When to Go

When to Go

Visiting Rocky Mountain is pleasurable any season, though more than two-thirds of the park's annual 3 million visitors come in summer and fall. But there is a good reason to put up with summer crowds: Only from Memorial Day to mid-October can you make the unforgettable drive over Trail Ridge Road. (It also closes occasionally in summer due to weather.) For thinner high-season crowds, come in early June or September, when many students are in school.

Spring is capricious—75°F one day and a blizzard the next (snowfall is the highest in March). June conditions can range from hot to cool and rainy. July typically ushers in high summer, which can last through September. Up on Trail Ridge Road and the Continental Divide, temperatures can be 15°-20° cooler. Spring and summer are the best times for wildlife viewing and fishing. In early fall, the trees blaze with brilliant foliage. Winter, when backcountry snow can be 4 feet deep and the wind brutal at high elevations, is the time for skiing, snowshoeing, and ice fishing.