Rocky Mountain National Park’s summer season began normally Friday. Will it stay that way?

There is nothing normal about the natural beauty of Rocky Mountain National Park but visitors were pleased to find the park operating normally on Friday despite nationwide concerns over national park staffing and Washington D C budget issues The onset of the Memorial Day weekend marked the start of the park s peak season and with it the seasonal requirement for timed-entry reservations That season lasts from May to Oct and visitors must have a reservation to drive into the park between a m and p m Another reservation is needed for the majority of popular part Bear Lake Road between a m and p m On Friday all lanes at both the Beaver Meadows and Fall River Entrance Stations on the east side of the park were staffed and open Shuttle arrangement to the popular Bear Lake area which is provided by a private company under contract with the park ran smoothly Visitors check in at the Beaver Meadows Entrance Stations in Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park Colorado on Friday May Photo by Hyoung Chang The Denver Post The restrooms at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center were freshly mopped by a m The Bear Lake parking lot was full by a m but shuttles packed with passengers toting backpacks and trekking poles ran every eight minutes from a park-and-ride four miles away preventing lines from forming Emily Brown of Atlanta and her daughter Emma were on a road trip to Salt Lake City where Emma will soon begin an internship They were aware of media reports regarding controversial federal budget decisions affecting national parks so they wondered what they might encounter when they got here I would say there was kind of a mindset that you should be worried disclosed Emily adding that everything seemed to be working just fine I thought maybe there would be less park rangers and staff Emma reported but it seems like everything is running like normal Friendly volunteer rangers answered questions as hikers unloaded from shuttles and headed up the trail at Bear Lake Ish Patel of Chicago was with his parents on a -day tour of national parks They d already been to all five of Utah s national parks They didn t encounter problems at any of them It was all good Patel stated There were no real issues We ve had a very good trip Related Articles Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park won t be open for Memorial Day weekend On Wednesday the three-year construction project to modernize the Fall River Entrance at last ended with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Improvements included three new entry kiosks a new office structure a transponder lane and road widening Trail Ridge Road remains closed because of snow and will miss its usual Memorial Day opening because wind drifting snow and ice over the past week hindered snow-clearing operations More snow and nighttime freezes are forecast over the weekend at high elevations Trail Ridge is closed at the Rainbow Curve overlook at an elevation of feet and the parking lot there was nearly full at midday Tourists took selfies while a pair of snowboarders prepared to hike up the closed road to carve up a snowfield Down in Estes Park the longtime owner of The Taffy Shop Mark Igel explained he expects business as usual this summer He is critical of park executives though for not being more transparent about the ramifications of decisions being made in Washington We don t have good information about what the impact was to the park not for a lack of asking but for a lack of cooperation from the park to help us understand what s coming Igel reported It s really detrimental on a lot of levels that we re not getting good accurate information that is ostensibly available but reluctant to be issued We want to have a partnership with the park We want to work together to understand and predict and provide a positive experience for the visitor At least half of the cars at Rainbow Curve were from out of state At the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center there were conversations in French and German Despite national park issues and other problems affecting advance worldwide businesses in Estes Park are expecting a strong summer according to Visit Estes Park director of marketing Rachel Oppermann Hikers make their way along Bear Lake Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park Colorado on Friday May Photo by Hyoung Chang The Denver Post We have been monitoring trip sentiment and economic trends since early spring and we are optimistic about the summer season in Estes Park Oppermann revealed Our lodging and attraction partners are seeing more last-minute bookings this year with travelers waiting longer to finalize plans Early indicators show strong demand for mountain destinations and iconic spots like Rocky Mountain National Park Oppermann cited evidence from Longwoods International a voyage research firm suggesting plenty of American travelers will be more cost-conscious when planning vacations because of inflation While cost remains a key factor in passage decisions Opperman announced a multitude of are opting for budget-friendly road trips and drive-to destinations making Estes Park an ideal choice Subscribe to our weekly newsletter The Adventurist to get outdoors news sent straight to your inbox