Rocky Mountain National Park is the fifth most visited national park in the U.S. With its towering mountains, thick pine forests and icy streams and lakes, the destination attracted more than four million visitors last year.
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While the park’s popularity is good for the local economy, it also creates challenges such as traffic congestion and overcrowded trails. To combat this, the National Park Service implemented a timed entry system to manage the number of visitors during the busy summer months. Anyone planning a visit during this period must make a reservation in advance.
The NPS first introduced a trial of the program in 2020, during the pandemic, when the outdoors saw a huge surge in visitors. After a few years of tests, the system was made permanent in 2024 for summer tourism.
Rocky Mountain isn't alone in this practice. Other popular NPS destinations like Yosemite and Glacier National Parks.
Booking your timed entry
To get a timed entry pass, you’ll want to set a reminder for the first of the month. New passes are released for each month on the first day of the prior month. For example, passes for July become available on June 1. To visit in August, you'll need to book on July 1, and so on. Passes are currently required beginning May 23 and continuing through the summer.
Timed entry is a necessity from Memorial Day weekend until mid-October, when the number of visitors begins to drop off. The remainder of the year does not require pre-bookings to visit.
To obtain a timed entry pass, visitors must go to Recreation.gov, the website used by the NPS for bookings. Visitors need to select a two-hour window to enter the park to help cut down on the line at the park entrance.
Although a timed entry pass costs only $2, standard park entrance fees still apply. Currently, it is $20 per vehicle for a seven-day pass. Keep in mind that you’ll need a separate timed entry pass for each day you plan to visit during those seven days.
There are also two different timed entry passes. One includes the entire park, and one excludes the Bear Lake Road corridor. Bear Lake Road is more or less the main entryway through Estes Park and includes popular trails like Bear Lake and Sprague Lake. Historically, these passes sell out first. While Bear Lake Road includes some of the park’s most beautiful spots, at 415 square miles, there are plenty of other wilderness areas to see in Rocky Mountain.
What to do if timed entry sells out
Didn’t book in time, and not sure what to do? Don’t worry, you’re not out of luck.
RMNP holds a small handful of passes that can be booked the night before. These passes become available at 7 p.m. MDT. Just be sure to set a reminder on your phone to log on to the website to grab a pass.
