Ranger Guided

Bring your students to the outdoor classroom of Rocky Mountain National Park!

NPS

Rocky Mountain National Park offers year-round educational programming for grades K-12.

Field trips are offered on the East Side (access through Estes Park) and on the West Side (access through Grand Lake). Ranger-led education programs are free but reservations are required.

East Side (Estes Park) Field Trips

Before Making Your Reservation
Please review the selection of field programs offered for your grade level. Programs are offered for grades K-12 and are offered mid January - early November.

Elementary Programs
Secondary Programs

Make a Reservation for the East Side
Email us to schedule a program for the East Side. Reservations are made on a first-come, first-served basis. We recommend that you reserve at least three months in advance of your desired date.

Please have the following information when requesting your trip:

1. Three or more preferred dates.
2. The age/grade and number of students.

• Spring and fall programs are limited to 60 students.
• Winter programs are limited to 30 students (Multiple days can be scheduled to accommodate larger schools). We request a minimum of 7 participants.

3. Contact information: school phone number and address, and your phone number (cellphone is preferred) and e-mail address.
4. Special needs or other pertinent information for your group.
5. The topic or program that you would like for your group.

Confirmation of Your Reservation
After making your reservation, you will receive an email with a confirmation letter and pre-visit packet that includes directions, a fee waiver for free entrance into the park (if applicable), a list of field trip essentials, student expectations, and chaperone expectations.

Cancellations
To cancel a program, please let us know at least two weeks in advance of the date of your program. Programs may be canceled due to inclement weather. In the case of a weather cancellation, we will contact you to discuss rescheduling options. Monitor weather conditions in advance. Programs may be rescheduled to a later date, however we cannot guarantee a reschedule date. Programs may be canceled for groups who are more than 30 minutes late without prior contact with us.

West Side (Grand Lake) Field Trips

Before Making Your Reservation
Please review the selection of field programs offered for your grade level. Programs are offered for grades K-12 and are offered September - April. We do not offer education programs in summer.

Fall Programs: Offered September-October. Programs are offered in November and December on a case-by-case basis and are dependent on staffing levels and weather.

Kindergarten - 2nd Grade: Nature Explorers - Students use their senses to detect what lives in the water, trees, and ground of Rocky Mountain National Park.
3rd - 5th Grade: Nature Detectives - Students conduct a Carnivore Scene Investigation (CSI) to search for clues of life and adaptive characteristics of plants and animals.
6th - 8th Grade: Great Ecosystem Adventure - Students learn about and navigate through an ecosystem by gathering clues, unlocking coordinates, and completing an adventure log.

Winter Programs: Offered January-March. Winter programs include students using snowshoes that are provided by the park. If choosing a winter program, its is essential that school groups arrive prepared for winter weather conditions, including kids wearing appropriate clothing and water-proof boots. Programs are offered in April on a case-by-case basis and are dependent on staffing levels and weather. April programs do not include snowshoes.

Kindergarten - 2nd Grade: Winter Detectives - Students search for clues to solve the mysteries of who lives in the snowy winter conditons of the Rocky Mountains.
3rd-5th Grade: Winter Explorers - Students follow tracks, search under the snow, and discover how animals survive the harsh winters of the Rockies.
6th-8th Grade: Winter Ecologists - Students investigate how plants and animals live in the winter environment by looking for evidence of life and discussing survival strategies.
9th-12th Grade: Winter Mountain Safety and Survival - This program is offffered on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us if your class is interested in this program.

Make a Reservation for the West Side
Send an e-mail to schedule a program for the West Side. Please indicated in your email subject line that it's a WEST SIDE program request. Reservations are made on a first-come, first-served basis. We recommend that you reserve at least two weeks in advance of your desired date.

Please have the following information when e-mailing to reserve your trip:

1. Three preferred dates.
2. The age/grade and number of students. Group limits are dependent on staffing levels.
3. Contact information: school name, and teacher phone number and e-mail address.
4. Special needs or other pertinent information for your group.
5. The program topic chosen from the list above.

Confirmation of Your Reservation
After making your reservation, you will receive an email with a confirmation letter and pre-visit packet that includes directions, a fee waiver for free entrance into the park (if applicable), a list of field trip essentials, student expectations, and chaperone expectations.

Cancellations
To cancel a program, please send an e-mail at least two weeks in advance of the date of your program. If it's less than two weeks, please call the Kawuneeche Visitor Center at 970-586-1513. Programs may be canceled due to inclement weather. In the case of a weather cancellation, we will contact you to discuss rescheduling options. If you are concerned about the weather conditions, please call us. Programs may be rescheduled to a later date, however we cannot guarantee a reschedule date. Programs may be canceled for groups who are more than 30 minutes late without prior contact with us.

General Information for All Field Trips

Field Trip Duration: Most programs are designed for a 3-4 hour visit, including lunch.

Chaperone to Student Ratio: We require that you provide at least one chaperone for every 10 students. We recommend a ratio of one to six for grades K-2 and a ratio of one to eight for grades 3-5.

Field Trip Cost: All education programs offered by Rocky Mountain National Park are free for school groups. Our program is funded by your tax dollars and donations to the Rocky Mountain Conservancy. If you would like to make a donation, please contact the Rocky Mountain Conservancy at 970-586-0108.

Accessibility: There are a few wheelchair accessible trails within the park and all of our visitor centers are ADA accessible. Most of our programs can be relocated or modified to provide accessibility. Please let us know if you have any participants that require an accessible site.

Location and Directions: Please click here for a park map and driving directions. For a look at your field trip site check out our Education Sites Video Tours.

Weather: Please click here to connect to NOAA's weather page for Estes Park.
Click here to connect to the NOAA weather page for Grand Lake/Kawuneeche Valley.

 

A Big Thank You to Our Park Partner

Rocky Mountain Conservancy, one of Rocky Mountain National Park's philanthropic partners, provides funding to support educational field trips and programming.

This program, and many other park projects like it, would not be possible without donations to the Rocky Mountain Conservancy.