Rocky Mountain National Park visitors to face major construction restrictions this summer

Miles Blumhardt, Fort Collins Coloradoan
Updated ·4 min read

Visitors to Rocky Mountain National Park will face recreation-pinching construction projects this summer, including restriction to the park's second-busiest entrance station and the closure of its most popular campground.

That's on top of a fourth straight year of the park's timed entry permit reservation system.

Here's what you need to know before visiting one of the National Park Service's busiest parks that drew 4.3 million visitors in 2022.

Rocky Mountain National Park says to avoid Fall River entrance this summer

The Fall River entrance station's major renovation was expected to be finished by late June but completion has been moved to late fall, according to a park news release.

The Fall River entrance will be reduced to one lane in and one lane out during construction.

Park officials are encouraging visitors to avoid the Fall River entrance and use the Beaver Meadows entrance during construction, adding visitors should "expect extended wait times at both major east-side entrance stations."

The park said construction began on the project in early November but "unforeseen site conditions and utility coordination challenges" forced the revised schedule.

The entrance was designed nearly 60 years ago when 1.5 million visitors entered the park on average annually. The past several years have seen about triple that amount enter the park.

A Rocky Mountain National Park ranger takes money from a visitor at the Fall River entrance on Sept. 18, 2019. The Fall River entrance station's major renovation was expected to be finished by late June but completion has been moved to late fall. The entrance is one of Rocky Mountain National Park's busiest entrance stations.
A Rocky Mountain National Park ranger takes money from a visitor at the Fall River entrance on Sept. 18, 2019. The Fall River entrance station's major renovation was expected to be finished by late June but completion has been moved to late fall. The entrance is one of Rocky Mountain National Park's busiest entrance stations.

The goal of the project is to improve visitor access and convenience, reduce traffic congestion, and provide a safe and efficient space for park employees when completed.

The Fall River Visitor Center and Rocky Mountain Conservancy Nature Store will remain open, as will the Gift Shop and Trailhead Restaurant located next to the visitor center.

East-side entrance stations include Beaver Meadows, where nearly 50% of all visitors enter the park; Fall River, where about 31% of park visitors enter; and Wild Basin in the southeast corner of the park, where 6% of visitors enter.

The Grand Lake entrance serves the west side of the park, where nearly 14% of park visitors enter.

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Rocky Mountain National Park's Moraine Park Campground to close for a year, impacting this summer's camping season

Moraine Park, the park's largest and most popular campground, is expected to be out of service beginning in late May 2023 through June 1, 2024, due to a major renovation to modernize the campground's infrastructure, some of which dates back to the 1960s.

Highlights of the project include adding electrical hookups to approximately 60 RV campsites, renovating 15 campsites to improve water drainage and accessibility, relocating overhead powerlines underground to prevent damage, improving the dump station and adding another camp host site.

Changes to Rocky Mountain National Park's timed-entry permit reservation system for 2023

Here are details of the timed-entry reservation system that starts May 26 and runs through Oct. 22:

The first day to reserve a spot is 8 a.m. MDT May 1. This round of reservations allows timed entry to the park May 26 through June 30.

A permit reservation is not required if entering before or after the designated reservation period, but visitors must still pay the entrance fee online prior to entering.

Here are changes to the plan for 2023:

  • More reservations will be available for the next day. Forty percent of all reservations can be made available the day prior at 5 p.m. through www.recreation.gov. These are expected to run out quickly. Last year, the park made 30% available the day before.

  • The entry permit system will last longer into the fall. The pilot permit system will be extended through Oct. 22. Last year, the system ended Oct. 10.

  • People without permits will be able to enter at 2 p.m. instead of 3 p.m., but only outside of the Bear Lake corridor. Timed-entry permits will be required from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the park outside of the Bear Lake corridor and once again 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. for the corridor.

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This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Summer at Rocky Mountain National Park to be impacted by construction