RMNP Help

[NC Hiker/Angler]

Any Colorado locals regularly post here? Wife and I are heading to RMNP end of next week for our 10 year anniversary (leaving next Friday). We're staying in Estes Park and will be day-hiking with some fishing thrown in. We may overnight a night or two later in the trip depending on site availability in the areas we would like to focus on. We will have 5 full days (excluding travel days). Unfortunately, 2 of the 5 days will be Saturday and Sunday. I know there is a lot of great stuff outside of the park but for this trip we will focus on the park because that's what we have researched.

We understand the weekend will be very crowded and we are trying to figure out the best options for Saturday/Sunday. A few specific questions:



Should we expect incredibly bad traffic on the weekend including long delays (e.g., GSMNP in the October or Yellowstone in the summer)? Normally we would plan on driving a little bit more the first day to get ourselves acquainted with the park but we're hesitant to do that if traffic will be bad).
We've assumed that Bear Lake and Moraine Park is a no-go for the weekend. Is that correct? It seems like the hikes we thought about in that area would have been ideal for first day acclimation.
Is the West side of the park significantly less crowded on weekends? We plan to spend at least one day over there so thought that may be an option for Saturday or Sunday.
What time in the morning do trailheads get crowded? If you're planning to be at the trailhead before 7am or 8am can you expect good parking prospects?
Any recommendations for decent food joints in Estes Park would be appreciated. We like anything.


Based on our research we developed the following high-level itinerary. Any thoughts will be read and appreciated. We've intentionally not focused on peaks because we want to do some lake and stream fishing for a few hours while hiking:



One day up to Sky Pond
One day on West side (probably East Inlet trail)
One day in Wild Basin area (may overnight this area if there is site availability)
One day with a tundra hike (Mount Ida or UTE trail)
One day doing a few hikes in the Bear Lake/Moraine Park area


Thanks in advance.

[Cookerhiker]

Mags is on a trip now, but he'll respond when available. Ask the mods to move this thread from "General" to "Other Trails" where it might be more visible.

One thing I would add if you do an overnight in the back country: bear canisters are required.

During my 6-week stay in Colorado this summer, I noted that the traffic in Estes Park was quite a mess - similar to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. I suspect fall weekends are pretty crowded.

[KidA24]

A great site for RMNP info: http://www.rmnpforums.com/forums/

I just did a 4 day backpacking trip in RMNP this year, and can offer some insight.

Use the shuttles, they are great and open up a TON of possibilities for other day hikes: http://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/shuttle_bus_route.htm

Bear Lake area: If you're there early, there will be parking, but the shuttle up from Glacier Park and Ride to Bear Lake is quick and easy and runs every 10ish minutes.

Once I was more than a half mile from the Bear Lake trailhead, I saw almost no people. Glacier Gorge was my favorite part of the park, doing a loop going up from Bear Lake (past Emerald and Dream lakes) and then down to the Glacier Gorge Lot would be a really beautiful day hike.

[Mags]

Great resource for hikes in RMNP:

http://www.protrails.com/area/8/rocky-mountain-national-park

The main traffic is at/near dusk when the elk bugling is happening. Bear Lake is beautiful, but it is crowded. Once you go a mile or two in, not bad. You'll probably need the shuttle.

Wild Basin is very nice and should have some fall color.

Finally, here'a photo of the East Inlet from about this time last year:

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3777/10149172094_c649ace5fe_z.jpg

EDIT: Dining, go to nearby Lyon's and stop at Oskar Blues. In Estes, I thought Dave's BBQ was rather good (http://www.smokindavesq.com/).

[NC Hiker/Angler]

Thanks for the responses everyone. Some good information and links there.

Mags- I really appreciate the time and effort you spend posting content and generally sharing knowledge of backpacking and the outdoors. The website and the The Trail Show are valued greatly by me and I'm certain many others as well. Thanks.