The National Park Services reports 4.5 million people visited Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) in 2017, making it the fourth-most visited park in the United States. That’s more visitors per year than Yellowstone, Glacier, Zion or Olympic national parks.
The park’s 415 square miles of beautiful mountains, lakes, waterfalls and wildlife, along with its
relatively short drive from metro Denver no doubt contribute to its popularity. Three national forests and one national wilderness area are adjacent to the park. There are an abundance of accessible trails for all abilities.
There are five campgrounds within RMNP, three have reserveable sites, the rest are first-come, first served. None of the sites in the park have electricity. There are several private and public county campgrounds in and near Estes Park which is on the edge of the park. Camping is also available at nearby national forests.
We went to RMNP for three days in July 2015, during the park’s 100th anniversary year. We camped at the Estes Park Campground at East Portal which is operated by the Estes Valley Recreation and Park District. Campsites are pretty close together, it’s on a hillside and many sites have quite an incline. Our site wasn’t bad, and we were happy to get a spot for our popup trailer with electricity on a relatively short notice. The campground was a short drive to RMNP and Estes Park.
This is a great park, our trip there was too short, and for a variety of reasons, we barely scratched the surface of exploring its full beauty. Looking forward to a return trip soon.
Check out Kamp Kos , a new community group for all those who love spending nights in the great outdoors whether it’s in a hammock, a tent, a popup trailer, a VW van, or an RV.
It’s a place to share photos, favorite spots, general camping tips and to organize caravans and meetup for those interested in camping liberally. Kosmail idlemoments to join the group. Photo diaries and posts about your camping adventures welcome!