Even though this guide works for travel Memorial Day through mid-October, Rocky Mountain can be wet, muddy, and even snowy in May and June. We like to wait until July to visit because that is when the Old Fall River Road opens. It’s worth it, even if we are dealing with higher crowds.

In early September, the leaves begin to turn, so that is an especially beautiful time to visit.  

Summer also offers wonderful wildflowers.

We are of the mindset that you have a plan, so you can be flexible.  

We lay out what we believe are the best activities for your time and money, but we all have different preferences. 

Because each activity listed has a star rating, approximate time frame, and cost, you’ll easily be able to adjust to best suit your group’s interests. 

We surveyed our customers and they reported that our guides saved them 10-20 hours of trip planning research, on average. 

Although much of the information included in this guide can be found with significant research, this guide combines what you need to know into one place, and it is from a source committed to giving you the best information.

This guide cost us over $8,211 to create when we combined travel expenses, consulting, map creation, and formatting.  In addition, we have spent days visiting RMNP, Estes Park, and Grand Lake + doing additional research from home.

Many of our travelers enjoy the confirmation that they have already created a good plan and may even find a thing or two to add to it.

Other travelers may find that our plan is similar to what they had already pieced together on their own.  

If you’ve already spent hours planning, you may not find maximum value in this guide.

Yes! We travel with our 4 children and both sets of our parents.  Although not every activity is for everyone, there are always backup suggestions.

We write these guides so all the work you should need to do is obtain your lodging and reservations.  We include maps and the time needed to complete drives and activities. We put boxes throughout the guide indicating it’s an item that you will need to take care of before you leave. We also give links to websites we think you should check before your leave (Ex: Links to get you timed entry reservation)

We prefer to bring our own vehicle so we drive the Trail Ridge Road and Old Fall River Road, but RMNP does have a shuttle system that will take you to some popular areas of the park, including the Bear Lake Corridor and Moraine Park.

A hiker’s shuttle is also available in Estes Park that will get you to the Park & Ride where you can catch the Bear Lake and Moraine Park shuttles.

Yes. We give approximate time frames that are needed to complete an activity.  The schedule is generally not so packed that you have to be a quick traveler.  But if you know you generally need more time, you can make adjustments. If you are quick, there are suggestions for additional activities

This is a digital download, so it will be EMAILED to you. That way, you can have access immediately and have the option to download it to any device you want. 

Many travelers, including us, prefer to print the itinerary and take it with us as we travel.

The itinerary and audio guide are available immediately upon purchase, right on this webpage. You will also receive an email within 30 minutes with download links in case you need to revisit the links and download the items later. If you don’t receive your email, check your junk mail folder. If it’s not there, contact mattandcheryl@wereintherockies.com, and we’ll be in touch with you within 1 business day. Also, the guides will be available in your account if you choose to establish one (we highly encourage it). 

If you are only visiting Rocky Mountain National Park, this is the only guide you need. If you are also interested in visiting other parts of Colorado, we recommend the Colorado Bundle. It will give you full itineraries for Northern and Southwest Colorado and the Pikes Peak region, and also includes an Overview that shows you the most efficient way to combine them together and the best routes depending on which airport or direction you are coming from. Plus, it’s cheaper than if you were to buy each of the guides individually.

If you are doing an even bigger trip, just email us at mattandcheryl@wereintherockies.com and tell us where you want to go. A real human will email you back within one business day. 

If you are interested in seeing more of Colorado, yes! It’s a great addition to Rocky Mountain. You’ll just need to add 4-10 extra days. Each area is different and we show you how to piece this entire trip together in the Colorado Bundle. It’s also at a discounted rate compared to buying each guide individually.

Another popular place to visit is Arches and Canyonlands National Parks in Utah. You would also need to add 2-5 days to visit this area.  

We have guides for both and offer an automatic discount. 10% off when you purchase 2 guides, 20% off when you purchase 3 or more.

National parks constantly change, including timed-entry requirements, construction, fires, and closures. To keep you updated on the most current things going on, we have a Parks Updates page that we update every week with important information. We recommend you look at this as soon as you begin planning your trip, as well as a few days before you leave.

Guides are automatically updated to the latest version when you create an account. 

In addition to that, we also send an email notification out when a guide is updated. Just make sure to stay subscribed to our email list so we can reach you. 

Because the download is a PDF file, you can do it on any device: computer, iPhone, Android, tablet, etc.

Stuff like this happens. We get it. 

If you created an account, just log in again and download your guides.

If you didn’t create an account or forgot your password, just email us and we can resend your links. 

For step-by-step instructions (including pictures), check out our Help With Downloads page.

If you still need help, reach out to us at mattandcheryl@wereintherockies.com We’ll get back to you as soon as possible to help. We’re even happy to jump on a phone call with you if needed. 

Rocky Mountain is open year-round, but a completely different experience in the winter. This guide will work in the summer and fall. Travelers should know that the Trail Ridge Road and the Old Fall River Road are closed in the winter. 

Trail Ridge Road usually opens around Memorial Day and the Old Fall River Road doesn’t open until the 4th of July weekend.  They both close when it begins to snow, around mid-October.

Yes!! We update our guides as needed, but write the concepts to intentionally be as timeless as possible. We encourage you to purchase the guide as soon as you know you will be traveling. It will help you determine which areas to stay and how many days to obtain lodging. Upon purchase, you’ll be guided to create an account on our website. If we update the guide, it will automatically show in your account. Your purchase included free updates for life.

It is not required, but is HIGHLY recommended. We encourage you to create an account when purchasing the guides because you’ll have access to the links at any time.

You will have access to the updated guide through your account (another reason to create an account) for life. We generally send an email announcement when we do an update as well.

We believe that once you buy a guide from us, you should be able to use it to visit a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th time. 

If you created an account, just log in and download your guide again.

If you didn’t create an account, just email mattandcheryl@wereintherockies.com and let us know you want us to resend your guide links.

We invested over $8,211 in creating this guide. We’ve done several activities that cost money and eaten at some nicer restaurants.  

We include our recommendations for where to eat and the best activities to do within our guide, along with approximate costs.

We put approximate price ranges on all our activities so you know what to expect. The good news is that once you pay for your park entry, the drives, hikes, and viewpoints are no additional charge. 

Although we do suggest some hikes, we offer plenty of alternatives if hiking is not desirable, including viewpoints and drives.

Rocky Mountain has plenty of easy, 1-mile loops around lakes that are very pleasant.  

Remember, the timed entry is only necessary from 9:00 am -2:00 pm daily for most areas of the park.  You are free to enter before or after that.  

The Bear Lake Corridor Area of the park has a timed entry from 5:00 am- 6:00 pm. You will most likely have to skip this area. Our guide has many activity suggestions for outside the park, if you need a backup plan.

Our Rocky Mountain Itinerary will still work for you. Most activities in our itinerary do not require reservations.

You may or may not be able to get timed entry reservations to enter Rocky Mountain (there are some available the night before). 

If not, you can enter the park before 9:00 am or after 2:00 pm (except the Bear Lake Corridor, which requires timed entry 5:00 am-6:00 pm)