Park Passes are entrance fees that help maintain sites managed by the National Park Service. Entrance fees are required for access to the national park 24/7/365. During the peak visitation season from mid-May to late-October, Timed Entry Reservations are also required during certain times of the day.
Read more about Timed Entry Reservations here.
Park passes are required whenever you visit Rocky Mountain National Park at all times of the year. There are a number of different national park passes available that can be purchased at the park entrance stations or online. You will need to pay with a credit or debit card, as cash and checks are not accepted. If you only have cash, then stop at one of the visitor center stores to purchase a park pass there before heading to the park entrance. You are required to have one of these park passes to enter the park, both day or night. Here are primary park passes for Rocky Mountain National Park. Digital Passes can also be purchased from recreation.gov.
- 1-Day Pass - Automobile - $30.00 Valid for date of purchase. Covers single, non-commercial vehicle with capacity of less than 16 passengers.
- 1-Day Pass - Per Person - $15.00 Valid for date of purchase. Applies to walk-ins, bicycles, and non-commercial groups.
- 1-Day Pass - Motorcycle - $25.00 Valid for date of purchase. Covers one motorcycle.
- 7-Day Vehicle Entrance Pass - $35.00 Rocky Entrance Fee - vehicle entrance pass valid for 7 consecutive days
- 7-Day Motorcycle Entrance Pass - $30.00 Rocky Entrance Fee - motorcycle entrance pass valid for 7 consecutive days
- Rocky Mountain National Park Annual Pass - $70.00 Unlimited entry for one year from date of purchase.
There is an additional class of passes that also work. These are the interagency passes which are part of the America The Beautiful - The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass Series. They include access to 2,000 federal recreation areas throughout the United States, including Rocky Mountain National Park.
- Annual U.S. Resident Pass: $80
- Annual Non-U.S. Resident Pass: $250 (see below section for more details)
- Annual Military Pass: Free (Details)
- Annual Fourth Grade Pass for US students in fourth grade: Free
- Annual Senior Pass: $20
- Lifetime Senior Pass: $80
- Lifetime Access Pass: Free
- Annual Volunteer Pass: Free (250 hours of volunteer service at any of the six participating federal agencies is required)
A portion of the park pass fees collected by the government is returned to the parks through The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act. These are put towards park improvements such as trail and road repairs, campsites, hazard tree mitigation, etc.
You can find more information on the various park passes at: https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/fees.htm
Non U.S. Resident Fees
The "Making America Beautiful Again by Improving Our National Parks" order institutes that the 11 top-visited national parks (which includes Rocky Mountain National Park) also charge an additional $100 fee per non-U.S. resident who is over the age of 16. The $100 Non-Resident fee is in additional to standard entrance fees, such as daily and weekly passes. However, visitors who are not residents of the United States would not need to pay the additional $100 non-resident fee if they purchase and are admitted into the park with an Annual or America the Beautiful Pass, which can be purchased for $250. This includes nonresidents entering as part of a commercial tour group, commercial use authorization (CUA) group, or concessioner tour group. Non-U.S. residents are required to pay entrance fees on fee free days. For more information, visit the official NPS website on non-U.S. resident fees. More information can be found on, and digital pass purchases can be purchased, on recreation.gov.
Automated Fee Machines
In the spring of 2025 Rocky Mountain National Park began installing Automated Fee Machines in various locations around the park including: Lumpy Ridge, Lily Lake, Wild Basin, and the Fall River Entrance. These machines enable you to purchase either a day or a week park pass with a credit card or even with your phone or watch. Most of these machines are located in places where there is not an entrance station. The ones located at entrance stations are for use outside of hours when the station is staffed. This makes it easier for you to get a pass whenever and wherever you enter Rocky Mountain National Park. If you already have a park pass, you do not need to use these machines.
