Rocky Mountain National Park, CO

Weather

Weather is always an important concern when hiking. Summer is the ideal time to hike in the Rockies. Expect daytime hiking temperatures into the 70s and 80s and nighttime temperatures in the 40s & 50s. However, be prepared for the possibility of daytime temperatures into the high 80s and nights below freezing at elevation (possibly accompanied by a lot of wind). There are also ubiquitous afternoon thunderstorms (often with hailstorms) at high elevations that are to be avoided for safety (and comfort) reasons. Here are the historical weather averages Be prepared with sun protection and water containers that add up to 4 liters of capacity.

Probable Trip Leaders

Cost

$1600 per person double occupancy. Here, double occupancy means that you will share a room with another participant during the hotel night. You will also be responsible for transportation to and from Denver International Airport (DEN), personal equipment, restaurant meals eaten off the trail and any gratuities for guides.

Covered expenses include 1 hotel nights, 1 frontcountry campground night, park entrance fees (bring a park pass if you have one), 6 days of trail meals, ground transportation to/from the parks, National Park permits and awesome guides.

Tipping: In order to keep our prices competitive with (and hopefully favorable to) other outfitters, we shamefully can’t pay our guides as much as we think they deserve. Like most other guiding services, we rely on the generosity of our participants to make up this shortfall by tipping the guides. While tips are not required or expected, if your guides have served you well, please consider a gratuity so they can continue living their extravagant lifestyles of eating powdered meals, sleeping in the dirt and pooping in smelly outhouses and small holes they've dug.

Difficulty

The trails through the Rockies often have good footing but elevation changes can be drastic. This implies more difficulty but also higher, unimpeded views. Furthermore, those arriving from lower elevations may have difficulty with the altitude. Our first day in Denver should help ... so will staying super hydrated, but it will still take a few days to fully acclimate. Distances will be kept below 11.5 miles per day (our longest day).

Important Notes

The itinerary you see here is our proposed itinerary and may be changed by the park. The park begins awarding backcountry permits on March 1, 2023 so we may end up running this trip in a different part of the park

There may be snow at higher elevations. Please be prepared for walking through an occasional snowfield or snow squall.

Rocky Mountain National Park requires us to carry Bear Canisters which can be cumbersome. However they are effective at protecting food plus you can sit on them.