Free Shuttle Buses
Leave Your Car Behind!
Estes Park and RMNP provide a system of free shuttle buses that connect at Visitor Centers and Park & Ride lots and allow folks staying in Estes Park to easily get around town, and to visit the Park and hike or sightsee while minimizing the hassles of parking, traffic, and Bear Lake Road Reconstruction.
In a hurry to hike? With the Bear Lake Road Reconstruction Project going on, your best bet is to take the Hikers Express Shuttle from the Estes Park Fairgrounds Park-N-Ride or the Town of Estes Park Visitor Center to the Moraine Park Visitor Center, stopping at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center along the way. Visitors will transfer to either the Bear Lake Route or the Moraine Park Route. It operates daily from late June through Labor Day, and weekends only through Oct. 9. The first bus leaves Estes Park at 6:30am, and the last bus returns from the Moraine Park Visitor Center at 8 pm. It runs every half hour during the peak of the day (9am - 6pm), and every hour early and late. A park pass is required. Note that private vehicles are cut off from entering Bear Lake road between 9am and 4pm weekdays from May 28 - July 19 this summer due to the Bear Lake Road Reconstruction Project.
Click here for 2013 Shuttle Bus Routes Map Rocky Mountain National Park.
Once at the Moraine Park Visitor Center, you can transfer to either the Bear Lake Route to access hikes along the Bear Lake Road corridor, or the Moraine Park Route to access the Fern Lake Trailhead. These buses run on weekends from Memorial Day to June 3, and daily from June 9 - October 9 (7am - 7pm). Buses run every 15 minutes on the Bear Lake Route, but may be delayed during periods of road construction, and every 20 minutes on the Moraine Park Route.
Around Estes Park, there are four routes that fan out from the Visitor Center: the new Silver route serving the Fairgrounds Park and Ride lot with 400 paved parking spaces and a bus shelter, the Red route which goes East on 34; the Blue route which goes West up Fall River Road; and the Brown route which goes South along Route 7 and Mary's Lake. Except for the Brown route which operates hourly from 8am - 9pm, shuttles operate every half hour from 9am to 10pm. The Silver route which operates from the Fairgrounds to downtown goes every 15 minutes.
A real-time vehicle tracking service allows riders with Smart Phones to track shuttle arrival times.
Buses stop at shops, restaurants, attractions, and lodging to make it easy for visitors to leave their cars at their lodging or to choose to go completely carless.
