Rocky Mountain Nation Park is going to continue to pilot a timed-entry reservation system in 2024, beginning May 24. The first round of reservations will become available on Recreation.gov on May 1 for reservations spanning from May 24 through June 30.
This system is similar to the 2023 timed-entry system with two types of reservations available.
One permit is for the Bear Lake Road Corridor and reservations are required from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The rest of the park’s reservation period is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visitors who arrive to the park outside of these time windows do not need a reservation.
Permits allow visitors to enter the park within a two-hour window of availability with no set time for departure. This reservation system will apply to all areas of Rocky Mountain National Park. There is a $2 processing fee to create a reservation.
The Bear Lake Road Corridor timed-entry reservation system will continue until Oct. 20, 2024, while the rest of the park’s reservation system will end on Oct. 15, 2024.
Some differences from the 2023 pilot and the 2024 pilot include the fact that reservation slots for the night before a day will become available at 7 p.m. instead of 5 p.m. However, Rocky Mountain National Park staff still encourages people to plan their trips early as reservation slots are taken quickly.
In the 2023 pilot program, the rest of the park required reservations from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. In 2024, the park is only requiring permits until 2 p.m. rather than 3 p.m.
Kyle Patterson, management specialist and public affairs officer for the park, says that she hopes that by rolling back the reservation time from 3 p.m. to 2 p.m. will add some more spontaneity for visitors while still maintaining a good visitor experience.
The park is currently accepting public feedback on its Environmental Assessment for the park’s long-range day use visitor access plan which is proposed to take effect in 2025.
More details are available on the park’s website and comments can be submitted through Dec. 14, 2023.