Rocky Mountain National Park is a high elevation area. Established in 1915, the park covers 267,000 acres (416 square miles), and has 359 miles of hiking trails. The lowest point in the park is about 8,100 feet and most trailheads are located from 8,200 - 10,500. For this reason, we only offer Private Trips, so your entire group will be similarly acclimated to the altitude. We recommend that you arrive a few days early and stay on Grand Lake (8,300 feet) for our winter tours or either Grand Lake or Estes Park (7,800 feet) for our summer and fall tours to help you acclimate. Altitude sickness and fatigue will ruin your trip, so please Plan Ahead and Prepare (Leave No Trace principle #1).
At Rocky Mountain National Park, elk, moose, and coyotes can be seen roaming the meadows, while Bears, Mountain Lions and Bobcats are some of the more elusive predators we find in the forested areas. Little critters like Marmots, Chipmunks and Ground Squirrels are abundant. During the summer, the colorful wildflowers and tundra plants are stunning. Longs Peak, the highest mountain in the park, rises up to 14,255 feet. Trail Ridge Road crosses over the tundra and the continental divide and summits at 12,200 feet. A visit to Rocky Mountain National Park will be an experience you will not forget!
Birding, Wildlife, and Hiking Tours: Over 300 different species of birds have been identified in Rocky Mountain National Park and the park has 359 miles of hiking trails for single day or multi day tours. If you will be in the national park area for an extended period of time, we highly recommend spending time in all five life zones in the area. Starting in Rocky Mountain National Park, you will find different species of birds in the four major zones in the park: Alpine, Sub-alpine, Montane, and Riparian. At the edge of the park, you will find the foothills, plains and high mountain parks. We can arrange an extended birding tours of the different areas for you.
Alpine Tours: Trail Ridge Road crosses Rocky Mountain National Park and the continental divide and the high point on the road reaches 12,200 feet. The Alpine Visitor Center is along Trail Ridge Road at 11,800 feet. We will take you on several short nature walks and teach you about the plants, animals and geology of the Alpine Tundra.
Stargazing and Night Sounds: We don’t have a telescope, but we love to go into the National Park at night and look for shooting stars, falling meteorites, the Milky-way and orbiting satellites. We will teach you about the constellations of the sky. The mountain sky is truly clear and on a moonless night, you will be amazed about the number of stars in the sky. Nighttime is also a great time for night sounds.
Overnight Backpacking: There is nothing more wonderful than waking up in the backcountry. Mountain mornings are cool and calm, night skies are brilliant with stars and the air is quiet; to awake next to a high mountain crystal clear lake or stream is an incredible experience. Rocky Mountain National Park is a high elevation area and most backcountry campsites are located from 9,500 - 10,500 and some sites are located over 11,000 feet. For this reason, we only offer private trips, so your entire group will be similarly acclimated. We advise you to arrive a few days early to better acclimate to the altitude.
2022 dates available or you can request other dates and locations
August 21 - 23, Jackstraw, located at 10,798 feet, 2-nights/3 days, moderate or challenging level; 4.1 miles each way with 1,788 feet elevation gain. Day one: hike to campsite and set up base camp for 2- nights. Day two: Hike (with only day packs) 2-miles each way to Timber Lake and beyond for a moderate level hike, or 4-miles each way to the summit of Mount Ida for a challenging level hike. Day Three: Hike out. This is a private trip and up to 6 spots are available.
August 28 - 31, Tonahutu Meadows, located at 10,050 feet, 3-nights/4 days, challenging level; 6.2 miles each way, with 1,250 feet elevation gain. Day one: Hike to campsite and set up base camp for 3- nights. Day two: Hike (with only day packs) 2.5-miles each way to Haynach Lake for a moderate level hike. Day Three: Hike 4-miles (with only day packs) to Ptarmigan Pass. Day four: Hike out. This is a private trip and up to 6 spots are available.
September 6 - 8, East Inlet Cat’s Lair, located at 9,200 feet, 2-nights/3 days, moderate challenge level; 4-miles each way with 810 feet elevation gain. Day one: hike to campsite and set up base camp for 2-nights. Day two: Hike (with only day packs) 3-miles each way to Lake Verna, or 4-miles each to Spirit Lake. Day Three: Hike out. This is a private trip and up to 6 spots are available.
Pricing for Private over-night backpacking trips
Private Tours: $265 per person/per day, (based on a minimum of 2-people), $465 per day for a private, solo traveler trip. Backpacking fee includes back-country permit, gear and food.
Concerned about carrying a heavy pack at high altitude?
If you want to go backpacking and are concerned about carrying the weight, you can have your gear carried by a porter. Our porters can carry up to 50 pounds. One porter can carry the gear for almost two people, or one porter can lighten the load for a group. It is best to figure on having one porter per two people. The cost is $175 per day. You can hire a porter for only the hike-in, if you want to carry your gear out (after we have eaten all the food).
Reservations: At Rocky Mountain National Park, reservations begin on March 1st of every year. Rocky Mountain National Park has limited backcountry sites and many sites book up on the first day. Please make your plans early in the year for the best options.
Because of the high altitude, for each backpacking trip we hike-in and set up a base camp and stay at the same location for every night. From camp we day-hike each day to different lakes, trails, or summits in that area and so you will not need to carry a heavy pack every day. This will allow for a better trip if you are not fully acclimated to the altitude. Please contact for more details about trips.
