If you have a lot of time and multiple days in the park, there is plenty more to experience. This list is perfect for first timers to see and do all the high points and feel like you’ve truly experienced the park. We always recommend going early or late. When you go mid to late afternoon you will have time for a hike and a wildlife drive once everyone has got the wiggles out. We ALWAYS see wildlife at sunset. So we typically enter the park around 2 or 3 and hike, picnic, and wildlife drive.
🎟 $2 Reservation Permits required from 9-3 in the summer. $30 day pass or $80 Natl Parks Pass.
💦Hike the 1.7 miles to Alberta Falls: Easy hike with beautiful rewards. Good for all families, with kids of all ages.
🌲Drive the unpaved Old Fall River Road: No 4×4 necessary. We always like to take the side roads to escape the crowds and find the true solitude of our national parks.
🥾Hike to Emerald Lake to see four lakes in 3.6 miles: This hike has encompasses all the beauty this park has to offer. It’s truly incredible. Go early or late to avoid the crowds. You can shorten this hike by only doing Nymph and/or Dream lakes, but I highly recommend you go all the way in to Emerald.
🚙Drive Trail Ridge Road. This drive is stunning all day long, every day. It’s only accessible in the summer months and one of our favorite drives in the US. Dually a can drive it just fine.
🏔Visit the Alpine Visitor Center for epic views and a short hike
🐻Awesome Wildlife Viewing: Elk, Moose, Black Bear, & Big Horn Sheep are just a few of the animals you may see while exploring this park. Make sure to keep your eyes peeled while driving through the meadows. Check out one of favorite animal encounters ever…HERE.
🧺Bring a picnic into the park. If you find yourself around a meal time at either of the park entrances, I suggest trying the table size pizza at Antonios Pizza in Estes Park or the caramel shakes from Miyauchi’s Snack Bar in Grand Lake. We’ve tried a few things on both sides of the park and these were family favorites.
For more information and details on your trip to RMNP, check out our stories HERE
~Mel
