Rocky Mountain National Park is considered one of Colorado’s many gems for hikers, wildlife lovers, and journey seekers. There are some ways to expertise the Park, however RVing Rocky Mountain National Park ought to be in your nationwide parks bucket listing.
Why Visit Rocky Mountain National Park in an RV?
Visitors from throughout can benefit from the completely different ecosystems of the Colorado mountains whereas having the choice to see a wide range of excessive alpine wildlife. From thick pine forests and exquisite open meadows to excessive rocky peaks and naked alpine tundra, exploring the park permits vacationers to flee metropolis life and benefit from the Colorado wilderness.
There are a number of RV-friendly campgrounds inside the park, making for an ideal place to basecamp for a couple of days. Visitors in longer RVs and trailers could also be restricted on sure roadways, however total, the park is pretty accessible to most autos.
When to Visit Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park is open year-round: 12 months a 12 months, 24 hours a day. However, entry to the park modifications drastically relying on the season. When the park begins to obtain snow, high-elevation roads shut, limiting customer entry.
The hottest time to go to is in the course of the summer season and fall, from the months of May by October, with the height occasions being June by August. Timed entry reservations are required to entry the park in the course of the excessive season from late May to mid-October.
They will be made on the first of the month for the next month. This is when many of the park is open to guests because the snow has melted off the higher-elevation roads.
Rocky Mountain National Park within the Spring
In the spring, numerous Rocky Mountain National park is inaccessible because of snow. It is a well-liked time for mountaineers to climb the icy and snowy peaks as soon as the snowpack has consolidated. Skiing throughout this time is common as properly for that purpose. Hikes decrease down begin opening up later within the season, and guests have the possibility to see a few of the wildlife infants across the park.
Rocky Mountain National Park within the Summer
The fundamental time to go to Rocky Mountain National Park is in the summertime, which additionally occurs to be its hottest time to go to. The many trails permit a wide range of actions. Backpacking, climbing, fishing, wildlife viewing, and climbing are common pastimes in the course of the summer season.
If climbing within the excessive peaks, or going previous treeline, take note of the climate. Daily afternoon thunderstorms will not be unusual. A rule of thumb is to be off the excessive peaks and again on the trailheads by midday.
Rocky Mountain National Park within the Fall
Rocky Mountain National Park dazzles within the fall. Leaf peeping is a well-liked pastime in Colorado from mid/late September by early October. Rocky Mountain is a well-liked place to view the autumn colours because the aspens change to sensible golds and oranges.
Another draw to the park within the fall is to listen to the bugling sounds of the elk. Rocky Mountain has a big elk herd that vacationers have a excessive probability of seeing whereas visiting. During the autumn, the elk bugle throughout their mating season, and it’s an unimaginable expertise to listen to.
Rocky Mountain National Park within the Winter
From as early as mid-October by March, Rocky Mountain turns right into a winter wonderland. Many trails change into inaccessible to people with out the right winter climbing gear. Cross-country skiers, backcountry tourers, and snowshoers benefit from the giant quantities of snow the park receives.
Hidden Valley, an deserted ski resort within the park, is common amongst backcountry skiers and snowboarders, particularly on powder days. Here, sledding can also be a preferred pastime.
Folks touring to Rocky Mountain within the winter ought to pay attention to avalanche hazard inside the park, relying on the paths they’re going. Talk to rangers on the customer facilities to study the place to go and the place to keep away from.
Where to Stay
There are 5 campgrounds in Rocky Mountain National Park. Longs Peak Campground is tent-only and first-come, first-served, however the 4 others accommodate RVs.
If staying contained in the park, timed-entry reservations don’t have to be made, however tenting reservations have to be made months prematurely. Here are the 4 fundamental RV-friendly campgrounds within the park:
This campground sees little shade because of beetle kill pine (a parasite the pine bushes in Colorado are susceptible to) and outdated burn areas from wildfires.
Moraine Park is the one campground within the Park that’s open in the course of the winter. During this time, websites can be found on a first-come, first-served foundation.
A preferred website, this campground can host greater teams at its group websites, although RVs and trailers will not be allowed within the group websites.
Aspenglen is a smaller campground in comparison with others. There is not any dump station right here, so guests ought to plan accordingly.
Staying Outside the Park
Reserving a spot within the park will be very troublesome, particularly if visiting in the course of the excessive season. If you’d like extra facilities, want a spot for an extended RV, or can’t make a reservation inside the park, try these close by campgrounds.
- Elk Meadow Lodge and RV Resort: Located in Estes Park, Colorado. About 5 minutes from the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center
- Spruce Lake RV Resort: Located in Estes Park, Colorado. About 5 minutes from the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center
- Riverview RV Park: Located in Loveland, Colorado. About 40 minutes from the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center.
- Winding River Resort: Located in Granby, Colorado. About 5 minutes from the Kawuneeche Visitor Center.
- Manor RV Park: Located in Estes Park, Colorado. About 5 minutes from the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center.
Many parks round Rocky Mountain National Park are Good Sam campgrounds, so for those who put money into a Good Sam Membership, it can save you 10% in your nightly stays.
Tips to your Camping Stay
- Book campsites by Recreation.gov beginning in November of the 12 months prior. Here are the hyperlinks to every reservable campground:
- There are not any hookups for RVs or showers contained in the park. Visitors who’ve photo voltaic showers should use photo voltaic bathe stalls.
- Cellphone reception is proscribed inside the park. Consider a sign booster to enhance no matter service you may get by your supplier.
- Generators are allowed throughout sure hours in sure websites. While making a reservation, the web site will say what’s allowed at your camp space.
- If backpacking, wilderness permits should even be obtained prematurely.
- Follow campfire restrictions. In the summer season, numerous Colorado could limit or utterly ban campfires, relying on how dry and the way excessive the hearth hazard is. This might be posted upon getting into the campground. The hosts on-site may even know whether or not you should utilize a moveable firepit throughout your keep.
- You could also be required to retailer your meals in supplied storage lockers. Check-in with the host. This prevents bear break-ins.
How to Get Around Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park covers 415 sq. miles of various environments. There is loads to see, and guests can entry the park through considered one of three entrances. Most enter from the east aspect of Rocky Mountain, close to Estes Park, both by Beaver Point or Fall River Road. The different entrance is on the western a part of the park, close to Grand Lake.
During the summer season and fall, the street connecting the 2 sides is open, permitting guests to drive over mountain passes. Though all autos are allowed on the primary Trail Ridge Road, people will not be comfy driving this portion.
The roads are pretty steep and slender, with an honest quantity of switchbacks. Visitors not used to driving mountain roads could discover this part to be a bit intimidating. Go sluggish and keep in decrease gear whereas descending.
Places to Go
When RVing Rocky Mountain National Park, there are some must-visit locations to get to know the world. If it’s your first time visiting, cease by one of many many customer facilities to study extra concerning the park earlier than heading out onto the favored trails and lots of websites it has to supply.
The Visitor Centers
There are 4 customer facilities company can cease in to study extra concerning the park’s historical past, get a National Park Passport stamp, and study concerning the path circumstances and climate, as it’s at all times altering within the park.
- Beaver Meadows Visitor Center
- Alpine Visitor Center
- Kawuneeche Visitor Center
- Fall River Visitor Center
Depending on the season, some customer facilities will not be open. The Alpine Visitor Center is closed from mid-fall to the tip of spring.
Holzwarth Historic Site
History buffs could get pleasure from a cease on the Holzwarth Historic Site. The historic website affords a glimpse into what life seemed like within the space within the late 1800s by 1900s. It modified goal all through the years, however the buildings are stored with some authentic furnishings.
Daily excursions are led all through the summer season, with the buildings open to the general public. While guests could go to and stroll across the grounds any time of 12 months, guests can solely go contained in the buildings in the course of the summer season excursions. Hiking across the grounds is a couple of 1-mile spherical journey stroll.
Moraine Park Discovery Center
The discovery middle is one other historic constructing that’s solely open in the course of the summer season season. Rangers give info on the park whereas the constructing holds displays for company to study extra concerning the park and its historical past.
Sheep’s Lake Information Station
The car parking zone is open 24 hours a day, however the info station is open solely in the course of the summer season. For RVers touring to view wildlife, Sheeps Lake is a superb place to attempt to catch sight of a few of the animals that Rocky Mountain National Park is house to. Bighorn sheep, moose, elk, deer, and black bears are sometimes seen on this space.
Bear Lake
One of the highest points of interest within the park, Bear Lake is a .6-mile round-trip hike. The path is a wheelchair-accessible path designed for hikers of all talents. Interpretative indicators alongside the path educate concerning the Park and its historical past.
The Bear Lake space is an effective start line for a lot of common hikes inside Rocky Mountain. This is likely one of the hottest areas within the Park, and so the parking is full very early on in the summertime and fall. Arrive early or plan on taking a shuttle.
Lily Lake Loop
This accessible, flat path is about 0.8 miles spherical journey and provides stunning views of Longs Peak and Meeker Mountain, two of the very best peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park. The Lily Lake Loop has benches and picnic tables to absorb the views and is a well-liked fishing spot.
Things To Do in Rocky Mountain National Park
Discover a couple of out of doors actions to get pleasure from throughout your go to.
Hiking
One of the preferred methods to get pleasure from Rocky Mountain National Park is by trekking on one of many many climbing trails within the park. There are over 300 miles of trails inside Rocky Mountain, so hikers have many trails to select from for his or her adventures.
- Ypsilon Lake: This 9-mile spherical journey hike takes guests round a few of the park’s greatest surroundings, ending at a beautiful forested lake surrounded by peaks. The elevation achieve is over 2,000 toes, so people on the lookout for a tougher, all-day hike will get pleasure from this path.
- Dream Lake: This simple 2.2-mile spherical journey hike passes by the favored Nymph Lake, and hikers can proceed on to Lake Haiyaha or Emerald Lake from right here. Surrounded by peaks, this hike really is a dream.
- The Loch: This path is a bit over 6 miles spherical journey with 1,000 toes of elevation achieve earlier than reaching the favored lake, considered one of three within the system often known as Loch Vale. Hikers will move by Alberta Falls on the best way to The Loch.
- Lake Haiyaha: For hikers on the lookout for a shorter journey, the gorgeous Lake Haiyaha is a well-liked outing. A bit over 4 miles spherical journey, Lake Haiyaha supplies views of different common lakes alongside the best way: Bear, Nymph, and Bierstadt.
- Chasm Lake: While the trailhead to the lake is technically within the park, guests truly begin climbing exterior of the park’s entrance. It’s over 8 miles spherical journey with about 2,400 toes of elevation achieve and begins within the forest earlier than ending on the base of Longs Peak, the tallest peak within the park at over 14,000 toes, and a beautiful alpine lake.
- Alberta Falls: A preferred hike, this simple path is 1.2 miles spherical journey and takes hikers as much as the gorgeous 30-foot falls. Many people get pleasure from lunch and photographs right here, and it’s a path for folk of all talents. The path results in different common hikes within the park.
Scenic Drives
There are a pair scenic drives that guests can do whereas RVing Rocky Mountain National Park relying on the car they’re driving. Colorado boasts two of the very best roads in North America.
The awe-inspiring Trail Ridge Road is considered one of them. The street is open solely in the course of the summer season months, because it’s buried beneath toes of snow in the course of the winter. It connects the east and the west sides of the park and is called the “Highway to the Sky.”
The street begins on the backside of the park, in meadows and pine forests, taking guests alongside a few of Rocky Mountain National Park’s greatest views. This is one you received’t wish to miss.
The street is North America’s highest paved street, going up into the alpine tundra. During a cloudless night time, parking up on the lot for the Alpine customer’s middle supplies wonderful views of the celebrities.
Old Fall River Road affords nice views of Colorado’s excessive nation and is a much less traveled street for motorists. Vehicles have to be shorter than 27 toes lengthy, and trailers will not be permitted. The street is gravel and is one-way. This is a pleasant choice for these on the lookout for fewer crowds.
Guided Tours and Ranger Programs
Ranger-led packages are a enjoyable method to study concerning the park and its historical past. These packages are seasonal, so cease into the closest customer middle to study extra about what packages are presently being supplied. Programs are led from each the east and the west sides of the park, together with the Alpine Visitor Center.
Snowshoeing
Snowshoeing is a well-liked method to discover within the winter. Ranger-led snowshoe walks are supplied from January by March, and reservations will be made as much as per week prematurely. Spaces replenish quick, particularly on hotter and weekend days. If you don’t have your individual snowshoes, leases can be found all through the city of Estes Park.
Horseback Riding
Horseback driving is allowed inside the park. Over 260 miles can be found for folk to trip, and for many who get pleasure from overnights, there are backcountry campsites designated for inventory use. Those trying to get a information can discover horse-led excursions on the town.
Fishing
Fishing is allowed inside the park as properly. A license have to be bought beforehand and will be bought all through retailers in Colorado, on-line, or by cellphone. Some our bodies of water don’t permit fishing, and others are catch-and-release, so learn concerning the guidelines and rules earlier than heading out.
What to Bring and How to Prepare
- Check street circumstances. It can snow year-round in Colorado’s excessive nation. Colorado has traction legal guidelines, and vacationers should abide by these (or probably face enormous fines), which generally can go into impact wherever from mid-September to the tip of May.
- For winter visits, vacationers should use chains, have snow-rated tires, or have all-wheel or four-wheel drive. Check out these security suggestions for navigating mountain grades in an RV.
- Leave the canine behind. Pups will not be allowed contained in the park.
- Observe the wildlife at a secure distance. Elk, moose, and bears are a few of the wildlife you might encounter within the park. Don’t strategy them. Both elk and moose can, and do, injure company who get too shut.
- If tenting, hold meals and trash locked contained in the automobile or within the storage packing containers supplied at some campsites. Bears are very able to breaking and getting into into vehicles and tenting tents.
- Check the climate and are available ready. The climate can change shortly. During monsoon season, being above the treeline will be scary with lightning.
- During the winter, snowstorms deposit snow shortly and trigger the windy mountain roads to get icy. The temperature within the decrease elevations on the park can differ considerably from the temperature within the higher elevations. Use a handheld VHF radio to get emergency climate alerts whenever you don’t have cell service.
- Plan on taking shuttles. Depending on the reservation time, until you arrive extraordinarily early within the day, you probably might want to take shuttle buses across the park to entry common climbing trails. Planning on a sure hike however don’t wish to cope with visitors? Reservations will be made to take the shuttle for sure hikes.
- Follow velocity limits. The roads contained in the park will be slender and steep, with many switchbacks. Depending on the climate, they’ll get icy fairly shortly as properly. It’s common for a stray elk or two (or a complete herd) to cross the street.
- Read up in your hikes. Rocky Mountain National Park has stunning but in addition lethal terrain. Every 12 months, Search, and Rescue will get calls from individuals misplaced on routes.
- During the winter, snowshoeing and backcountry snowboarding are common pastimes. Be cautious and skim up on avalanche circumstances and know what trails and areas to keep away from if going out within the winter.
Brief History of Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park, with its peaks and meadows carved by glaciers, was as soon as house to the Ute tribes, who lived on the land till the late 1700s. The land the Park sits on at this time was acquired by the US authorities with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.
The fur trappers and explorers skirted across the space, avoiding the rugged peaks. It wasn’t till the 1860s that miners got here within the hopes of discovering gold. Small mining cities began appearing across the park’s edges, drawing guests to the world.
In 1909 Enos Mills put forth the advice of making the nation’s tenth nationwide park. He spent years lecturing and lobbying throughout the United States. In 1915, Woodrow Wilson signed the Rocky Mountain National Park Act, establishing its National Park standing.
During the Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt created packages to place individuals to work. One of the packages, the Civilian Conservation Corps, labored within the park to construct roads, trails, and buildings. During this time, extra roads and buildings have been added to the park offering extra accessibility, particularly for vehicles.
Upon the fiftieth anniversary of the park, customer facilities have been added, and researchers flocked to the park’s out of doors laboratory. Eventually, outdated visitor lodges have been became campgrounds and parking heaps, permitting extra guests to benefit from the pure great thing about Rocky Mountain.
Plan your subsequent journey to the nationwide parks in an RV. Rent an RV, trade-in your RV, or purchase a brand new or used RV and begin touring for lower than $5 a day.
Have you visited Rocky Mountain National Park? Share your suggestions and expertise under!
Danielle Maxey is a mountaineer, skier, climber, mountain biker, and canyoneer, with a love for any out of doors journey. With a background in anthropology, she has an enormous curiosity in human affairs and conservation points. Colorado primarily based, yow will discover her renovating her van (once more), writing about her travels, or exploring the mountains together with her digital camera. Follow her adventures on atlascalling.com.