Shuttle bus operations have ended for the 2022-2023 season. For details on Summer 2023 shuttle schedules, please check back in Spring 2023.
Schedule
TBD
Fee
Free
Route
Makes stops at
Park & Ride
Bierstadt Lake Trailhead
Glacier Gorge Trailhead
Bear Lake
Moraine Park Shuttle Route
Dates
Shuttle bus operations have ended for the 2022-2023 season. For details on Summer 2023 shuttle schedules, please check back in Spring 2023.
Schedule
TBD
Fee
Free
Route
Makes stops at
Park & Ride
Sprague Lake/Glacier Creek Stables
Hollowell Park
Tuxedo Park
Moraine Park Campground (C Loop)
Cub Lake Trailhead
Fern Lake Bus Stop
Why Should You Use the Bear Lake Corridor Shuttle?
Park your vehicle once and enjoy access to many hiking trails and destinations located along the Bear Lake Road corridor.
Help reduce vehicle emissions in the park.
Enjoy the beautiful scenery without the distraction and stress of traffic congestion and limited parking.
Parking areas along the Bear Lake Road fill most days during the summer season. The free shuttle buses provide the only access to destinations along Bear Lake Road during those peak hours each day.
RMNP Shuttle Route Map - Showing the Hiker Shuttle Route, Bear Lake Road Route, and Moraine Park Route
NPS
Hiker Shuttle
The Hiker Shuttle has ended operations for the 2022 season.
For Summer 2023 details, please check back in Winter 2023.
The Hiker Shuttle provides service to passengers from the Estes Park Visitor Center, located in the Town of Estes Park, to Rocky Mountain National Park's Park & Ride Transit Hub, located on Bear Lake Road, and back.
Those with Hiker Shuttle Ticket Reservations will board the Hiker Shuttle in front of the Estes Park Visitor Center.
The Hiker Shuttle does not pick up passengers at any other locations in Estes Park or in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Reservations for Hiker Shuttle Tickets are required to ride the Hiker Shuttle bus. All riders in a party are required to have a Hiker Shuttle Ticket. One reservation for Hiker Shuttle Tickets is $2.00 and this covers up to 4 Hiker Shuttle Tickets in a party.
Reservations for Hiker Shuttle Tickets are only available through www.recreation.gov. When booking your reservation, remember to change the quantity of tickets being reserved to correspond with the number of people in your party. All people in your party, including infants and young children, must have a Hiker Shuttle Ticket to ride the Hiker Shuttle.
Are there more than 4 people in your party? A second person with a separate Recreation.gov account will need to book the additional Hiker Shuttle Tickets for your group. One Recreation.gov account can only book one reservation per day, which covers up to 4 Hiker Shuttle Tickets on one $2.00 reservation.
Hiker Shuttle Ticket Holders will also need a valid park pass to enter RMNP.
Are you, or someone in your party an annual or lifetime park pass holder? If not, park entrance passes can be purchased online through Recreation.gov.
Once at Park & Ride, passengers may transfer to the Bear Lake or Moraine Park Shuttles to reach desired trailhead destinations.
Dates
Daily service: For Summer 2023 - TBD Advanced Reservations are Required.
The Hiker Shuttle provides service from the Estes Park Visitor Center to RMNP's Park & Ride Transit Hub, located on Bear Lake Road. The Hiker Shuttle does not make any other stops in the park. At the Park & Ride Transit Hub, passengers may transfer to the Bear Lake or Moraine Park Shuttles to reach desired destinations and trailheads. Some trailheads are located directly at Park & Ride.
Departure Times for Hiker Shuttle buses leaving the Estes Park Visitor Center and heading to Rocky Mountain National Park: 9 am, 9:45 am, 10:30 am, 11:15 am, 12:00 pm, 12:45 pm, 1:30 pm, and 2:15 pm.
The Hiker Shuttle will return to the Estes Park Visitor Center from Park & Ride at the following times: 9:45 am, 10:15 am, 11:15 am, 12:00 pm, 12:45 pm, 1:30 pm, 3:00 pm, 3:45 pm, 4:30 pm, and 5:15 pm.
The last shuttle of the day will depart from Park & Ride to return back to the Estes Park Visitor Center at 5:15 pm. There are no other buses to Estes Park; Be sure not to miss the last shuttle bus.
Seating on each bus is limited, passengers are required to depart from the Estes Park Visitor Center using the specific shuttle time slot that was reserve. If a Hiker Shuttle reservation has been booked the bus departing at 10 am, those passengers must depart on the 10 am bus. If someone misses their bus, they cannot transfer a Hiker Shuttle reservation to a different bus.
To return to the Estes Park Visitor Center, passengers may use any returning Hiker Shuttle bus throughout the day.
Fee
Hiker Shuttle reservations are $2.00. One reservation covers up to 4 passengers in a party.
If there are additional people in your party, a different person using a different Recreation.gov account will need to book an additional Hiker Shuttle reservation.
Route
Makes stops only at
The Estes Park Visitor Center
The Park & Ride Transit Hub in RMNP
For additional information, please see below for Frequently Asked Questions about the Hiker Shuttle.
Most shuttle buses are accessible and can accommodate wheelchairs. Contact shuttle staff or rangers if accommodation is needed.
Pets are not allowed on shuttle buses except service animals that have been individually trained to perform specific tasks for the benefit of persons with disabilities. (Emotional support and service-animals-in-training are not service animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act.)
RMNP Hiker Shuttle picking up passengers at the Estes Park Visitor Center
NPS
Frequently Asked Questions About the Hiker Shuttle During Timed Entry
Seating capacity on the Hiker Shuttle bus is limited and rider demand is high. In 2019, visitors interested in riding on the Hiker Shuttle experienced wait times from one to two hours to board a bus.
Reservations will improve the visitor experience by guaranteeing that everyone in your party will be able to board a specific bus at a specific time and minimize congestion, crowding, and wait times.
Hiker Shuttle Reservations will go on sale at 5:00 pm on the night before. So, if you want to visit the park on June 3, Hiker Shuttle Reservations will be available at www.recreation.gov at 5:00 pm mountain time on June 2.
Reservations can be booked beginning at 5:00 pm on the night before your desired departure day. For example, to ride the Hiker Shuttle on May 28, a reservation can only be made beginning at 5:00 pm mountain time on May 27.
The Hiker Shuttle provides service from the Estes Park Visitor Center to the Park & Ride Transit Hub, which is located inside Rocky Mountain National Park on Bear Lake Road.
The Hiker Shuttle does not provide service to any other destinations inside Rocky Mountain National Park.
No, private vehicle access is not permitted with your Hiker Shuttle ticket. You will need a Private Vehicle Timed Entry Permit Reservation to enter the park using your vehicle. Those can be found at https://www.recreation.gov/timed-entry/10086910.
All passengers who want to ride the Hiker Shuttle from the Estes Park Visitor Center to Rocky Mountain National Park need a reservation. One reservation covers up to 4 people of any age. If there are four people or less in a party, only one reservation will be needed.
If there are five or more people in a party, a different person using a different Recreation.gov account will need to book a second reservation. One person cannot book two Hiker Shuttle reservations for the same date.
Yes, to ride the Hiker Shuttle you will need two things: a valid park pass or entrance fee and a Hiker Shuttle Reservation. Reservations are non-transferrable and valid for one day only.
If you have a valid America The Beautiful Interagency Senior, Access, Military, or Annual Pass, then you are covered for your entrance fee. Your party will still need a reservation to ride the Hiker Shuttle. Reservations are only available at https://www.recreation.gov/timed-entry/10088647 and the cost is $2.00 per reservation.
No, you must board the bus for the time slot that matches your Hiker Shuttle Reservation. Hiker Shuttle Buses depart from the Estes Park Visitor Center at 9 am, 9:45 am, 10:30 am, 11:15 am, 12:00 pm, 12:45 pm, 1:30 pm, and 2:15 pm.
The last Hiker Shuttle of the day departs from Park & Ride at 5:15 pm daily. Passengers are advised to watch the time and to return to the Park & Ride Transit Hub well before 5:15 pm.
If someone misses the last bus of the day, there are no other buses or public transit available that provide service to Estes Park.
Yes, while all passengers are required to use the specific shuttle that corresponds with the time slot that was reserved to enter Rocky, passengers may return to the Estes Park Visitor Center using any return shuttle throughout the day.
Hiker Shuttle buses leave from the Park & Ride Transit Hub and return to the Estes Park Visitor Center at the following times: 9:45 am, 10:15 am, 11:15 am, 12:00 pm, 12:45 pm, 1:30 pm, 3:00 pm, 3:45 pm, 4:30 pm, and 5:15 pm.
The 5:15 pm bus is the last bus of the day. Expect this bus to be crowded.
No, pets are not permitted on the Hiker Shuttle or on any Rocky Mountain National Park Shuttle bus. Pets are also not permitted on any hiking trails in Rocky.
