Rocky Mountain National Park is the fourth most visited national park in the United States. Combine that with a close proximity to Denver, and you can see crowds year-round at this beautiful Colorado destination. However, park officials are working on a plan to handle the crowds, and they want your feedback.
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Park officials say they’ve seen a 44% increase in visitation from 2012 to 2019. In the last few years, they’ve tested a reservation system at the park during peak visitation times, mainly the summer months.
“Rapid growth in day use visitation and changing use patterns in the park have degraded natural and cultural resources, diminished quality of the visitor experience, increased visitor and staff safety concerns, and created a heavy strain on the park’s facilities and ability to perform daily operations,” wrote the park in their press release. The goal of the plan is to identify strategies that will help protect park resources, offer varied opportunities for high-quality visitor experiences, and enhance visitor and staff safety.”
The National Park Service is now opening a window for the general public to share their feedback on Rocky Mountain’s Environmental Assessment and settle on a long-term plan to handle day-use visitors.
Recent public input has helped the park decide on a reservation system, which guarantees those with a reservation access to the park. The most popular plan includes two separate reservations. One allows access to everything, including the Bear Lake Corridor, one of the most popular destinations in the park. A second will enable visitors access to only the remainder of the park.
Provide Your Feeback to Rocky Mountain National Park
- Submit feedback to the park’s Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website.
- Attend an open house:
- Tuesday, November 14, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Grand Lake Center in Grand Lake, Colorado
- Monday, November 27, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Estes Valley Community Center in Estes Park, Colorado
- Attend the virtual public meeting on Wednesday, November 8, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
- Register here.
- Write a letter to the Park Superintendent with this mailing address:
Superintendent
Rocky Mountain National Park
1000 US Highway 36
Estes Park, CO 80517
Feedback is due by December 14, 2023. The park is announcing its 2024 plans within the next few weeks.
