Rocky Mountain National Park photography guide

If you are interested in photographing events, here are a few you might enjoy. Close to the summer solstice Estes Park hosts the Scandinavian Midsummer Festival where you will find Vikings, handicrafts, and traditional foods from Scandinavia. You can find details here: estesmidsummer.com

In September Estes Park holds the second largest Scottish-Irish Festival in the nation which includes jousting, pole throwing, lots of kilts, Celtic music and a large parade of the clans. Details can be found here: http://www.scotfest.com 

In October you can help celebrate the elk rut with the Elk Festival in Estes Park with bugling contests, informational talks, tours, and lots of elk around town. visitestespark.com 

There is something going on just about every week in Estes Park. You can find the full list of events here: visitestespark.com 

Grand Lake on the west side also has a variety of events which can be found here: business.grandlakechamber.com 

Rocky Mountain National Park is divided by a large mountain range into an eastern side and a western side. You will find most of your opportunities on the east side and so may find it helpful to stay in or around the town of Estes Park. You’ll want to spend several days to a week to really experience the park. Spend one morning photographing sunrise at Sprague Lake. Follow this with a hike from Bear Lake up to Nymph, Dream and Emerald Lakes to check out the various photo options for future mornings. Then take a drive over Trail Ridge Road all the way to Grand Lake to experience the tundra and get a sense of the scale of this park. This will give you a good overview of what is available to easily photograph. Then come back and focus on photographing your favorite of these areas.

If you have more time or are more adventurous, plan a backpacking trip via the Wilderness Office. Just about every backcountry lake in the park is fabulous for photography.

To visit Rocky Mountain National Park you will need to rent a car from the Denver International Airport. While there are shuttles that come occasionally to Estes Park, the public transportation into the park is currently quite limited and only operates during the busy summer months. It unfortunately does not start early enough to get you into the park for sunrise or late enough for sunset. It also only covers a small area of the park. The drive from the Denver airport to Estes Park is about 1.5 hours.

Rocky Mountain National Park and the surrounding area has very little crime, the main dangers are those typical of wilderness areas. The mountains can be very harsh and violent places and every year we have several deaths as well as many people who get hurt or lost and need to be rescued. It is vital that you always let someone know where you are going each day, when you plan to return and that you stick to your plan. I also suggest using a satellite tracking system/emergency locator beacon if you plan on hiking in the wilderness, particularly if you are hiking alone. During the summer months we typically get violent storms every afternoon. As a general rule of thumb you should not be above tree line after noon as lightning is a major killer. Be aware that while the temperature in Denver could be over 90F, in the mountains it could be icy cold and windy. Always prepare for winter weather even in the summer.

Rocky Mountain National Park has the highest average elevation of any national park in the United States with its lowest point being around 7,800 ft (2377 m) and its highest point being 14,259 ft (4346 m). Because of its high elevation most people who visit from lower elevations find that breathing and exertion is much more difficult for the first few days while their body adjusts. Some people actually get altitude illness with headaches, difficulty sleeping, and loss of appetite. This can generally be mitigated by drinking a lot of water prior to and after arrival. If you find that these symptoms become more severe during a hike, do not ignore them as they will only get worse and could become life-threatening. Instead descend to a lower elevation until the symptoms go away.

In much of the park you will find that you will not have any cell phone connection. The best network in the area is the Verizon network, but even this system does not cover a large area of the park. There is a Verizon store in Estes Park if you need to get an American cell phone.

With 4.5 million visitors to Rocky Mountain National Park each year you should be ready for a lot of people on the roads and at the trailheads. The best way to avoid the crowds and also to get the best photos is to head out before sunrise or just prior to sunset. Most people enter the park at about 9am and leave the park at 4 or 5 pm. If you adjust your schedule to avoid being on the roads at this time you will have a much more enjoyable trip.