R.I.P. RMNP

The park is dead.
Dead quiet.

If you can't get a reservation, at least you can go in early. If there's parking. Or ride the shuttle, but you have to be back out by 7.
On a bluebird Sunday in mid-July it's eerily quiet. About 20 cars lazily tour through the park. There's just a scattering of people on the trails... WHAT HAPPENED?!? Where is everyone?
Oh, they gave up.

...And now I see what's happening. It's a slow, insidious move to privatizate our National Park. The real estate value up there is INSANE, but you have kick the people out first. Once the people no longer go to the park, then you can sell it off to developers more easily.

So what's the hack to go for a walk in the park? I'm not usually one to share my beta, but the park needs us. It misses people. 

If you park at Beaver Meadows Visitor Center, you can hike over the hill and down to the Moraine Park and Ride. It adds about an hour, and you still have to get back to the shuttle by 7 p..m., but the shuttle will take you up the Bear Lake Road, and back into the mountains.

No reservation needed.

Can anyone elaborate? Is the park dead or is it so packed and rule driven it's not worth the time?

It seems like a bit of a troll. The park is packed and you can expect an hour of traffic at busy times, but there's still plenty of climbers getting out.

I do wish the shuttles ran later. They only go till 7:30

mtnmandanwrote:

I do wish the shuttles ran later. They only go till 7:30

I usually just call for the helicopter

Yep, it's a real PITA now. Just waiting in line with a reservation at Beaver Meadow to actually get in runs at least half an hour, usually more, and after 2 when reservations for Trail Ridge aren't needed, it's even longer. Some folks are apparently going in at 4 so they can sleep in their Sprinters at Bear Lake and go out later. Upside per OP, yes a lot fewer people once you're in but given the percentage of likely no-shows, it seems the system needs tweaking.

I went with out a reservation…I told the nice ranger I was planing on climbing… their response was “go ahead “…they seem to like climbers

Nice looking pillar on the peak on the left. Is it a route? If so, what is it?

Thanks Edge. Looks good from the distance, but as we all know, looks aren’t everything!!!!

Mulchwrote:

Can anyone elaborate? Is the park dead or is it so packed and rule driven it's not worth the time?

Been up there three times this week, every time it's been dead. The routes on Cathedral Spires are getting lichen-covered again. No trail to the Deer Ridge Buttress. 

Edge wrote:

Hit the Indian Peaks instead.

I got a 5-8 am reservation at Mitchell Lake Trailhead just two days ago and was one of about 10 cars in the parking lot at 7:30. Hardly saw anyone all the way to Blue Lake, and only sporadic groups all the way back down to a parking lot that was still less than 1/4 full.

That EXACTLY what I'm saying to NOT do. Everyone is going somewhere else instead.  And while it's rad to have the park to myself,  I see where this is headed. 

People who say the park is a shit show are probably on the Big D or the Chasam View side of the mountain - because you don't need a reservation to park there. 

I'm telling you, they are stealing our National Park right out from under us, and we're going to let them if we're not paying attention. 

***Beaver Meadows Visitor Center parking, then hike over the hill to the Moraine Park & Ride shuttle. This is THE hack to get up to Glacier George between 5 a.m.-6 p.m. without a reservation. 

I'm only sharing this information because I talk to the rocks, and the rocks talk back.  They told me they miss us climbers, and they wish we would come back. 

Free Spiritwrote:

.... 

I'm only sharing this information because I talk to the rocks, and the rocks talk back.  They told me they miss us climbers, and they wish we would come back. 

Thanks for this part. Was almost considering posting a reasonable disagreement, but I'm now pretty sure that's a complete waste of time. 

mike hwrote:

Thanks for this part. Was almost considering posting a reasonable disagreement, but I'm now pretty sure that's a complete waste of time. 

Really, arguing with any climbers at all is a complete waste of time.

...but then again, climbing itself is a complete waste of time, so there's that. 

I thought the Park was very busy on Sunday.  Was able to roll in at 4:30am with no reservation, but was in a long line of cars heading up to GG and Bear Lake immediately upon entry.  There was no parking available at GG during that time and the Bear Lake lot was just about full.  As for the climbing, there were 2 other parties we passed on the Notch Top 5.9 route. On the return out, there were many hikers with densest amount appearing near Bear Lake itself and the TH. Parking lot was a zoo when returned about 2:30pm.   

Not sure what part of the Park you where in OP, just sharing my experience. 

James Scullywrote:

I thought the Park was very busy on Sunday.  Was able to roll in at 4:30am with no reservation, but was in a long line of cars heading up to GG and Bear Lake immediately upon entry.  There was no parking available at GG during that time and the Bear Lake lot was just about full.  As for the climbing, there were 2 other parties we passed on the Notch Top 5.9 route. On the return out, there were many hikers with densest amount appearing near Bear Lake itself and the TH. Parking lot was a zoo when returned about 2:30pm.   

Not sure what part of the Park you where in OP, just sharing my experience. 

Thats wild that those lots were full around the time you got there! But I guess go those people for getting up so early

Brendan Awrote:

Thats wild that those lots were full around the time you got there! But I guess go those people for getting up so early

Exaggerated, More than a dozen spots at Bear lake at 6:30 sunday.

There was a party of 5 college kids learning how to handjam on the Barb screaming Lessfuggingoooooo!

Felt just like any other front range roadside crag that day.

Free Spiritwrote:

The park is dead.
Dead quiet.

If you can't get a reservation, at least you can go in early. If there's parking. Or ride the shuttle, but you have to be back out by 7.
On a bluebird Sunday in mid-July it's eerily quiet. About 20 cars lazily tour through the park. There's just a scattering of people on the trails... WHAT HAPPENED?!? Where is everyone?
Oh, they gave up.

...And now I see what's happening. It's a slow, insidious move to privatizate our National Park. The real estate value up there is INSANE, but you have kick the people out first. Once the people no longer go to the park, then you can sell it off to developers more easily.

So what's the hack to go for a walk in the park? I'm not usually one to share my beta, but the park needs us. It misses people. 

If you park at Beaver Meadows Visitor Center, you can hike over the hill and down to the Moraine Park and Ride. It adds about an hour, and you still have to get back to the shuttle by 7 p..m., but the shuttle will take you up the Bear Lake Road, and back into the mountains.

No reservation needed.

LOL

On a Sunday, after it rained the evening before and the cracks were somewhat seeping, there were 8 or 9 parties on the Spearhead between the Barb and climber’s left. Who knows how many on North Ridge. Seems like there are plenty of climbers in the park. 

... I guess I'm really just sharing my beta for getting up Bear Lake Road WITHOUT a reservation, and without having to resort to silliness like waking up at 3 a.m. to find parking for Hallets or Cathedral Spires (which are ostensibly half days) or bouldering in Chaos Canyon until dark instead of on bluebird Sundays. 

I'm doing this because I think the reservation system is bullshit, and we've already paid for the park with our taxes, and we've paid more with passes, and now we still need to pay more for a totally broken reservation system that only benefits rec.gov. 

I'm over it.

Late afternoon we parked at  the YMCA axe throwing lot and 10 minutes later we were at the Tuxedo Park shuttle. (The shuttle is scheduled to head uphill from Tuxedo Park at :52 after every hour from 7:52 a.m.-6:52 p.m.) We caught the 2:52 p.m. up, and by 3:15 we were hiking from Bear Lake. We bouldered at Lake Hiayaha until about 5:45, then we hustled down the hill to catch one of the shuttles down from Bear Lake so we could catch the LAST shuttle downhill from the Park and Ride at 7 p.m. We were back to the car by 7:30. Awesome, low-stress, last-minute, half day. Take it for whatever it's worth.  My whole ethic about sharing climbing information is changing.

I love seeing the 'front range' folks complain about how crowded everything is around Denver.