Rocky Mountain National Park entry fees to go cashless

Starts this summer

BY MATT BLOOM COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO

Make sure to pack your credit or debit card along with your hiking boots if you’re visiting Rocky Mountain National Park this summer. e park will stop accepting cash payments for entrance and permit fees starting June 1.

e change will allow one of the country’s busiest national parks to cut back on time rangers spend handling cash at crowded entry gates, according to a release from the National Park Service. It will also help streamline fee management behind the scenes.

You can still purchase a number of entry passes at one of the park’s main gates with cards or mobile payment options. But, if you want to speed up your entry, NPS o cials recommend buying one online before your visit along with a separate timed-entry permit, which is required from May 26 through Oct. 22.

Visitors can still buy park entrance passes with cash at a few locations outside of the park, according to NPS. ey include the Rocky Mountain Conservancy Nature Store at Beaver Meadows and the Fall River or Kawuneeche Visitor Centers.

Here’s what to know before heading to the park: e NPS o ers over a dozen di erent types of passes to get into Rocky. e NPS says it’s also going completely cashless for payments and fees associated with campgrounds inside of Rocky starting June 1. Overnight visitors must make reservations online ahead of time for most campsites. Timed-entry permits are included with all camping reservations. e cashless switch only applies to entry and permit fees, according to the NPS.

What type of passes are available?

One-day vehicle passes cost $30 and cover non-commercial vehicles with less than 16 passengers. You can also buy one-day passes for entry by bike or foot. Seven-day passes are also an option.

If you’re planning to visit multiple national parks this year, you can buy an annual pass that covers admission to all parks in the system for $80. You can buy those online or in-person. Seniors, veterans and students can also get special passes for free or reduced rates.

What about camping?

Are stores inside the park also going cashless?

Rocky has a small, conveniencelike store and a co ee shop, which will both still accept cash. ere are two di erent types of timed-entry permits.

How do I get a timed-entry permit?

Rocky is implementing another iteration of its timed-entry program this summer to help manage crowds, which means you’ll need to snag a free permit prior to your visit. A timed-entry permit is required for everyone entering the park between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. between late May and October.

A regular Park Access permit gets you access to most areas of the park outside of the popular Bear Lake is story is from CPR News, a nonpro t news source. Used by permission. For more, and to support Colorado Public Radio, visit cpr.org.

Road Corridor.

A Park Access+ entry permit includes access to Bear Lake Road, as well as other areas of Rocky. Are other Colorado national parks going cashless?

Yes, Mesa Verde National Park and Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument will go cashless this summer, according to the NPS. Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site in southeast Colorado will also go cashless.

BY LUKE ZARZECKI LZARZECKI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

On most Tuesdays and ursdays and some Saturdays, a team of bikers meets to explore Colorado’s network of trails.

e group connects at a co ee shop in downtown Denver. When the weather isn’t too hot, it’s after work around 4 or 5 p.m. In the dead of summer, it’s usually in the morning.

ey sip on espresso and decide where they want to ride that day. It could be on the bike lanes of Denver, the 36 Bikeway to Boulder, the Platte River Trail to Brighton or other suburbs. Most of the time, it involves a stop along the way.

“We would go down the Platte River Trail to the C 470 trail and then Krispy Kremes along there. We call it the Krispy 50. It’s a 50-mile loop,” said Ted Schultz, one of the riders in the group.

e group started after Schultz and two colleagues in his o ce space decided to start riding together after work. Schultz rode with a few others and combined the two groups.

After the ride, they go to a brewery to catch up with one another and relax after the ride.

Colorado’s network of trails

Part of the reason the group exists is due to Colorado’s extensive bike trail infrastructure. Schultz said it’s only improved in the past two decades.

“When you add up the miles of really good trails, it’s just mind-boggling,” he said.

Schultz, who grew up in Colorado, said understanding for cyclists sharing the road and building more infrastructure has vastly grown. In the 70s and 80s, he could almost count on angry driver backlash during his rides. Now, not so much. e Denver Regional Council of Governments built a map that shows all the trails and bike lanes across the region. ey stretch all the way from Boulder to Clear Creek to Castle Rock.

Much of that may be due to more focus on improving trails and streets.

And more may be coming. e Greenhouse Gas Planning Standard, a new rule adopted by the Transportation Commission of Colorado in December 2021, requires agencies to measure greenhouse gas emissions from transit projects, with limits on how high those emissions go.

Bike Path

With bike infrastructure providing the option for drivers to ditch their cars and bike, it can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Jacob Riger, multimodal transportation planning manager for the Denver Regional Council of Governments, said his group has already modi ed its 2050 Metro Vision Regional Transportation Plan based on the rule.

Emily Lindsey, active and emerging mobility program manager for DRCOG, said people are ready.

Of the 15 million daily trips in the region, 43% are less than three miles and 19% are less than one mile.

“So, super bikeable, even more so with e-bikes,” she said.

Chris Chen, one of the riders in the group, noted that some improvements are needed. Chen, who lives in Littleton, said there aren’t many bike lanes.

He said either more need to be added or there need to be wider shoulders. He also said more education about how to share the road with bikers needs to be implemented, citing the death of Gwen Inglis in 2021.

Inglis was a national champion who was struck and killed by a driver in Lakewood.

“It’s been so long since I took the driver’s test, but I don’t know if they have incorporated anything into that,” Chen said.

He explained that it’s scary when vehicles go by fast, especially semi-trucks. e trucks, going fast enough, will push air to the side, which pushes the cyclist, but then will suck the air back in, bringing the cyclist in with it.

“If it’s really close, it’s really scary, not only the sounds of it and in the nearness of that fastmoving object, but the air actually pulling you in,” Chen said.

Compared to other places, Anthony Harvey, another member of the group, said the bike infrastructure ranks higher than the places he’s seen, including Texas, Califor- nia and Chicago.

Benefits of riding e group ranges in age. Chen is one of the younger ones in his 40s with some of the older riders in their 60s. Meaning, biking is an activity for all abilities and ages.

Chen said he used to be a swimmer. But he didn’t like the fact he had to drive to the pool before 5 a.m. to be at practice in time. at was too early for him, so he stopped swimming and started cycling more. Not only did it satisfy as a workout, but also was more convenient.

“I can combine commuting and exercise all together,” Chen said. en he joined the group and it became a lot more fun. It was a way for him to make new friends, destress and get a workout. It also reminds him of his childhood.

“It’s the feeling of when you’re a little kid and you’re going fast and you’re like ‘this is awesome.’” Chen said. “It still feels like that. at sense of freedom.”

Harvey said he got into biking after he was injured from MMA competitions and decided to switch sports. He participates in various races.

“I was able to actually race with bikes and can also stay t,” he said.

Benefi

Ts Of Friendship

While the biking brings the group together, the camaraderie keeps them pedaling. Schultz, Chen and Harvey all talked about the importance of keeping up with each other, not just on the trail.

Each friend rides on their own and sees the bene ts of being alone. But with the group, they push each other to go faster and further and gives a chance to connect over a topic each is passionate about.

After each ride, they stop at a brewpub or a bar, with Chen’s recommendation for one with a food truck.

“ at’s when we can catch up on trips and things happening with the family and what new gadgets people have,” Chen said. “ at kind of stu .”