Estes Park, CO, is the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. Consider visiting Rocky Mountain National Park for your anniversary to enjoy stunning views and memorable experiences.
Where Should We Go for Our Anniversary Trip?
Choosing the perfect destination for an anniversary trip can be challenging, especially for two introverts seeking tranquility and memorable experiences. We considered several options:
- Redwoods National Park in California: Stunning but might lack enough activities to fill our nine-day itinerary.
- Glacier National Park in Montana: Breathtaking scenery, but early October can be freezing cold.
- Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado: A new destination for us, with the vibrant hues of fall in early October.
After careful consideration, Colorado it was! We’ve always enjoyed experiencing fall, and Rocky Mountain National Park promised the perfect blend of natural beauty and activities to celebrate our anniversary.
Heading to the Rocky Mountains: What Do We Need to Know?
Key Questions:
- What will the weather be like?
- What should we pack?
- How’s the food, especially for two picky eaters?
As we started planning, we realized that our usual spontaneous travel style wouldn’t suffice this time. Rocky Mountain National Park introduced a permit system during the COVID era, which appears to be a permanent fixture. The park’s growing popularity has necessitated this system to manage visitor access during peak times, particularly on Bear Lake Road, the park’s most popular area.
As a landscape and wildlife photographer, I knew meticulous planning was essential to access the best spots at optimal times. While we won’t delve into the full details of the permit system here, we highly recommend reviewing the park’s website, recreation.gov, to prepare for your trip.
Our Plan: Permits, Daily Itinerary, and Flexibility
In this blog series, we’ll share our day-by-day itinerary, including the permits we purchased and our backup plans. By following our approach, you’ll have a practical guide that aligns with the park’s permit rules. Whether you’re visiting for photography, hiking, or simply soaking in the views, our plan will help you make the most of your trip.
While some say three days are enough to experience the park, we spent seven full days in the Estes Park area—five of them exploring the main sections of Rocky Mountain National Park. Honestly, we could have stayed even longer!
What’s Next?
In our upcoming posts, we’ll break down each day of our trip, sharing the highlights, lessons learned, and insights to help you plan your own adventure. Hopefully, you’ll avoid some of the mistakes we made. We even used Excel pivot tables to organize everything—so you won’t have to!
To start, check out our post on the basics of getting to the park. Each blog entry will outline the primary permits we secured for that day.
Note: If you’d rather skip the detailed day-by-day posts, you can download our Site Map, Planner Tool and Instructional Guide to immediately begin planning your trip.
