akshits20 posted his question on the TripAdvisor Colorado travel forum and got details and links about the many overlooks and short trails along Trail Ridge Road, map links, driving information, and more.

Yes I tried to get tickets right at 5 PM but they were literally literally sold out within 3 minutes (both my husband and I were logged on the site using our phones, clicking exactly at 5 PM ). I just went there a couple weeks ago but I believe you can go through the fall river road entry without a reservation before 9 AM, and before 5am for the Bear Lake Road entry. good luck!

There are currently no wildfires burning in or near RMNP. Last year, smoke from wildfires in other western states (like California) also impacted air quality in Colorado including in RMNP. There is no way at this time to predict what the wildfire situation will be in Colorado or in other states during the time of your visit. Most of RMNP is currently not in any form of drought. That helps reduce wildfire risk. There are still millions of beetle killed trees in RMNP which increase the wildfire risk. You will see wildfire damage in RMNP, particularly on the west side, when traveling Trail Ridge Road. That damage occurred in October 2020 during the East Troublesome wildfire.

For starters, Trail Ridge Road will not be open. Most of the areas of RMNP above around 9,000 ft. are still covered in ice and snow during the time of your visit. Hiking will be primarily with snowshoes or traction devices for snowy/icy trails. RMNP always seems to get a significant snowfall around Mother's Day and even later in May. For more details about your visit, you need to post your question in the TripAdvisor Rocky Mountain National Park Travel Forum. Google it for the link. TripAdvisor does not permit links in these questions or I would give it to you. There are already multiple questions and answers on the TripAdvisor Rocky Mountain National Park Travel Forum that discuss what it is like to visit the park in early to mid-May.

Yes. RMNP rangers will tell you that the parking lot at the Alpine Visitor Center is frequently full between 10 am and 3 pm. If the parking lot is full, rangers will not permit you to enter the parking lot. You will have to drive past the Alpine Visitor Center and hope that parking opens up later.

Trail Ridge Road is not scheduled to open for the season until May 28, 2021. During the time of your visit, Trail Ridge Road will be open about 8 miles from the east side entrances to Many Parks Curve (9,640 ft.) weather permitting. If snow plowing operations and weather allow, Trail Ridge Road may be open an additional 4 miles to Rainbow Curve (10,829 ft.). Other than the dirt Old Fall River Road, all other main roads in RMNP will be open by the time of your visit. For more information, see the TripAdvisor Travel Forums for Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. I would give you the links, but TA does not permit links in these answers. Google TripAdvisor Colorado Travel Forum and you will be directed to the correct place.

Officially, Trail Ridge Road is highway 34. I prefer highway 34 into Estes Park. However, you should drive just a very short distance on highway 36 to stop at one of the Longs Peak viewpoints. You can turn around and go back to highway 34 at Deer Ridge Junction. From Deer Ridge Junction on your way downhill along highway 34, don't miss the semicircular pullout on your right for the Horseshoe Park Overlook. At the base of the hill on highway 34, you will see a side road (Endovalley Road) on your left to the Alluvial Fan area. This is a short detour off highway 34 and is definitely worth it for the short walk to Horseshoe Falls. Be sure to stop at Sheep Lakes on highway 34. Don't count on the bighorn sheep being there, but the views from here to the west are wonderful. Be prepared to see fire damage in RMNP particularly on the west side. The East Troublesome Fire burned almost 30,000 acres in RMNP in October this year. You will also see millions of dead trees along Trail Ridge Road. The pine beetle and spruce beetle epidemics greatly impacted RMNP, more so than in many other areas of Colorado. On the TA Rocky Mountain National Park travel forum, there is a detailed description about driving and exploring Trail Ridge Road. I will send you the link for that topic by private message. TA does not permit links in these answers.

Trail Ridge Road is U.S. Highway 34 and travels through RMNP between the towns of Estes Park and Grand Lake. The road is a divided two lane highway with a 22 foot roadbed. The reason some people describe Trail Ridge Road as white knuckle is because there are several areas along the road where there are steep drop offs, no guardrails or short rock walls, and no shoulder. With 11 miles of Trail Ridge Road traveling above treeline, some people are intimated by the expansiveness of the open tundra combined with the steep drop offs - as in the feeling there is nothing to stop you if go off the side of the road. Don't just drive Trail Ridge Road. There are numerous overlooks and short trails to enjoy along the way. On the TripAdvisor Rocky Mountain National Park Travel Forum, there are several posts detailing how to spend a day along Trail Ridge Road. I would give you the links, but TA does not allow that in these answers.

Lighter crowds in RMNP when Trail Ridge Road is open has really become a relative term. In 2018, RMNP was the third most visited national park in the United States. RMNP is a much smaller national park than places like Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Yosemite or Yellowstone so the crowds are condensed in RMNP. Looking at the 2020 calendar, June 8-12 (weekdays before mid-June but many higher elevation trails in RMNP will still be snow and ice covered if you plan to hike); August 24-28 and August 31-September 3 (weekdays after school starts but before the Friday of Labor Day weekend): September 8-10 (weekdays after Labor Day but before the Longs Peak Scottish Irish Highland Festival in Estes Park really gets going); September 15-17 (Tuesday through Thursday after the Longs Peak Scottish Irish Highland Festival in Estes Park and before peak fall color). People pour into RMNP beginning around noon on Friday on every weekend from June through October if the weather is good. I will send you a private message with a link to a topic from the TripAdvisor RMNP Travel Forum about RMNP peak visitation times and advice from RMNP rangers about how to better deal with overcrowding in RMNP. TripAdvisor does not permit links here. The TripAdvisor Travel Forums are a much better and generally more accurate place to get answers to questions than on these Q&A sections.

peggysue2, I see that you are familiar with TripAdvisor's Travel Forums. There is a TA forum for Rocky Mountain National Park, and that is a better place to ask questions such as yours. Since I am the DE for that forum, I will partly answer your question here. I could give you more information and helpful links including map links on the forum. Unlike crossing the Continental Divide on highway 6 in Colorado over Loveland Pass, the crossing of the Continental Divide on highway 34 (Trail Ridge Road) in RMNP is lackluster. All you will see at Milner Pass is a Continental Divide sign and a small lake called Poudre Lake. Coming from Grand Lake, Milner Pass is about 16 miles from the west side entrance to RMNP. During this 16 miles, you will not see the dramatic mountain views that make RMNP so famous. The west side of RMNP is more about the Colorado River and the Kawuneeche Valley. Trail Ridge Road is really the only main road into RMNP from the west side. The east side (Estes Park side) of RMNP has more areas to explore, most of the hiking trails, most of the favorite hiking trails and the dramatic mountain views that make RMNP so popular. Depending on the timing of your visit, the east side can also be very crowded. There are multiple areas on the east side of the park where you can see beautiful mountain views without having to travel above 10,800 ft. To visit the east side of RMNP, you would need to enter RMNP from Estes Park and not Grand Lake. Once you travel west of I-25, multiple mountain ranges in Colorado are all part of the Rocky Mountains. You don't have to travel to RMNP in Colorado to see great mountain views or to cross the Continental Divide. TripAdvisor does not permit links in these answers. On the forum, I could give you some excellent links about altitude illness from medical professionals in Colorado.