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Get ready for new delays at Rocky Mountain National Park this summer

By April 25, 2023 | updated 3 years ago

Traffic is stopped for a pair of big horn sheep as they cross Trail Ridge Road Monday, June 15, 2015, in Rocky Mountain National Park. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
Traffic is stopped for a pair of big horn sheep as they cross Trail Ridge Road Monday, June 15, 2015, in Rocky Mountain National Park. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock)
CHRISTIAN MURDOCK, THE GAZETTE

A summer visit to Rocky Mountain National Park always requires some planning in advance. That will be especially true this summer.

The Fall River entrance station, the park’s second-most trafficked gateway on U.S. 34 near Estes Park, will be reduced to one lane in and out during what is being called “a major construction project.” The job has been announced as underway and is expected to last late into fall — potentially through the busy elk rut and leaf-peeping season.

Officials have encouraged visitors to avoid the Fall River entrance and drive instead through the most popular station, Beaver Meadows. The park has warned of “extended wait times” at both entrances here on the east side.

While a longer drive for Front Range travelers, another option could be to enter from the west side, through Grand Lake, where reportedly about 14% of all park visitors enter.

In recent years, nearly 50% of all visitors have started through Beaver Meadows, while about 30% have entered from Fall River.

The Fall River station “no longer meets the safety or operational needs of the park,” according to an official release, which dated existing infrastructure to the 1960s. The release added that infrastructure was designed for summer use only at a time the park saw close to 1.5 million visitors every year. That’s now more than 4 million.

Construction is expected to add office space, three kiosks and a small parking area. A “fast pass lane” and widened road “should improve visitor wait times,” according to the park. Crews will also replace a wastewater system and upgrade a culvert crossing better equipped for flooding.

It’s not the only major job happening this summer that will change the experience at Rocky Mountain National Park. The premier campground, Moraine Park, is expected to close in late May through early next summer for renovations.

This is while the park rolls out a timed entry reservation system for a fourth summer. Visitors will be required to have a permit to enter at certain times and areas starting May 26; people can book at recreation.gov starting May 1.

The reservation period will last through Oct. 22, more than a week later than last year. In another change, 40% of permits will be available for booking the day prior to visiting, up from 30%. And for areas outside the Bear Lake corridor, people can enter without a permit at 2 p.m., an hour earlier than last year.

For Bear Lake, reservations will be required from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m., while the period for the rest of the park will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The only charge for the permits is recreation.gov‘s $2 fee

During construction at the Fall River entrance station, the Fall River Visitor Center, Rocky Mountain Conservancy Nature Store, Gateway Gift Shop and Trailhead Restaurant will remain open.

Seth Boster

Reporter

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