CO National Parks Question

[mt100gr.]

All,
I admittedly know nothing about the ticketed entry system for national parks in CO. Looking specifically at Rocky Mountain NP.

I know there are a lot of CO folks here so I am hoping someone can shed some light. Are there any transferable passes or tickets to watch for if you strike out on getting a ticket?

A good friend was hoping to check RMNP off the list but the ticket system seems to disagree.

Any/all suggestions appreciated!

 

[dmc]

Wake up early and go. Excluding the Bear Lake area you just have to get inside the park before 9 AM. No reservation needed.

 

[Fordguy]

I thought the reservation system was only in effect until Labor Day. Maybe its different from one national park to another. I don't pay that much attention. RMNP is my least favorite National Park so far anyway- I don't have any plans to return.

 

[bozeman]

Its beautiful and offers some tremendous hikes. Just go early, before the ticketed time starts.......

 

[mt100gr.]

Thank you for the info, guys. I'll pass that along.

 

[def90]

Reservations run from 9:00-3:00 until October 11th. Get there early before the crowd and you should be fine. Another non park site online says you have to get there before 6:00 to get in without a res but that doesn’t make sense, doubt they shut the gates between 6 and 9.

 

[Lee_R]

Reservations start at 5 am and run at 2 hr increments. They don't release the morning reservations until 5 pm the day before. They go fast, as in 5 minutes fast for week days and only issue 190 per 2 hr time slot....I did it twice this week. Create an account on recreation.gov and have everything pre-filled including credit card. The cost is $2. You'll still need the park entry fee. Some good bulls are in town right now and quite a few more are in Morraine Park with their cows, so you'll want the entire park pass to give you access to Bear Lake (Morraine park is on the way to the lake).

 

[mt100gr.]

Are there any insider tricks to getting a camping reservation in the park? Cancellation lists? Overflow? or "standby" like lists to track down? Or is the camping as busy as it appears and cut and dried reservation system?

Or can anyone recommend a safe, nearby place to camp if one is just going to roll in before ticket time?

Thank you!

 

[Lee_R]

There's national forest access off of 36 just outside of estes park a few miles. There's a camp site in town if you're pulling a camper, not sure if they allow tent camping in it.