Rocky Mountain timed entry opens May 1

Rocky Mountain National Park’s summer reservation scramble started today. At 8 a.m. Mountain on Friday, May 1, the park opened the first batch of 2026 timed-entry reservations for visits between May 22 and June 30. If you want a sunrise-adjacent Bear Lake hike, a midmorning drive into the park, or one of the classic early-summer trail days, this is the booking window that matters. (nps.gov) ### What actually opened today? The May 1 release is the first monthly drop in RMNP’s 2026 timed-entry system. It covers entry dates from Friday, May 22 through Tuesday, June 30. More reservations roll out in stages — June 1 for July, July 1 for August, Aug. 1 for September, and Sept. 1 for October plus whatever is left from earlier months. (nps.gov) ### What do you need to reserve? There are two different products, and the difference matters. “Timed Entry” gets you into most of the park but not the Bear Lake Road Corridor. “Timed Entry + Bear Lake Road” includes Bear Lake and everything else. The general permit is aimed at plac(nps.gov)s most in-demand east-side corridor — Glacier Gorge, Sprague Lake, Moraine Park, the Park & Ride, and Bear Lake itself. (nps.gov) ### When are reservations required? For the general park permit, you need a reservation to enter between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily from May 22 through Oct. 12, 2026. For Bear Lake Road, the window is much broader — 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily from May 22 through Oct. 18. That early start is the big catch. If your plan is “we’ll get th(nps.gov)before dawn. (nps.gov) ### Can you still go without one? Yes — but only if your timing works. The park says visitors without a timed-entry reservation can still enter before 9 a.m. or after 2 p.m. for the general park areas. That does not get around the stricter Bear Lake corridor rule, which requires the Bear Lake reservation during its own 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. control window. (nps.gov) ### How strict is the entry window? Pretty strict. Both reservation types use a two-hour arrival window, and you have to enter during that window. If you miss it, park staff can turn you around and tell you to come back later. For Bear Lake reservations, you also have to reach the Bear Lake corridor within that same reserved window. (nps.gov) ### Is this per person or per car? It’s per vehicle, per day — not per person. The reservation itself costs a $2 Recreation.gov processing fee, and you still need to pay the normal park entrance fee or show a valid pass. Reservations are only available through Recreation.gov, not at entrance stations or visitor centers. (nps.gov) ### Why is this the normal now? Because RMNP’s timed-entry system is no longer a temporary experiment. The park says it now sits under the Day Use Visitor Access Plan finalized in May 2024, with the goal of matching vehicle entry to parking, road capacity, safety, and resource prote(nps.gov)g is. (nps.gov) ### Bottom line If your trip falls between late May and mid-October, check which part of the park you actually want, then book the right reservation now. The mistake people make is treating Rocky like one gate and one permit. In summer, it’s really two systems layered on top of one very crowded park. (nps.gov)