Visitors must have a timed entry permit to visit any area of Rocky Mountain National Park when arriving by vehicle between 6am and 5pm, whether parking within the park or outside the park boundary. This includes driving through the park on Trail Ridge Road and visiting any outlying areas like Lumpy Ridge, Lily Lake, Longs Peak, Wild Basin, East Inlet, and North Inlet.
- Timed entry permits can only be reserved online via Recreation.gov: https://www.recreation.gov/ticket/facility/300013.
- One permit covers one vehicle and all passengers.
- The timed entry system applies to all visitors, including annual, lifetime, and senior passholders.
- You may enter at any time during your permit’s two-hour block. Blocks are 6–8am, 8–10am, 10am–12pm, 12–2pm, 2–3pm, and 3–5pm.
- At the entrance booth, you’ll be asked to show your email confirmation (on your phone or printed out), along with your annual/lifetime/senior pass if relevant.
- Once you’ve arrived during your entry window, you may exit and re-enter the park as often as needed for the rest of the day, and you can stay in the park as long as you’d like.
- A timed entry permit isn’t needed before 6am or after 5pm, but the park remains open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
-On August 1, reservations will become available for the month of September.
-10% of permits are marked "not yet released" on recreation.gov and held until 8am Mountain Time two days prior to the entry date. For example, at 8am on Monday, July 27, "not yet released" tickets will be released for Wednesday, July 29.
- If you have a campground reservation or wilderness camping permit, that serves as your timed entry permit. Learn more at go.nps.gov/RockyFees.
Why was a timed entry system put in place?
On June 4, 2020, Rocky Mountain National Park implemented a timed entry system to increase park access while providing the public a reasonable opportunity to comply with COVID-19 public health guidelines by reducing crowding. Rocky Mountain National Park was the third most visited national park in 2019 with over 4.6 million visitors, leading to congestion in many areas of the park throughout summer and fall. The system helps address this.
With more than 350 miles of trails meandering throughout the park, hiking is the absolute best way to see Rocky Mountain National Park. In fact, the park offers a wide variety of outstanding hikes that take-in the best scenery the park has to offer. If you do plan to visit Rocky Mountain this year, please note that our hiking website also offers a wide variety of accommodation listings and other things to do to help with all your trip planning.
Jeff
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
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TetonHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com
Ramble On: A History of Hiking
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Exploring Grand Teton National Park
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