocky Mountain National Park is a MUST DO for your Colorado family road trip vacation. The landscape from your car is magnificent and allows you to experience a wide variety of ecosystems, but the best day is pulling over to explore on foot with your kids. It will be an adventure your family won’t forget!
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Have you been to RMNP? Drop a comment below with your favorite part of the park!