Timed Entry System At Rocky Mountain National Park This Summer

[Timeshare Von]

I guess we were fortunate. We were in RMNP last year in late June and was able to get passes in advance for the two days we knew we'd want to venture into the park.

I also see where Glacier NP is implementing similar process this summer.

 

[RunCat]

The timed entry system caught many people, including me, by surprise last year. There were some slots still available at 10 a.m. on June 17th for that afternoon. I chose 2 p.m.

I could not see that the reservation system reduced the crowds much, so I do not know that there is room to increase the availability. It was the usual multi-lane, 12 cars deep at the gate to enter. All the parking was full. I drove around for about 1.5 hours. The parking at Bear Lake was still full driving back to Estes Park, but it was easy to find a space at Sprague Lake at 3:30 for some good hiking.

Now that people know there are entry reservations required for some National Parks, there is sure to be more competition this year for a slot.

I plan to drive from Steamboat Springs to Estes Park in July this year. I will be online at the first possible moment to reserve any timed entry I can find for that date, because if I do not get one, it is a LONG detour north or south to reach Estes Park from Steamboat Springs.

Agree about the long drive. The drive from Walden to Fort Collins is quite nice though. Likely to see camper traffic

 

[CO skier]

The official RMNP site indicates that permits first become available at 8 a.m. MDT the first day of the month for 13 months away, so for the month of July, 2022 on June 1, 2021 (today).

I logged into the recreation.gov site just before 8 a.m. MT Right at 8 a.m., I refreshed the calendar page and July was still "NR" -- not reservable. Refreshed a few more times, no luck, so just tried to select a date in July, 2022. There are 356 tickets available for each of the three time slot, but not available until 10 a.m. MDT today.

 

[CO skier]

Last year they had an exception process for those who were using US34 to transit through the park vs. visit the park. Not sure how they enforced that, but if you are just driving through you may want to look into that.

Kurt

I did look into this. The exception permit is only for commuter drivers who live in Boulder, Larimer, or Grand counties and within 50 miles of an entrance station and complete the necessary permit application that takes a few weeks to process.

Timed-Entry permits are required from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., so traveling Trail Ridge road outside of those hours would not require a permit and would be a better alternative than the long detour.

 

[bnoble]

Timed-Entry permits are required from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., so traveling Trail Ridge road outside of those hours would not require a permit and would be a better alternative than the long detour.

...and if you are hiking in the summer, you want to be entering the park *well* before 9AM anyway!

 

[CO skier]

...and if you are hiking in the summer, you want to be entering the park *well* before 9AM anyway!

True, and if you want to hike anywhere along the Bear Lake Corridor, a permit is required to access this area from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m.

 

[bnoble]

Good point. I think I asked this before, but is the hiker park-n-ride near Glacier Basin & Bear Lake Road part of that corridor? Edited to add: Yes, indeed it is.

https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/images/ROMO_ADMIN_TimeEntryPermitSystem_BLR_corridor.jpg

 

[Krteczech]

We used timed entry to Bear Lake area three times this year. Difference from last year is noticeable, less hikers, quiet etc. this year you have to enter during your purchased time slot (no system abuse as last year), you will get a paper card to display. Buses from P&R require masks, hiking trails do not. If you want to use other parts of RMNP (like Trail Ridge Road or Wild Basin, you don’t need time entry reservation after 3 PM.

 

[webdizzy]

IMO related to covid, though may remain permanent. Though crowds have naturally been getting bigger and bigger, even more so this year because of covid travel restrictions - more people staying in the US, more doing driving vacations, and traveling to outdoor natural places where social distancing is easier than theme parks, casinos, and cities for theaters, restaurants etc.

I'm sure we will be seeing this same thing at more and more other National Parks in the future.

That's my understanding as well -- a "side effect" of COVID -- more people are vacationing outdoors and staying in the US due to COVID so National Parks are more crowded than usual. I just came from Acadia National Park where they are using a timed entry reservation system just for the road up to Cadillac Mountain.