Starting this summer, you’ll need a reservation to use Rocky Mountain National Park’s Hiker Shuttle

Hiker Shuttle service to Rocky Mountain National Park from Estes Park will resume Memorial Day weekend following a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19.

Shuttles will operate through Oct. 10 from the Estes Park Visitor Center, dropping off passengers at a transit hub in the park where they can transfer to secondary shuttles serving Bear Lake and Moraine Park. There is a multi-level parking garage at the Visitor Center.

The Hiker Shuttle began operation in 2006, serving more than 45,000 visitors in the last year before the pandemic. This year, for the first time, all passengers must have a reservation and a park entrance pass in order to board the shuttle. In 2017-19, wait times for the shuttle often ran from one to two hours. Shuttle reservations available through recreation.gov will cost $2 and are good for a party of up to four passengers.

The park entrance fee for individual shuttle riders who don’t have annual or lifetime passes will be $15 and will be sold on recreation.gov. Families would pay $30 for the group. They will go on sale on May 26 at 5 p.m. for May 27.

Shuttles will run from Estes Park in 45-minute intervals from 9 a.m. through 2:15 p.m. Return shuttles will run in 45-minute intervals from 9:45 a.m. through 5:15 p.m. Reservations will not become available until 5 p.m. the day before the visit in order to discourage no-shows, according to the park’s public affairs officer, Kyle Patterson.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Adventurist, to get outdoors news sent straight to your inbox.