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 23 to Oct. 13, and visitors must have a reservation to drive into the park between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Another reservation is needed for the most popular part, Bear Lake Road, between 5 a.m. and 6 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 service to the popular Bear Lake area, which is provided by a private company under contract with the park, ran smoothly.
The restrooms at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center were freshly mopped by 7:30 a.m. The Bear Lake parking lot was full by 8:30 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,” said Emily, adding that everything seemed to be working just fine.
“I thought maybe there would be less park rangers and staff,” Emma said, “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 12-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 said. “There were no real issues. We’ve had a very good trip.”
On Wednesday, the three-year construction project to modernize the Fall River Entrance finally 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 10,830 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, said he expects “business as usual” this summer. He is critical of park officials, 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 said. “It’s really detrimental on a lot of levels that we’re not getting good, accurate information that is probably available, but reluctant to be released. 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 travel worldwide, businesses in Estes Park are expecting a strong summer, according to Visit Estes Park director of marketing Rachel Oppermann.
“We have been monitoring travel sentiment and economic trends since early spring, and we are optimistic about the summer season in Estes Park,” Oppermann said. “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 data from Longwoods International, a travel research firm, suggesting many American travelers will be more cost-conscious when planning vacations because of inflation.
“While cost remains a key factor in travel decisions,” Opperman said, “many are opting for budget-friendly road trips and drive-to destinations — making Estes Park an ideal choice.”