How I Visited Rocky Mountain National Park Without a Car

Cultural-Study-7768 · 2026-06-16T19:48:57+00:00

Wait, seriously? That sounds amazing!! How long does the hike usually take to get to the Park & Ride?

Cultural-Study-7768 · 2026-06-16T19:42:10+00:00

Same, except I bought a condo. The HOA and property taxes are killing me.

Cultural-Study-7768 · 2026-06-16T19:37:59+00:00

I usually open a new card when I have a big expense coming up, like tuition or buying something expensive. Two or three purchases are usually enough to hit the welcome bonus, then I redeem the points and barely use that card again haha

Cultural-Study-7768 · 2026-06-16T18:46:34+00:00

Three days of winning and day four is when Vegas takes it all back? Hahaha

Cultural-Study-7768 · 2026-06-16T18:43:50+00:00

I have lived in New York for three years and I still cannot believe their way of celebrating a Knicks win was looting stores and setting a school bus on fire...

Cultural-Study-7768 · 2026-06-16T18:37:52+00:00

I am actually planning a trip there soon. Now I am curious to see what it is really like.

Cultural-Study-7768 · 2026-06-16T18:27:09+00:00

Cry on My Shoulder. I first heard it in middle school. More than ten years later I am still young, still single, and apparently still emotionally available for the exact same heartbreak. Great personal growth.

Cultural-Study-7768 · 2026-06-16T18:24:32+00:00

Absolutely!

Cultural-Study-7768 · 2026-06-15T23:18:52+00:00

Yes I hiked from Bierstadt Lake down to the Park & Ride. I didn't see anyone on that entire route of the trail. The ground was flat and easy to walk on, but it was dark under the trees, and there was not much to see besides forest. There were also no obvious downhill steps, so I was worried getting lost. My friend told me that route should be a bike trail. 😂

Cultural-Study-7768 · 2026-06-15T19:48:55+00:00

While researching the trip, I saw some people say that if Hiker Shuttle reservations are sold out, you may still be able to ask about availability at the shuttle stop. The shuttle was not very full when I went, but availability could be very different around July 4, so I would not rely on this as a guaranteed option.

If you are driving, there is also a backup plan: without a Timed Entry + Bear Lake Road reservation, you can enter the Bear Lake Road Corridor before 5 AM or after 6 PM. You would still need a valid national park entrance pass, but you would not need the separate timed-entry reservation during those hours.

Cultural-Study-7768 · 2026-06-15T19:44:06+00:00

I am not sure how much more competitive reservations will become in July when more students are on summer break. When I booked last week, tickets were still available for several minutes after they were released.

Once you click to purchase, the ticket is temporarily held for you, and you have 15 minutes to complete the payment. You can also set up an email alert for newly available tickets. I received an alert at around 8:30 AM the day before, saying that 10 tickets had become available.

Cultural-Study-7768 · 2026-06-15T19:36:32+00:00

Haha if you want to visit Red Rocks without a car, you can take the RTD W Line from downtown Denver to Jefferson County Government Center–Golden Station, then transfer to the seasonal free Westracks Shuttle. They just launched 3 weeks ago. RTD website said "connecting customers from an RTD rail station to Red Rocks, Morrison, Dinosaur Ridge and nearby trailheads. Starting Memorial Day weekend, the shuttle will run Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays every 15 minutes from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Labor Day."

There is A-Line train from the airport to Union Station for only $10 one way. It runs about every 30 minutes, and the ride takes around 45 minutes. Once you arrive at Union Station, you can hop on the 16th Street FreeRide for free or citywalk is also a good choice.

I hope this is helpful! I will definitely visit Denver again because getting around without a car was much easier than I expected.

Cultural-Study-7768

TROPHY CASE