No reservation required at RMNP if you arrive before 6am

[BColo]

rmnp.jpg (94.31 KiB) Viewed 4462 times

[Cruiser]

Think they'll organize entry to the maroon bells scenic area the same way?!?

[dwoodward13]

Think they'll organize entry to the maroon bells scenic area the same way?!?

No such luck. You’ll need a reservation regardless of when you arrive.

https://cityofaspen.com/DocumentCenter/ ... 05-26-2020

[peter303]

https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/ ... edentryfaq

The FAQ says "If you are planning to visit one of the parks outlying areas, please print and display a copy of your timed entry permit on the dashboard"
Lily Lake, Longs Peak trailhead, Wild Basin are defined as outlying areas in the FAQ.

P.S. I doubt there is enough manpower and willpower to enforce such a regulation outside of the regular entrance stations.. Just my opinion.
P.P.S. There are approaches to Longs from within the main park. That is how it was first summited by Powell.

[martinleroux]

The FAQ says "If you are planning to visit one of the parks outlying areas, please print and display a copy of your timed entry permit on the dashboard"
Lily Lake, Longs Peak trailhead, Wild Basin are defined as outlying areas in the FAQ.

It's doubly confusing at Longs Peak, because if you arrive after 6am you'll almost certainly have to park on the road below the last hairpin bend (at least on weekends). In that case you're actually parking outside the park boundary and entering on foot, which doesn't appear to require a timed entry permit.

[justiner]

I seem to recall that someone reported more no parking signs below the e longs peak th in the thread about the ne pay using a phone app thread. Can someone confirm?

[timewarp01]

I seem to recall that someone reported more no parking signs below the e longs peak th in the thread about the ne pay using a phone app thread. Can someone confirm?

Went up there earlier today to check it out. There are a few temporary 'no parking' signs covering the stretch of road between the parking lot and the gate to the Longs Peak Campground, but no other signs from that gate all the way down to St. Vrain Ave, other than the usual ones for the private drives and such. I'd say the the new restricted area only extends 15 or 20 car lengths from the trailhead. There was a ranger at a table by the TH but it didn't look like they were checking passes. Things could change over the next week though, because while the park is now open, the Timed Reservation system doesn't actually start until June 1st.

[BColo]

Definitely conflicting info because I can’t make a res for 3am... so what do I display on the dash? Maybe my own sign? Arrived @ 3am to climb?

FAQ
The booking system will be for arrivals, in blocks of two hours beginning at 6 a.m. through 5 p.m. For example, 6-8 a.m., 8-10 a.m., 10 a.m.-noon, etc.

[madbuck]

Definitely conflicting info because I can’t make a res for 3am... so what do I display on the dash? Maybe my own sign? Arrived @ 3am to climb?

FAQ
The booking system will be for arrivals, in blocks of two hours beginning at 6 a.m. through 5 p.m. For example, 6-8 a.m., 8-10 a.m., 10 a.m.-noon, etc.

I don’t understand the continued confusion about this. If you get there before 6am, just go. If between 6am-5pm, you need a reservation, or you have 2 risks. #1, you are approached directly by a ranger, you have to leave or get fined or whatever. If not, your car (you) may be ticketed if they have some system with confidence where they track the state of the parking lot at 6am. Maybe photo or video, maybe they just remember the farthest filled spot and notice when an obvious new car parks after 6am and it’s the ranger’s word against yours. People are generally non confrontational and might ticket your car instead of you, but they’ll also try to avoid mistakenly ticketing a legit 4am climber. The burden will be on them to prove they can systematically identify people parking illegitimately. And very likely, they won’t actually ticket anyone and instead will warn/deny parking at popular times at popular places. And now a bit more revenue (arguably justified) for all the work required at tourist hellhole parking lots like Lily Lk and Lumpy.
It’ll sort itself out.

The parking just outside the lots, though — that’ll be interesting. Better to park legally off hwy shoulder at 6:01am than an empty parking lot spot? Is a party of 4 “free” or 4x walk-in rate?

[pw]

Definitely conflicting info because I can’t make a res for 3am... so what do I display on the dash? Maybe my own sign? Arrived @ 3am to climb?

FAQ
The booking system will be for arrivals, in blocks of two hours beginning at 6 a.m. through 5 p.m. For example, 6-8 a.m., 8-10 a.m., 10 a.m.-noon, etc.

I don’t understand the continued confusion about this. If you get there before 6am, just go. If between 6am-5pm, you need a reservation, or you have 2 risks. #1, you are approached directly by a ranger, you have to leave

The confusion is because it's confusing. Why say it's ok to enter before 6 AM, and then, it sounds like, threaten to ticket anyone who came in before 6 AM? There's no point entering that early if you can't park anywhere without being ticketed. RMNP probably needs to do some clarification.

[pbakwin]

I seem to recall that someone reported more no parking signs below the e longs peak th in the thread about the ne pay using a phone app thread. Can someone confirm?

Went up there earlier today to check it out. There are a few temporary 'no parking' signs covering the stretch of road between the parking lot and the gate to the Longs Peak Campground, but no other signs from that gate all the way down to St. Vrain Ave, other than the usual ones for the private drives and such. I'd say the the new restricted area only extends 15 or 20 car lengths from the trailhead. There was a ranger at a table by the TH but it didn't look like they were checking passes. Things could change over the next week though, because while the park is now open, the Timed Reservation system doesn't actually start until June 1st.

This is not 100% accurate as of today. There IS a no parking sign at the top of the stretch of road where people normally park, just below the buck-rail fencing. Just 1 sign, and it’s not clear if it applies to that entire stretch. If so then parking is very dramatically reduced from how it has been for decades.

[jscully205]

See my TH conditions report for latest update.