Watch CBS News

Rocky Mountain National Park Returns To Reservation System In May

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, Colo. (CBS4) -- Rocky Mountain National Park will be requiring a timed-entry permit beginning on May 27. Guests can begin making reservations on May 2. Permits will allow visitors to enter the park within two-hour windows of availability.

rocky mountain national park reservation timed entry permit
(credit: Rocky Mountain National Park)

Two types of reservations will be available:

  • One permit will be for the Bear Lake Road Corridor, which includes the entire corridor, as well as access to the rest of the park. This reservation period will be from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • The second permit will be for the rest of Rocky Mountain National Park, excluding the Bear Lake Road corridor. This reservation period will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Reservations to enter the park will go on sale through recreation.gov at 10 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time on Monday, May 2. This round of reservations will be available to enter the park from May 27 through June 30.

The next release will occur on June 1, for the month of July and any remaining days that have not been booked for June. On the first of each month, the park will open reservations for the following month, through Sept. 1.

Initially, 30 percent of permits will be held and available for purchase the day prior at 5 p.m. through recreation.gov.

"These are expected to sell out quickly and visitors are encouraged to plan ahead when possible," officials warned.

Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the busiest national parks; third in the country in 2019 with over 4.6 million visitors per year.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.