For those that don't hike we would suggest at least 2 days to see this park. One day to drive the Trail Ridge Road and one to visit the rest of the park.
We went during a period of Timed Entry where we had to buy a ticket to arrive during a certain time slot for either the Bear Lake Corridor or the rest of the park. This was our first time at the park and we weren't sure how it would really work and if we would get to see much of the park but as it turns out it worked fine and we were still able to see many things during the six days we visited the park.
Unfortunately we waited too long to make reservations at an RV Park and because
of this were not able to stay in or very close to Estes Park. We found a spot at an RV Park with a Loveland address that was 33 miles (51 minutes) from the Falls River entrance to RMNP.
We spent 2 partial days exploring Estes Park. Most people would be fine with one day here.
Parking at the Estes Park Visitor center is free so we parked there and sometimes walked
and other times rode the shuttle bus.
1 day we drove to Bear Lake (arrive early as there is limited parking or take the shuttle bus)
and walked the loop around Bear Lake. Next we hiked the Emerald Lake Trail which includes Nymph Lake and Dream Lake. There is a lot of uphill walking but it is do-able even if you are out of shape as I am. The views along the ay and especially at the end is really worth it.
Take lunch or at least a snack and linger at Emerald Lake. You might want to have a light
wrap with you because even in June it can be chilly if windy.
We spent 1 day driving the Trail Ridge Road where we saw moose, elk, a bald eagle, sheep,
and another moose and her calf. We made several stops along the way taking pictures.
We spent 1 more day driving the Trail Ridge Road. This time we went to the Alpine Visitor Center and had a cinnamon roll and hot chocolate. There are so many beautiful views on this drive and from the large windows in the gift shop. We also stopped at the visitor center on the Grand Lake side. We had lunch at Adams Falls which is a fairly short hike i Grand Lake. We also stopped at the Holzwarth Historic site where we saw more moose.
We spent another day by driving to Bear Lake Corrior and walking the Gem Lake Trail. We did not finish this trail although we made it most of the way. It was a pretty trail but I have
tendonitis and the there were sections in the trail where a little rock scrambling was necessary (difficult on the ankles). The next trail we did that day was Lumpy Ridge Short Loop. We made it about 2/3 of the way when a hail storm blew through. We sheltered under a tree for a short while and I was glad I had my rain jacket hoodie with me. At this point we decided a visit to "You Need Pie" in Estes Park was in order and we had lunch and pie! Afterwards we went to Sprague Lake and walked the trail around that. Here we saw a mama moose and her baby and another young moose.
If we had more time we would have come back here for a picnic.
After visiting this park we were heading toward Mount Rushmore in South Dakota (which I will make a separate itinerary for) so we stopped for the night in Gering, NE and visited Scott's Bluff National Monument.
