Rocky Mountain National Park

Timed entry is required in the summer months (Mid May – Mid October) to enter any access point to RMNP, including the East Inlet Trail (Adams Falls) and the East Shore Trail and the North Inlet Trail (Cascade Falls). Please visit Rocky Mountain National Park’s website for more information.


The town of Grand Lake is located near the western entrance to the crown jewel of Colorado’s natural attractions: Rocky Mountain National Park. Established in 1915, the park spans 265,000 acres of rugged and breathtaking landscape with 355 miles of hiking trails and hundreds of pristine Colorado lakes and rivers to explore.  The park is home to more than 280 bird species and more than 60 species of mammals, including moose, fox, mule deer, black bear and herds of elk which attract thousands of visitors each year, especially during the autumn mating season. Formed by glaciers, surrounded by Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, Grand Lake has smitten tourists for generations. No one forgets Grand Lake. The lake itself is the deepest and largest natural lake in Colorado, and the area attracts an impressive diversity of wildlife.

Find more information for Rocky Mountain National Park including fees, hours and more.

Entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park
Hikers by Trail Ridge Road Estes Park Grand Lake

In addition to less-populated trailheads, campgrounds and wildlife viewing areas, Grand Lake offers easy access to some of western Rocky’s most unique and often overlooked attractions, like the Holzwarth Historic Site, a section of the Continental Divide Trail and the headwaters of the Colorado River–arguably the most crucial and controversial body of water in the West. Formed by glaciers, surrounded by Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, Grand Lake has smitten tourists for generations.