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Perfect One Day in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado Itinerary

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7 months ago

The Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the most visited national parks in the U.S. This comes as no surprise: at just over 1.5 hours from Denver, the Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the most accessible national parks in the country.

For those of you who are keen hikers and looking to spend days hiking and climbing the Rocky Mountains, this article is not for you. We know that many travelers are keen to experience the Rocky Mountains in a more leisurely way – whether simply driving between viewpoints, or visiting from Denver as part of a weekend escape.

And don’t be fooled into thinking the Rocky Mountains are exclusively for hikers. The National Park is well set up for day trippers (or viewpoint hoppers, as I like to call them). With countless viewpoints, short strolls, magnificent vistas and the occasional deer, you’ll be in disbelief that you’re just a short drive from Denver.

snow capped peaks in rocky mountains national park

With that, we’ve crafted the ultimate itinerary for one day in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

How to get to the Rocky Mountain National Park

By rental car

There are airport shuttles to the main tourist villages in Estes Park. However, in my opinion, to get the most out of one day in Rocky Mountain National Park, you’ll want to have your own wheels.

If you’ve just arrived in Denver, you can easily pick up a cheap rental car at Denver International Airport.

By tour

If you prefer not to drive yourself on the mountain roads, the easiest way to spend one day in Rocky Mountains National Park is to join an organized day tour. We’ve all been there – sometimes it’s just too much hassle to DIY. I personally love this tour – it’s great value for one day and they cover all the big ticket items below. You can pick up the tour from either Denver or Boulder.

Before You Go: Rocky Mountain National Park

Altitude sickness

Much of the Rocky Mountains sit at over 6,600 ft (2,000 metres) above sea level. If you have no reference point for this, just trust me, this is extremely high. As such, if you are visiting Denver for a weekend, I’d always recommend taking it easy the first day to acclimatize as best as you can.

If you are feeling headaches or nausea, this is quite normal. The best way to avoid this is to drink lots of fluids and descend if you are feeling unwell.

Park permits and timed entries

Park permits

All visitors to the Rocky Mountain National Park are required to buy a park entrance permit. This can be purchased at the park gates using your credit card.

At the time of writing, the fees to enter the Rocky Mountains National Park are:

1 day$30
1 week$35
Annual$70

Timed entry slots

To visit the Rocky Mountain National Park between May and October, you will need a timed entry reservation. However, timed entry is only required if you intend on entering the park between 9 am and 2 pm. You can book your timed entry online.

If you are keen to start early, you can visit the park before 9 am without a timed entry. Alternatively, if you are happy to start late and have a leisurely lunch in Estes Park, you can enter the park without a timed entry reservation after 2 pm.

For those visiting in summer – and let’s be honest, Colorado is much more pleasant in summer – it often stays light until 9 pm. This means a post-2 pm entry isn’t necessarily a short day trip.

How to plan One Day in Rocky Mountain National Park

We’ve put together the below itinerary, which includes major iconic viewpoints and short walks. However, for the most up-to-date information on road and trail closures, wildlife sightings and more – we recommend making a quick stop past the Visitor Information Centre in Estes Park.

For ease of reference, make sure to bookmark this article. We’ve also prepared a small set of pinned maps for you to use during your day trip.

Stop 1: Estes Park

Your day starts in Estes Park, the main hub of activity or ‘capital’ of the Rocky Mountains. I personally love Estes Park and find it to offer a little more than just your gateway town.

If you’re hungry, I’d recommend stocking up on food before entering the park itself. The River Walk Café offers some of the best coffee and bagels in Estes Park. If you’re looking for some snacks to take along in the car, their homemade snickerdoodle banana bread is legendary. As the name suggests, they have gorgeous riverside dining (right by the Park Theatre) which offers the perfect welcome to the park.

river walk cafe in estes park colorado

Take a little time to explore the main roads of Estes Park, lined with souvenir shops, cafes and taffy shops. My personal favorite is The Taffy Shop which has been making fresh taffy daily since 1935. Unlike many other stores, The Taffy Shop retains an old-world charm and they’ll usually let you taste a flavor before buying.

Stop 2: Trail Ridge Road

With one day in Rocky Mountain National Park you can drive along the Trail Ridge Road. In my opinion, this is probably the most scenic road in the Rocky Mountains.

Depending how early you started, I recommend driving until the Alpine Visitor Center. From Estes Park, driving straight will take approximately one hour. Therefore, the amount of time you spend on the Trail Ridge Road depends on how long you spend at various viewpoints (and if you take any short walks). From experience, the Trail Ridge Road could fill most of your one day in Rocky Mountain National Park.

rocky mountain national park colorado mountains with snow day trip

To orient your drive along the road, I recommend making stops at the below viewpoints:

  • Many Parks Curve Overlook: set at one of the road’s sharp turns, you’ll get a sweeping panorama towards the Mummy Range.
  • Rainbow Curve Overlook: perhaps my favorite overview of the iconic thick forest of the Rocky Mountains and lots of snow-capped mountains in all directions.
  • Forest Canyon Overlook: set up nicely to give visitors more sweeping valley views, with Mount Julien in the distance.
  • Alpine Visitor Centre: a cute little cafe, gift shops and more views.

Stop 3: Bear Lake

Whether you take stop 3 or not will depend on how early you started, and how long you spend at the viewpoints.

From the entrance stretch of the Trail Ridge Road you can cut through to Bear Lake without completely backtracking to Estes Park. From the Alpine Visitor Centre it should take just over one hour.

Once you park at Bear Lake, it’s a short circuit around this magnificent subalpine lake – you’re looking at only around 20 minutes. There are a number of other walks in this area of the National Park. In sum, you could easily spend your entire one day in Rocky Mountain National Park just taking walks around here.

Stop 4: The drive back

Whether you’re heading back for your dinner reservation in RiNo, Denver, or off to bougie Boulder, I recommend taking State Highway 7 (S St Vrain Ave back) – even if Google Maps thinks otherwise. Along this route you’ll stop by the magisterial Lily Lake, which is flat and the perfect spot for one last short walk.

You’ll also pass the historic Saint Catherine’s Chapel on the Rock, with a small coffee shop for one last soak in of the Rocky Mountains.

Beyond Rocky Mountain National Park

It goes without saying, for many people one day in Rocky Mountain National Park isn’t enough. You could easily spend days, or weeks even, exploring the Rocky Mountains.

If you’re keen to stay a bit longer, I think Estes Park makes a great base. Both the Silver Moon Inn and Holiday Inn Estes Park offer clean and centrally located hotels.

If you are just in Denver for a long weekend trip, don’t fret. We have you covered with our One Day in Denver guide, including a specially curated guide to Denver’s best dining district.


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