If you love snow, winter is an ideal time to visit Rocky Mountain National Park, according to park spokeswoman Kyle Patterson. Not only is it beautiful, but “there’s a diversity and variety of things you can do, depending on your experience and fitness level.”
And that last part is key, as it’s important to be prepared. Here is a guide to visiting Rocky Mountain National Park once winter has taken hold of the landscape.
What you need to know about visiting RMNP in winter
Visitors should understand that trips to Rocky Mountain National Park in winter are very different than summer visits. Patterson offers a few basic essentials.
Dress in layers: The average temperature in January fluctuates between 20 degrees and -10 degrees, so that hoodie or raincoat you wore in July won’t cut it. Take several layers of clothing so you can put on/take off clothing as conditions warrant. Consider taking the same type of snow protection gear that you’d take skiing. Your boots and coats should be waterproof.
Traction: The park service plows the roads after storms, but they can still be snow-packed and icy. Officials often implement the vehicle traction law, which requires snow tires, chains or a four-wheel or all-wheel-drive vehicle with appropriate tires. Drivers without proper equipment may be turned away at the gate.
Avalanche safety: While downhill ski areas mitigate for avalanche danger on their trails, the park does not. Patterson said it’s a good idea to check the park’s avalanche danger level before your visit and to take an avalanche safety course if you’re planning to head into the backcountry.
It gets dark early: The sun drops behind the Continental Divide hours earlier than it does in summer – and the temperature drops abruptly. Plan ahead and get an early start on the trail.
Keep all this in mind, and you can have a wonderful, serene winter experience.
“If you’re out recreating in winter and you have the right layers and clothing, you have traction devices on your boots, and you’re moving, you stay warm. You can have an incredible experience,” Patterson said. “But if you don’t, it can become dangerous pretty quickly.”
Despite the cold, Patterson said the park’s east side, especially the Bear Lake area, can be crowded on winter weekends, and parking lots may be full. She recommends visiting on weekdays or driving to the western entrance. Only 15% of the park’s annual visitors enter from the Grand Lake side.
Hiking
It is possible to hike without snow gear. Roads like Trail Ridge, Old Fall River Road and Fern Lake Road often are walkable, though you’ll want waterproof boots. Some of the lower-elevation trails, such as Cub Lake or Deer Ridge Junction trails, may even get enough sun to dry out at times.
Patterson recommends hikers bring traction devices such as microspikes or Yaktrax.
“Often you might be going on a route a lot of people have packed down. When you have traction it makes it really pleasant. If not, you’re sliding all over the place.”
Snowshoeing
With easy road access and deep snow, the park is a snowshoer’s paradise. Shoeing is the most popular winter activity in the park.
You can do a gentle tromp around Bear Lake or try the relatively easy hike to Dream Lake, staying above the snow on snowshoes that disperse your weight. In fact, all the trails that are open in summer remain open in winter.
As with anything in the Rockies in winter, there are caveats.
Trails are not maintained and the markers may be buried, so it can be easy to get lost, even if you know the route. A map and route-finding skills are “musts” for winter hikers.
“Any of those trails that are going up to those high alpine lakes that people are used to seeing in summer, it’s a whole different ball game in winter,” Patterson said. “You can get to them all, but you have to be really prepared and have way-finding skills.”
And don’t assume because there are tracks through the snow that the person ahead of you knew where they were going.
“People get lost every day following somebody’s tracks,” Patterson said.
Skiing
From 1955 to 1991, the park was home to a ski area. Hidden Valley had two lifts and 2,000 vertical feet of skiing. Competition from the larger resorts and a meager snow year doomed it. The cut runs remain, and after a storm you’ll see many people skinning – climbing in skis with skins attached – or snowshoeing up the slopes to enjoy the return ride down. There’s a warming hut and restrooms.
Skiing is allowed everywhere in the park.
Sledding
Sledding is permitted only at Hidden Valley. It’s easily accessible and popular with families.
Cross-country skiing
The park service does not groom any trails, so cross-country skiing isn’t as popular in the park as it is in other forested areas. Patterson recommends skiers try some of the open meadows along the road on the west side of the park.
Camping
Believe it or not, folks bring campers and even tents into this forbidding environment to spend a night or a few.
While the Moraine Park Campground is usually open in winter, it’s closed for renovation this year so campers can try the Aspen Glen Campground. The 27 first-come, first-served sites cost $30 per-night. There’s no water and campsites aren’t plowed or shoveled.
“Pack a shovel. Be prepared to dig out your own campsite,” Patterson said. “It’s a whole different adventure, but people enjoy it.”
The truly adventurous can snowshoe or ski to one of the many wilderness campsites. These sites fill months in advance in summer, but you’re unlikely to have trouble finding a spot in winter. Make sure you take a high-quality, cold-weather sleeping bag and a four-season tent.
“People that do it, they talk about just how peaceful it is,” Patterson said. “The quiet and solitude and the night skies are pretty amazing. If you’re prepared it can be an amazing experience.”
Snowmobiling
Snowmobiling is permitted only in a small area of the far southwest corner of the park, an area that provides riders access to nearby national and state forests.
Ranger-led hikes
If you’re unsure about strapping on snowshoes and heading out on the trail for the first time, don’t be dismayed. The park offers many ranger-led snowshoe hikes, mostly in the Bear Lake area. They’re a good option for people looking to get their bearings in this winter wonderland. Check the park’s website for a schedule of guided hikes.