Rocky Mountain National Park Announces Hiker Shuttle Will Operate May 27 Through October 104/29/2022 RMNP UPDATE - April 29, 2022 Rocky Mountain National Park will be operating the Hiker Shuttle from May 27 through October 10, from the Estes Park Visitor Center to the Park & Ride Transit Hub located on Bear Lake Road. There are no other stops in the park. At the Park & Ride, riders will transfer to the Bear Lake or Moraine Park shuttles to get to their trailhead destinations.
As part of the park’s overall pilot timed entry system, two things will be needed to ride the Hiker Shuttle: reservation tickets for all passengers plus a valid park entrance pass. One person may reserve up to 4 tickets per $2 reservation. At 5 p.m. the night before, a limited number of tickets will be available for seven specific time slots at RMNP Hiker Shuttle Reservations For example, if you want to reserve a spot on the Hiker Shuttle for May 27, tickets will be available on May 26 at 5 pm. Space is limited, please only reserve the number of seats needed. Park entrance passes are also required. Riders can use an existing annual or lifetime pass, such as a senior pass, or purchase a day pass on recreation.gov. Private vehicle access is not permitted with a Hiker Shuttle ticket. The Hiker Shuttle will depart from the Estes Park Visitor Center to the Bear Lake Road Park & Ride at 9 am, 9:45 am, 10:30 am, 11:15 am, noon, 12:45 pm, 1:30 pm, and 2:15 pm, May 27 through October 10. Passengers are required to depart from the Estes Park Visitor Center using the specific time slot reserved. The Hiker Shuttle will return from the Park & Ride to the Estes Park Visitor Center roughly every 45 minutes beginning at 9:45 am through 5:15 pm. Passengers can return using any Hiker Shuttle throughout the day. The last shuttle will depart from the Bear Lake Road Park & Ride at 5:15 pm. There are no other buses back to the Estes Park Visitor Center after this time. For further details on the Hiker Shuttle and the Bear Lake and Moraine Park routes please visit RMNP Shuttle Buses The Hiker Shuttle route has been in place since 2006, however it was not operational in 2020 and 2021. In 2019, there were over 45,000 park visitors who utilized the Hiker Shuttle. Park visitors can park at the Estes Park Visitor Center parking garage or utilize the existing town of Estes Park transit system to ride from their lodging or other locations to the Estes Park Visitor Center. Since 2017, wait times for the Hiker Shuttle from the Estes Park Visitor Center were often between one to two hours. Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the busiest national parks; third in the country in 2019 with over 4.6 million visitors. This represents a 42 percent increase in visitation in seven years. Visitor crowding and congestion at the park have led to increased negative impacts to visitor and staff safety, resource protection, visitor experience and operational capacity. The park has piloted various visitor use management strategies over the last six years, including managing vehicle access to first-come, first serve (2016-2019) in highly congested areas. These first-come, first-serve restrictions had some limited success initially, but over time began to lose effectiveness; the length of time they were necessary kept expanding and impacts were pushed elsewhere. The park piloted park wide timed entry permit reservation systems (2020-2021) and will be piloting a similar system again in 2022. Park staff are learning from these various strategies since 2016, including piloting timed entry reservations on the Hiker Shuttle, to help inform long-range day use visitor access strategies. For more detailed information on how to book a private vehicle timed entry and details about the times of day they are required as well as Frequently Asked Questions, please visit https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/timed-entry-permit-system.htm For further information about Rocky Mountain National Park please visit www.nps.gov/romo, follow the park on social media @RockyNPS or call the park’s Information Office at (970) 586-1206.
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RMNP UPDATE - April 27, 2022 Beginning, May 27, Rocky Mountain National Park will increase the one-day vehicle pass from $25 to $30. The fee increase is necessary for Rocky Mountain National Park to improve and maintain high-quality visitor services. While basic park operations are funded by direct appropriations from Congress, the recreation use fees collected by the park are used to support new projects and the ongoing maintenance of park facilities that directly enhance the visitor experience.
Rocky Mountain National Park is one of a few national parks that has a one-day vehicle entrance pass. This day pass was implemented in October 2015. All other park entrance fees including the RMNP seven-day pass ($35 per week), the RMNP annual pass ($70 per year) and any of the interagency America the Beautiful passes will remain the same. Winter campground fees will increase from $20 to $30 per night beginning on October 12, 2022. Summer campground fees will increase from $30 to $35 per night beginning the summer of 2023. In addition, group site campground fees will raise $10 for each tier in group size to $50/$60/$70. Increased campground fees will address cost increases related to trash removal, vault toilet and custodial servicing, general site maintenance and snowplow operations in the winter. The Longs Peak Campground, open summers for tents only, will remain $30 per night because there are no flushable toilets and campers need to bring their own drinkable water. In the fall of 2021, Rocky Mountain National Park staff solicited public input on the proposed fee increases. During the public comment period, the park received 264 formal comments that were related to the park’s proposed fee changes. Most commenters expressed support for the proposed changes to the one-day vehicle entrance pass and front-country campground overnight fees, often highlighting the importance of funding for park maintenance, operation, and resource protection. Commenters who opposed fee increases often cited socioeconomic concerns and affordability for all visitors. Park staff are committed to keeping Rocky Mountain National Park affordable and providing all visitors with the best possible experience. This fee increase is still an incredible value when considering other comparable family and recreational experiences. These campground fee increases are based on comparable fees for similar services in nearby campgrounds. In addition, 80 percent of those funds stay right here in Rocky to benefit visitors. The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) is the legislation under which the park currently collects entrance and amenity fees. This law allows parks to retain 80 percent of the fees collected for use on projects that directly benefit visitors. The remaining 20 percent is distributed throughout the National Park System. Some of the projects funded through the collection of entrance station and campground fees at Rocky Mountain National Park include:
In 2020, 3.3 million park visitors spent an estimated $224 million in local gateway regions while visiting Rocky Mountain National Park, despite the global Covid pandemic, historic wildfires, and the park’s first piloted timed entry permit reservation system. These expenditures supported a total of 3,190 jobs, $121 million in labor income, $208 million in value added, and $342 million in economic output in local gateway economies surrounding Rocky Mountain National Park. 2021 visitor spending data, tied to visitation of 4.4 million park visitors, will be available later this year. RMNP UPDATE - April 14, 2022
On April 9, 2022, Rocky Mountain National Park Rangers were notified of an elk skull with only one attached antler matching the one missing from the carcass of the popular large bull elk, referred to as Kahuna. During the investigation, it was learned that the skull had been relocated after being cut from the carcass. At this time, no further information will be provided regarding the ongoing investigation. Rocky Mountain National Park Rangers want to thank the media, social media platforms as well as members of the local community in helping discover the whereabouts of this skull and antler. In March, park visitors and area photographers highlighted on social media the passing of a popular large bull elk in Rocky Mountain National Park, referred to as Kahuna, Bruno or Big Thirds. He was a majestic elk with distinct large antlers and was widely photographed during his lifetime. Numerous images were also shared of Kahuna’s carcass. It is believed that Kahuna died of natural causes, as there were reports he was injured during last year’s mating season and was very underweight in February. Likely sometime between March 20 and March 22, someone cut and illegally removed the skull and remaining antler from the carcass. It is believed his other antler had been shed before his death. Park rangers urge anyone with information on this illegal incident, including information on the remaining shed antler, to call 1-888-653-0009 or please visit NPS Anonymous Tip Information. This link will provide several ways to report what you know anonymously. If you have information that could help investigators, please contact us. You do not have to tell us who you are, but please tell us what you know. Rocky Mountain National Park’s wildlife is a resource for all to enjoy and protect. Collection of antlers or removing wildlife or their parts is illegal within Rocky Mountain National Park. People can receive criminal charges and be mandated to appear in federal court. Please help the park protect wildlife by reporting any suspicious activity.  Earth Day Activities RMNP/ Photo Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park RMNP UPDATE - April 12, 2022 Come celebrate National Park Week, Earth Day, and National Junior Ranger Day at Rocky Mountain National Park. National Park Week kicks off with a fee free day on Saturday, April 16. Park entrance fees will be waived on Saturday, April 16. Camping and all other administrative fees will still be in effect. Our National Park Week celebration continues through Sunday, April 24, 2022. Throughout the week, park staff will be inviting you to discover something new about Rocky Mountain National Park both online and through in-park activities on both the east and west sides of the park. Rocky’s National Park Week activities include: On Saturday, April 16 our National Park Week celebration begins with informational booths and interactive Junior Ranger discovery activities. Join NPS staff on the east side of Rocky at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center from 10 am to 3 pm. Activities include:
We will also be celebrating on the west side of the park at the Kawuneeche Visitor Center from 11 am to 1 pm. Activities include:
On Saturday, April 23 join us in person to celebrate Earth Day and National Junior Ranger Day. There will be activities held on both the east and west sides of the park. Join NPS staff and volunteers at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center from 10 am to 3 pm. Activities include:
Can’t join us in person? Please celebrate with us online. Every day of National Park Week, NPS staff, volunteers and partners will be sharing engaging stories via social media. Please visit our website, download the park App, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @RockyNPS. Every day will be a day to discover and share something new. For more information on Rocky Mountain National Park, please call the park’s Information Office at (970) 586-1206 or visit our website at www.nps.gov/romo.  Bluebirds Moraine Park/ Photo Courtesy A. Schonlau via Rocky Mountain National Park  Kahuna Photo is owned by Dawn Wilson Photography. The NPS has been granted its limited use in print and digital media solely for this article. All image credits and rights belong to Dawn Wilson Photography. April 8, 2022 - RMNP UPDATE Recently, park visitors and area photographers highlighted on social media the passing of a popular large bull elk in Rocky Mountain National Park, referred to as Kahuna, Bruno or Big Thirds. He was a majestic elk with distinct large antlers and was widely photographed during his lifetime. Numerous images were also shared of Kahuna’s carcass. It is believed that Kahuna died of natural causes, as there were reports he was injured during last year’s mating season and was very underweight in February.
Park rangers at Rocky Mountain National Park are investigating the illegal removal of Kahuna’s skull and antler from his carcass, likely sometime between March 20 and March 22. One antler was still on the skull and it is believed his other antler had been shed before his death. Park rangers urge anyone with information on this illegal incident to call Rocky Mountain National Park’s tip line at 970-586-1393 or email ROMO_Tipline@nps.gov. If you wish to remain anonymous please visit NPS Anonymous Tip Information. This link will provide other ways to report what you know. If you have information that could help investigators, please contact us. You do not have to tell us who you are, but please tell us what you know. Rocky Mountain National Park’s wildlife is a resource for all to enjoy and protect. The skull and antlers of this popular elk were cut and illegally removed from Rocky Mountain National Park. This elk’s remains should be allowed to return to the earth in Rocky Mountain National Park, where he brought much joy to thousands of park visitors over many years. Please help the park protect wildlife by reporting any suspicious activity. |
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