Colorado Outdoor Permits: Where, When and How to Access Popular Sites This Summer

Though the mountains are still snowpacked, now is the time to start planning your summer adventures — at least, if you want to visit Colorado’s most popular parks and trails. To better protect these precious places, many now require parking, day-use or camping reservations.

Some have already gone on sale, while other permits have yet to be released. Use this guide to mark your calendars, as places like Conundrum hot springs, Quandary Peak and campgrounds near Denver are hot ticket items. Here’s where, when and how to book outdoor permits in Colorado this summer.

Rocky Mountain National Park
Estes Park
To experience Rocky Mountain National Park’s iconic hikes and scenic drives, an entrance pass ($30 per private vehicle) and a $2 timed entry permit are required during peak season. The standard timed entry permit provides access to the park between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily from May 23 to October 13. Meanwhile, the timed entry pass that includes the popular Bear Lake Road region is required between 5 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily from May 23 to October 19. First-come, first-serve timed entry reservations are released at 8 a.m. at the start of each month. The first release date is May 1, with reservation dates available between May 23 and June 30; followed by June 1, with reservations available between July 1 and July 31; and so forth.

Want to pitch a tent or park an RV? Campground reservations can be purchased for $35 up to six months ahead of your desired camping date. Overnight backpacking permits are currently available for dates between May 1 and October 31. A $36 administrative fee applies for each backcountry trip reservation.

And if you'd prefer to go glamping, note that YMCA of the Rockies will open summer and fall cabin bookings on April 1. Rustic and private, these accommodations feature two to five bedrooms with sites at both Estes Park Center and Granby's Snow Mountain Ranch. Hotel-style lodges, as well as yurts and campsites at the latter location, are currently available for booking.

Mesa Verde National Park
Mancos
While cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park can be viewed from various hiking trails, entering these structures requires a ranger-led tour. This season’s schedule has yet to be determined but is anticipated to start on May 4. Reservations will be released daily at 8 a.m. on a fourteen-day rolling window starting April 20. General tour admission is $8 per person and an entrance pass ($20 per private vehicle) is also required.

Morefield Campground, the park’s nearest camping option set four miles from the entrance, does not require reservations. However, they are recommended and currently available for $38 per night.
Great Sand Dunes National Park
Mosca
This International Dark Sky Park is one of the best places to stargaze in Colorado. Admire the night skies from Piñon Flats, the only campground at Great Sand Dunes National Park. Reservations are currently available and can be reserved up to six months in advance for $20 per night. Backcountry permits are priced at $6 and available three months prior to the trip start date, with new releases at 8 a.m. daily.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Montrose
Attractions along the rim of Black Canyon of the Gunnison only require an entrance pass, priced at $30 per private vehicle. However, inner canyon access requires a wilderness permit. Free permits to the lesser-popular North Rim do not require a reservation and are available first-come, first-serve. However, wilderness access from the South Rim must be reserved for a $6 fee, plus $4 per person. Permits for dates between May 1 and July 31 will be released on April 1 at 8 a.m. Meanwhile, South Rim wilderness permits for August 1 to October 31 will become available on July 1 at 8 a.m.

As far as camping, sites at the North Rim and East Portal campgrounds are available first-come, first-serve. Reservations to the South Rim campground are available up to six months in advance. Standard tent sites cost $20 while RV sites with electricity cost $34.

Maroon Bells
Aspen
Famed as the most photographed place in Colorado, Maroon Bells currently has shuttle reservations available for May 23 through October 19. Departing from Aspen, round-trip rides cost $16 per adult and $10 per senior or child under the age of twelve. Parking reservations for May 15 to July 31 are also currently available for $10 per vehicle. Trailhead parking for August 1 to October 31 will be released on June 17 at 8 a.m. Make sure to set a reminder, as this is one of the best leaf-peeping spots in the state.

Overnight permits to the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness (which encompasses Conundrum hot springs) are currently available through July. To camp between August and November, note that reservations will be released on June 15 at 8 a.m.
Hanging Lake
Glenwood Springs
Following years of intermittent closures, one of the most famous alpine lakes in Colorado is expected to re-open on July 1. Hanging Lake permits are currently accessible for $12 per person. Reservations are available hourly from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and visitors must arrive within thirty minutes before or after their selected entry time. Be sure to start your stopwatch — hikers are given three hours to complete the short, yet strenuous trail.

Indian Peaks Wilderness
Allenspark, Ward, Nederland and Granby
The sprawling Indian Peaks Wilderness spans more than 70,000 acres and is divided into seventeen backcountry zones. From June 1 to September 15, groups of less than seven do not need a day-use permit. However, groups of eight to twelve people need a permit for each backcountry zone they plan to visit. Regardless of group size, all backcountry campers must have an overnight permit for each zone they camp in during peak season.

Note that some zones are especially popular, such as the Cascade Creek and Crater Lake zones, which provide access to Lone Eagle Peak. The same applies to the Four Lakes backcountry zone, which encompasses parts of Brainard Lake Recreation Area. Keep in mind that the Brainard Lake area also requires parking reservations in select lots from June through October. Priced at $16 per private vehicle, these reservations are released daily at 8 a.m. on a fifteen-day rolling window starting May 31.

Eldorado Canyon State Park
Eldorado Springs
In addition to a $10 daily vehicle pass, Eldorado Canyon State Park requires a free timed vehicle reservation from 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekends and holidays between May 1 and October 1. Book up to thirty days in advance. Vehicle reservations are not required if using the Eldo Shuttle, which has pick-up/drop-off stations in Louisville and Boulder. Standard fare is $4 cash per adult, but waived with an annual Colorado state parks pass or the online purchase of an Eldorado Canyon day pass.

Manitou Incline
Manitou Springs
To climb the stairs at the Manitou Incline, book a free reservation up to eight weeks in advance. New reservations are released on the first of every month, with 45 slots available every half hour. Access the challenging staircase from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. between May 1 and October 31, and from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. between November 1 and April 30.
Quandary Peak and McCullough Gulch
Breckenridge
To hike one of Colorado’s most popular 14ers and the stunning valley below it, visitors must reserve a shuttle or parking permit from June through September. The upcoming season’s pricing has yet to be announced but last year, round-trip shuttle fare was $7 per person and free to Summit County residents. Full-day parking from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. was $30 on Mondays through Thursdays and $55 on Fridays through Sundays, as well as holidays. Four-hour parking (which is ideal for McCullough Gulch hikers) was $10 and $20, respectively. The prior season, both shuttle and parking reservations were available two weeks in advance starting June 1.

Chicago Basin
Durango
Technically, Chicago Basin in the San Juan Mountains’ Weminuche Wilderness does not require a hiking or camping permit. However, if you want to peak bag the region’s 14ers — Windom Peak, Mount Eolus, North Eolus and Sunlight Peak — you’ll want to book a ride on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Available from May through October, the $35 fare reduces hikers’ round-trip route by eighteen miles via the Needleton stop.