Rocky Mountain National Park timed entry 2027: how reservations work

Checked October 2026. The National Park Service (NPS) has not yet announced the 2027 timed entry season for Rocky Mountain National Park. This guide describes the system as NPS and Recreation.gov published it for 2026. Dates, hours and release days for 2027 are still to be announced, so check nps.gov/romo before you plan.

In summer and early fall, Rocky Mountain National Park uses a timed entry reservation system to spread out visitors. A reservation lets your vehicle enter the park during a set two-hour window. Once you're in, you can stay as long as you like. NPS says the system is designed for about 20,000 visitors (7,200 vehicles) a day.

The two reservation types

Timed Entry covers the whole park except the Bear Lake Road corridor. In 2026 it was required from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, May 22 through October 12. You need it for Trail Ridge Road, the west side of the park, and outlying areas like Wild Basin, Lily Lake, Longs Peak and Lumpy Ridge during those hours.

Timed Entry+ Bear Lake Road includes the Bear Lake Road corridor and all other areas of the park. In 2026 it was required from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, May 22 through October 18. The corridor sits on the east side of the park, near the Beaver Meadows Entrance, and holds many of the park's busiest trailheads: Bear Lake, Glacier Gorge, Bierstadt Lake, and the Moraine Park area.

A few rules apply to both. You need one reservation per vehicle per day, not per person. The person named on the reservation must be in the vehicle with photo ID. Reservations can't be transferred or refunded, though NPS says you can cancel up to 24 hours before your visit. A reservation is not an entrance pass: you still need a valid park pass or entrance fee. And a reservation doesn't guarantee parking at any trailhead.

When reservations are released

Reservations are sold only on Recreation.gov, not at park entrances or visitor centers. The only cost is a non-refundable $2 Recreation.gov processing fee. In 2026, NPS released them in monthly blocks at 8 a.m. Mountain time: on May 1 for May 22 to June 30, on June 1 for July, on July 1 for August, on August 1 for September, and on September 1 for October 1 to 18. Each release also added any unreserved dates from the month before.

NPS also holds back reservations for each day and releases them at 7 p.m. Mountain time the evening before. For 2026, NPS said this was 40 percent of each day's reservations, and that they sell out quickly. If you miss the monthly release, the night-before release is your best second chance.

“Set a reminder for release time, sign in to Recreation.gov a few minutes early, and know which reservation type and entry window you want before you start.”

— Great Hikes team

No reservation? Your options

Go early or late. In 2026 you could enter most of the park without a reservation before 9 a.m. or after 2 p.m. For Bear Lake Road, the no-reservation times were before 5 a.m. or after 6 p.m. If you arrive at the Bear Lake Road entrance at or after 5 a.m., you need a reservation.

Camp or backpack. In 2026, reservations at Aspenglen, Glacier Basin and Moraine Park campgrounds included timed entry with Bear Lake Road access. Timber Creek included timed entry but not Bear Lake Road, and Longs Peak Campground did not include it. An overnight wilderness permit also serves as your timed entry for the length of the permit.

Take the Hiker Shuttle. It runs from the Estes Park Visitor Center to the park's Park & Ride Transit Hub on Bear Lake Road. You need a Hiker Shuttle ticket from Recreation.gov and a valid park entrance pass. The shuttle ticket doesn't let you drive a vehicle into the park. Other exceptions NPS lists include horseback ride reservations, commercial tours, and bicycles (each rider still needs a pass).

Best hikes in the Bear Lake corridor

All distances below are one way, with elevation gain, as NPS lists them. Double them for the round trip. From the Bear Lake Trailhead, the Bear Lake Loop is an easy 0.6 mi (1 km) with 71 ft (22 m) of gain. Nymph Lake is 0.5 mi (0.8 km) with 231 ft (70 m), Dream Lake is 1.1 mi (1.8 km) with 474 ft (144 m), and Emerald Lake is 1.7 mi (2.7 km) with 771 ft (235 m). All three lakes are on the same trail, so you can turn around whenever you like.

For a bigger day from Bear Lake, Lake Helene is 2.9 mi (4.7 km) with 1,340 ft (408 m) of gain. Flattop Mountain is 4.2 mi (6.8 km) with 2,866 ft (873 m), a climb above the trees.

From the Glacier Gorge Trailhead, Alberta Falls is 0.8 mi (1.2 km) with 233 ft (71 m) of gain. Mills Lake is 2.7 mi (4.3 km) with 816 ft (249 m), and The Loch is 3 mi (4.8 km) with 1,046 ft (319 m). Sky Pond is 4.2 mi (6.8 km) with 1,726 ft (526 m), passing Timberline Falls at 3.8 mi. NPS says Glacier Gorge parking fills early each day and suggests parking at Park & Ride and taking the Bear Lake shuttle.

In the Moraine Park area, Cub Lake is 2.4 mi (3.7 km) with 540 ft (165 m) of gain, and Fern Lake is 3.8 mi (6.1 km) with 1,375 ft (419 m). Bierstadt Lake, from its own trailhead, is 1.5 mi (2.4 km) with 500 ft (152 m).

Getting around Bear Lake Road

In 2026, free park shuttles ran daily through mid-October, weather permitting, on two routes along Bear Lake Road: the Bear Lake route and the Moraine Park route. They don't serve areas outside the corridor. Park & Ride is the largest parking area on Bear Lake Road and the main shuttle stop in summer. NPS notes that the Bear Lake parking lot is often full by 9 a.m., so having a reservation doesn't mean you'll find a space at the trailhead.

Reservation dates, hours, shuttle schedules and trail conditions change from year to year and sometimes during the season. Before you book, and again before you go, check current conditions and regulations with Rocky Mountain National Park at nps.gov/romo, and reservation details on Recreation.gov.