RMNP: Bear Lake Road Construction
 

DH & I are planning our yearly sojourn to our favorite cabin in Estes Park, Aug 30-Sept 3. We've been going to Estes Park for the last five years so we are very familiar with the area. We love Bear Lake Rd in Rocky Mountain NP and have always used our rental car to get around. We have not used the shuttle system.

For anyone that has visited, recently, I would like to know:
1) How has the construction affected your trip?
2) What possible, if any, wait time did you experience for the shuttle?

Thanks in advance!

I was up there Thursday. We drove in at 7:00 AM before the 9:00 cutoff so did not have to take the shuttle. We had about a 20 minute delay on the way up to Glacier Gorge and a 10 minute delay on the way out, at around 5:00 PM.

In past years when I have (rarely) taken the shuttle it has been fine, with the caveat that make sure you know when the last shuttle leaves if you are like my wife and I. We often hike later in the day when the light is nice, wildlife is coming out, and there are fewer people.

It will be an inconvenience, but not a show stopper. You could explore other areas of the Park as well.

Have a great trip.

Thanks Nelson! Since we have been so many times we figured if the shuttle was too busy/long wait we have the option to do other things.
We are not nearly early birders to be in the park before 9am which would have advantages if we were. We like to sleep in some and eat breakfast. We love breakfast at the Meadow Mountain Cafe! We just found out about on our trip last October so we have plans to eat breakfast there a few times.
Thanks for the first hand account. I got the information from the RMNP website about the shuttle times. It seems like it will work out!

We were also there on Thursday, but used the shuttle. Somehow we lucked out and did not have to wait more than a few minutes for shuttles. We initially picked it up at the Moraine campground, where we were staying, and then transferred at the Moraine Visitor Center. The parking lot was full at the visitor center so keep that in mind. Our longest stop due to construction was probably a 10 minute delay on the way back from Bear Lake. We asked and the last shuttle from Bear Lake is at 7 pm.

Thanks wtm003. After reading your post I realized I forgot to mention the parking lot in my original post. The Moraine Visitor Center parking lot is a concern of mine when taking the shuttle. We just have to hope we have good timing to get a spot!

In August 2010, the Bear Lake parking lot was full so we had to circle the parking lot once, the rangers won't let you continue to circle, then head back down to turn around so that we could come back to the Bear Lake parking lot to try again. We did get lucky and get a spot.

I like hearing a first hand account...both, wtm003 and Nelson, were there on Thursday so this helped a lot. Thanks!

Note that just to get to the parking lot, you will be in a line of cars, unless you beat the 9 a.m. deadline.
Many shuttles are leaving from across the lake in town, at the museum (near the Holiday Inn).

Sylvia is probably correct about a line of cars, but on the day we arrived (around 11:30 - noon) there was no traffic up to the Moraine parking lot. I don't know if the fire scared everyone away or if it was because it was a weekday, but it was an enjoyable and fairly uncrowded day.

We actually decided, just yesterday, to change our reservation to October 4-8. It has nothing to do with the construction or shuttle system. I know the construction will also be going on next year and the shuttle lasts until October 9.

We just decided to move it to October because we want to be there at a more autumn time. Autumn is my favorite season!

All the tips will still be useful in October! Thanks!

Good decision! I really lucked out last week. I just saw this RMNP update on Facebook.

"We want you to know: Due to #BearLakeRdReconstruction, the Bear Lake Route shuttle buses between Moraine Park Visitor Center & Bear Lake are experiencing significant delays of MORE THAN 2 HOURS. This is in addition to the wait times at shuttle stops. Also, demand can exceed the capacity of the buses, which increases wait times even longer. If you plan to use the shuttles, please be prepared with water & snacks and expect a lengthy trip. BEST options: hike early or late, before 9 a.m. or after 4 p.m., when use of shuttles isn't mandatory, and explore other areas or RMNP."

Glad to find this thread. I am going to the Park and Bear Creek/Glacier Gorge this Friday 7/5 (yikes! I know...). I plan to get in early well before the 9:00 AM cutoff. I'm staying in Estes Park and my first thought was to take the Hiker Shuttle from there; I like the general idea of that. However, on further review, I think I will just plan to drive the rental car in and be as close to 7 AM as possible and take my chances. I suppose my worst case, it the BL/GG lots are full and I have to head back to Park & Ride or Moraine and take the shuttle back in.
Thanks again all for posting. I still welcome any suggestions either on this thread or hit me offline if you want. Scott

A friend of mine was up there on Sunday. He got a late-ish start and arrived at the closing at 8:59! They still let him through. The flagman told him that both Bear Lake and Glacier Gorge parking lots were full. Somehow he lucked out and got a spot at the tiny Fern Lake trailhead.

I think if you are there by 7:00 you'll be able to park at Bear Lake. Glacier Gorge fills pretty early since a lot of climbers use that, and they arrive trailhead at positively uncivilized hours.

Good luck.

Just a thought, we were there in late June and drove to Bear Lake late in the day. I think the road opens again to car traffic at 4pm, so we had time for a walk around the lake and stopped here and there, well before it got dark.

While we waited at a red light, at a construction zone, a marmot was having a good munch on some greenery so I was glad of the wait to be able to take some photos. Overall, we only waited about 10 mins all together, there was very little traffic. We did see the shuttle bus, I think it runs to about 7pm.

We've found on previous trips to North America that wild animals come out around dusk so we found it a good time to visit that area and the rangers had also warned us about long wait times for the shuttle and parking issues. By the time we got to Bear Lake, the car park was nearly empty.

Kay