r/RMNP

Coming in next week May21/22. Was not aware it still snowed in Colorado during May. For us it is already summer.

I have a KIA Forte sedan. I am planning on getting winter tires and some chains. Would that be enough?

My mom might let me use her Subaru Outback, but it has all season tires, which I’m not sure is adequate given what I read.

Will be traveling all of Colorado for a week. Not too worried at lower elevations, only when we start to move into the mountains.

I was hoping to do a last minute trip to RMNP in June with my three kids age 7, 5, and 2. However, there are no timed entry plus reservations available. At least one and maybe two of the days I would like to go to the bear lake corridor with them. With three kids those ages do you think it would just be harder than it's worth if we don't have the timed entry plus? I think then we would do shuttles, but my tired mom brain hasn't figured that part out yet. I just worry with three little kids that the shuttle will be hard to navigate. If we wait until next year to go, do you have to get on the site right when it opens May 1st to be able to get those early reservations for bear lake?

I thought this year would be the sweet spot to go with carrying my 2 year old in our backpack carrier, though I'm guessing at 3 years old she will still need carrying (though if she's anything like the other two she may not want to be in the carrier at that age)

Hello, I’m visiting Colorado this week (May 12 to 17) with my parents and wanted to make my way to Estes Park / RMNP, because I don’t know if I’ll ever be back in Colorado again (much less with my parents). Although they are older, they aren’t disabled in any way and still remain active. That being said, neither of us are hikers and I am not trying to push them past their limits, so I’m hoping to keep it to mainly driving and some light walking. So my question is,

Is it possible to just drive through RMNP with an occasional stop here in there? Is that still an enjoyable experience? If so, what would be the roads/stops most recommended? Bear Lake and Trail Ridge keep coming up, but I am not sure about availability of those spots at this time of year and due to last weeks storm. I do believe I’m going just before the ‘timed entry’ required dates, but if I’m wrong feel free to correct me.

Once again I appreciate any help. I come in here with zero knowledge or experience, so I’m intimidated amongst some of you pros with my questions lol so thanks in advance! Greetings from Texas!

Hello, I am traveling to grand lake Colorado to visit RMNP memorial weekend. I am wondering what you locals/frequent travelers would recommend for a 23 year old from the Great Plains to get into while visiting.
What kind of clothes?

What kind of shoes?

What hikes do you recommend?

What time of day is safest to hike? (I read to not be above tree line after 11am)

Animals to look out for?

Do you think trail ridge road will be open?

If trail ridge road is not open what do you suggest I explore?

ANYTHJNG HELPS! THANK YOI!

We’re planning to do these hikes:

• Emerald Lake
• Sky Pond
• Chasm Lake

If anyone has other hike recommendations, let me know! Also, considering the current weather conditions, do you think these hikes will be doable around that time? ( I will bring microspikes)

I’ll be staying minutes from the park and going in daily. What would you consider the must do for this national park?

Hey all! My husband and I are traveling to RMNP on June 6-11. There's a lot of different hikes to choose from, so looking for some recommendations! We'd consider ourselves moderately experienced. We live near the AT, so we frequently do day hikes on it. We are not backpackers, so we're looking for day hikes only. I'd say we'd do max 7-9 miles for one hike, so anything below that threshold we're open to!

We personally seem to be more interested in hikes with great views of the surrounding areas/mountains as compared to the lake hikes. I'm not sure if the All Trails pictures aren't doing the lakes justice or what, but they don't seem as appealing to us compared to hikes with more of a lookout, but if they truly are spectacular please let us know!

We're specifically looking for some hike recommendations on the west/north side of the park. We booked the trip in a hurry and didn't realize the most popular hikes were on the east/north side of the park. We're staying down in Granby, so it's not logical for us to get all the way to the other side of the park every day we're there. However, we still want to get out that way so throw out recommendations for the east/north side as well!

We're also considering taking a day to go up to State Forest State Park, so any recommendations for there would be appreciated as well. If there is anything else to do besides hiking, especially closer to Granby or south of there, that's worth it let us know. Thanks for the help and input!

We’re a family of 5 traveling from Dallas to Colorado this June. This is the current itinerary I have. Any tips, changes or recommendations are appreciated!!

Thu- drive from dtx to colorado springs (only reach around midnight)
Fri- pikes peak, garden of the gods, activities —>red rock amphitheater sunset—>estes park hotel
Sat- Rmnp—> bear lake hikes and trail ridge road, chill in estes downtown
Sun- activities in estes (i have to find some😭)
Mon- going back to dtx (maybe stop at painted mines on the way?)

We’re not super big hikers so certainly looking for other activities than hiking if there’s any suggestions.

Me and three of my friends are planning a backpacking trip to the Rocky Mountain National Park for a two night stay. We will be driving from Houston, Tx and plan beginning of June.

We are all college students (20 yr m) and are all fairly athletic. Two of us have backpacking experience, but the other two are not well versed. Our plan was to spend a day getting acclimated with the elevation, and then start our trip.

Itenerary:

DAY 1: Park at Estes visitor center, shuttle to Bear lake. Explore Bear/Nymph/Dream lake, then hike up to Sourdough campsite. After setting up camp, we will explore the Two Rivers Lake and Lake Helene, then spend the night at Sourdough.

Day 2: Hike from Sourdough Campsite to Spruce Lake campsite. Along the way, we will explore Odessa Lake and Fern lake, and stop to take pictures, snacks, etc. After setting up camp, we will go up to explore Loomis Lake.

Day 3: We will hike from Spruce Lake campsite to Fern Lake trailhead, and view the pool, gulch, river, and waterfall. Once at Fern Lake TH, we will shuttle to Park and Drive and shuttle back to our car at the visitor center.

I would love any advice, as I have never backpacked or hiked in very snowy conditions or in Colorado for that matter. We have been practicing here in Houston and will be cautious with food, bear cannisters, warm clothing, and water. Please let me know if this is a good trip idea and any other activities we can do while there. Thanks

Is it worth it to go to Bear Lake after 2pm? All the passes before that time are sold out 😞

Hello! Apologies if this has been asked before but have a few specific questions. I’m planning to visit RMNP May 27-29. I’ve been before a couple years ago but in the middle of summer so the weather was different. I know there was a lot of snow recently and was wondering if I should buy microspikes or trekking poles. For reference I am looking to hike Emerald Lake (open to suggestions too!).

Also, I heard from a host in Estes Park that it should start to green in late May because of the recent snow. I know it’s probably too early to tell, but any idea what the weather will be like or what the trail might look like? (Snowy/gray vs blue skies/green?) Thank you for any advice.

We are visiting Denver the first week of June and will be driving to the park for one day. I want to give my family and friends the best experience we can have since we wont have a lot of time. We will have 4 children with us from 6 years old to 1 year old so we are not looking at any long or difficult hikes.

I have bought Day passes to the park for our two cars on Thursday June 4th, I am hoping that since it is during the week it might be slightly less crowded? My idea as it stands right now would be to try and drive to a couple locations in the morning, like the Rainbow Curve Overlook and see some views of the park, followed by going to either going to Bear Lake, Sprague Lake or Moraine Park to do a small hike and have a picnic lunch, before heading back to town.

Can anyone give me any guidance on if this is a good plan, or a terrible one? I dont know how crowded each area will get throughout the day or how the roads are if you are trying to drive and see a few areas of the park. Is there anything unforgettable I should be trying to go to?

We are from the desert, so anything with water is a huge plus!

3 of us from MN are planning to visit RMNP for the first time for a 5 day stretch in mid-July. Curious to hear anyone's thoughts on this potential itinerary for our stay here! For reference, we have one moderate-high experience hiker, one moderate hiker, and one moderate-low hiker but were planning on sticking together the whole time. Would definitely love to know if this plan may be more daunting than we're making it out to be or if there's any recommendations for alternative hikes!

Day 1: Get acclimated to the elevation and avoid much hiking. Plan on doing Trail Ridge Road and then setting up camp. Could maybe add more here like a short lake loop in the area, but don't want to plan too much.

Day 2: Do the Nymph, Dream, Haiyaha, Loch, Sky loop. From what I've read this is a slightly easier lower elevation area for if we're still acclimating. Could this potentially be too long though for day 2?

Day 3: Do the 1 way trip from Cub Lake trailhead up to Odessa Lake and down to Bear Lake. Then catch a shuttle back up to Moraine Campground where we'll be staying. Is it better to start at Fern Lake Trailhead over Cub Lake trailhead?

Day 4: We're planning on catching a concert at Red Rocks the night of Day 3 so will likely not be interested in any early morning hiking this day. Plan to use this more as a rest day and maybe go explore Estes park area and rent a kayak on the water.

Day 5: Want to do one summit while we're here and debating between Hallett's Peak and Twin Sisters. Any recommendations between the two? Hallett's may be easier to access since we're staying on the shuttle loop but Twin Sisters would let us see a new area of the park.

Other potential options would be Black Lake, Chasm Lake, more Estes Park trails or perhaps some shorter loops like Bear Lake, Sprague lake, and Lily Lake.

Thanks for the input!

My husband and I are going to be in the Estes Park/RMNP/Drake areas for our honeymoon from 10/25 - 10/29. I have been to CO several times in the summer/fall, but this will be my husband's first time out west. We are going for a cozy, romantic, & wintery vibe for our honeymoon. What kind of weather can we expect in this area? What *easy* trails will be open (I have RA so long distance hikes aren't feasible in any time of year, and for reference my tried and true favorites are Bear Lake and Sprague Lake). Any recommendations for other activities in this area? We have a cabin with private hot tub and beautiful views, and we would love to prioritize cozy/romantic activities but also lots of nature vibes and the beautiful winter scenery!

We will be visiting the first week of June and am I curious what type of biting bugs will be out? Where we live at the time we will be getting decimated by black flies, wondering what to look out for, if we should get a bug net for our baby carrier or if there really arent any out at that time. Thanks!

As an after graduation trip, a few buddies and I are backpacking for 4 nights in the park, with most of our times staying under 10000’ and only one hike touching 12000’. I understand mud and postholing to be a common problem and that variable trail conditions exist, but with the snow coming in (AccuWeather says 4”, open snow says 16”) I’m not sure what to expect from the trails and I was hoping someone with a little more experience could help shine a light!

Edit: dates are May 28th-June2nd