Hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park

If you want to camp in Rocky Mountain National Park, a $30 permit is required from May 1st through October 31st. For non-camping visitors, the park offers a Day Pass that costs $25. A seven-day vehicle pass is $35, and a seven-day motorcycle pass is $30. An annual pass for the park is $70.

The park’s peak season is June through September. Even though the park is open year round, snow can limit hiking activity up to the end of spring or even the beginning of summer.

While flash thunderstorms and showers are a given most days — even when clear skies abound — hiking tours are very rarely cancelled or postponed. In the summer, daytime temperatures average in the 70s; in the evenings it can get as cold as the 40s.

Depending on the hiking service you adventure with, group sizes are relatively small with usually no more than a 10 guests per guide. Pricing is done per participant, and the cost per person usually decreases when more people are in the group.

Most guiding companies prefer children to be 12 or older to hike in a group. If you choose to have a privately led group, there is greater flexibility with children’s ages.

Because Rocky Mountain National Park has elevations ranging from 7,860ft to 14,259ft, acclimatization and physical fitness are very important. One of the better ways to get used to the elevation is to take things slowly for the first couple of days until your body adjusts to the different oxygen level.

Estes Park sits just to the east of the park’s entrance and is often the meeting location of choice for any backcountry endeavors. Denver is 1.5 hours by car; Boulder, CO, is just under an hour’s drive.