ESTES PARK, Colo. — Due to increased traffic and COVID-19 concerns, visitors to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) will need to get a permit through a new reservation system that opened on Saturday.
Reservations for timed entry will be needed to enter the park from May 28 through Oct. 11. There are two types of permits: One for the Bear Lake Road corridor, and the other for the rest of RMNP.
The reservation system can be found here.
RMNP staff implemented the system this year to manage significant increases in visitation, along with COVID-19 concerns, housing challenges for seasonal staff, reduced shuttle bus capacity and residual impacts from last year's wildfires, according to the park.
> Video above: Hanging Lake reopens, and reservations now available for RMNP
Permits are available from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. and allow visitors to enter the park within two-hour windows of availability. Initially, 25 percent of permits will be held available for purchase on the day prior at 5 p.m.
Reservations opened on Saturday for May 28 through June 30. The next reservation window, for the month of July, will open on June 1. On July 1, reservations will open for August, and so on.
Last year's reservation system at RMNP was based on about 60% of the park's total capacity. This year, the park will increase that to 75% to 85%, RMNP said.
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