5 Day Family Friendly Guide to RMNP

Day 1

Take in the park, from end to end.

On the first day, we recommend driving from one entrance on the east to the other entrance on the west.  Take in all the scenery.  Keep your eyes open for wildlife along the way and, hopefully, get caught up in an elk-herd traffic jam.  Or, better yet, a bighorn sheep traffic jam!  It's so surreal to see them cross the road in one large group, like the road and people don't exist.

Stop in the Alpine Visitor Center for a snack and/or drink.  There are a lot of souvenirs there as well.  They also have a nice overlook to the valley below.  Once you finish exploring there, continue on to the west side of the park.  The scenery is mind blowing so don't forget to take lots of pictures and videos.  There are a lot of pullouts with amazing backdrop views for selfies or the perfect still.

Once you reach near the Grand Lake entrance, find a safe place to turnaround.  If you leave the park, and don't have a timed entry for that hour, you will not be able to get back in.  So make sure to turn around before then and head back the way you came.  If you missed a pullout before, here's your chance on the way back!

Alpine Visitor Center

@dirtroadfamilyadventure

The Alpine Visitor Center is full of souvenirs so don't forget to pick something up for this memorable occasion. They have snacks there also. They used to have a food bar pre-covid but we haven't gone inside since so I'm not sure if it's still there or not (I wouldn't count on it). The primary restrooms are located on the east side of the parking lot where a dedicated building houses many vault toilets. Also from the east side of the parking lot, near the visitor center, you will find the Alpine Ridge Trail. It is not a difficult or long trail, but we did have to take a few breaks on the way up. There are over 200 stairs!...so, as you can imagine, it is not stroller friendly.

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Day 2