Rocky Mountain National Park officials are searching for solutions to overcrowding and congestion in the park/NPS file

Time is running out for the public to suggest ways that Rocky Mountain National Park officials can reduce congestion that has led some visitors to say they will no longer visit the popular park in Colorado.

"We are eager to continue engaging with our stakeholders and connect with park visitors from near and far, to help identify shared values, clarify key issues, and begin to develop potential management strategies to help the park prepare for our long-term day use strategy," said Superintendent, Darla Sidles. "We hope to hear from current park visitors as well as those who have told us they no longer visit Rocky Mountain National Park because of crowding and congestion." 

There is a distinction between the park's long-range Day Use Visitor Access Strategy planning and the park's short-term management actions. Those actions, begun in 2016, are in response to Rocky Mountain's significant increase in visitation (managed access in highly congested areas like Bear Lake Road, Alpine Visitor Center and Wild Basin) and the park's pilot timed entry reservation permit systems in 2020 and 2021 in response to Covid and continued increased visitation.

Comments on the park's long-range Day Use Visitor Access Strategy are being taken through July 19.

In May, the park hosted two virtual meetings regarding this strategy. The meetings provided opportunities to learn more about the purpose of the project, key issues, desired conditions for day use visitor access, potential management strategies, ask questions of National Park Service staff and get information on how to provide formal written comments through the Planning, Environment and Public Comment website.

Each webinar began with a presentation, followed by a question-and-answer session. The recorded links to these meetings are available at https://www.nps.gov/romo/getinvolved/day-use-visitor-access-strategy.htm The content was the same for both meetings.    

This Pre-NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) phase is a step in the long-range planning process but not the end; there will be more opportunities for public involvement looking at more developed strategies ahead. Pre-NEPA planning allows park staff to define the issues and their impacts as well as explore possible ways to address those issues.  At the end of the pre-NEPA planning, park staff will have initial input and reactions from the public on our identified issues and possible ways to address those issues.     

Rocky Mountain National Park has experienced a 44 percent increase in visitation since 2012. Rapid growth in day-use visitation and changing use patterns in the park have degraded natural and cultural resources, diminished quality of the visitor experience, increased visitor and staff safety concerns, and created a heavy strain on the park's facilities and ability to perform daily operations.

The purpose of the Rocky Mountain National Park long-range Day Use Visitor Access Strategy is to provide visitor access in a way that enhances the protection of the fundamental resources and values for which the park was created. The goal of the process is to identify strategies that will help protect park resources, offer varied opportunities for high quality visitor experiences, enhance visitor and staff safety, and coincide with the park's operational capacity.    

Park staff encourage public participation throughout the planning process. There will be additional opportunities to comment formally on the project during the future NEPA process.

Public comments for this stage are being taken through July 19 at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/ROMO_Duvas Click on "Open for Comment" on the left side of the screen. Then select, "Day Use Visitor Access Strategy Power Point Presentation."

Comments may also be sent to the following mailing address:

Superintendent
Rocky Mountain National Park

1000 US Highway 36
Estes Park, CO 80517