Leave your car behind!
Estes Park and RMNP provide a system of free shuttle buses. They connect at the Estes Park Visitor Center and Park & Ride lots. Buses transport visitors staying in Estes Park around town for dining and shopping. Free shuttles take you into the Park to hike or sightsee without the hassles of parking and traffic.
Estes Park is making big strides to improve its roads and traffic congestion. The largest of these efforts is The Downtown Estes Loop project which is dramatically changing the flow of traffic through town. For the latest updates on the project please visit: https://www.downtownestesloop.com/
Rocky Mountain National Park Summer Free Shuttle Buses
During peak summer visitation, the popular parking lots at Bear Lake and at the Bear Lake/Glacier Basin Park n Ride in the Park as well as smaller trailhead parking lots can fill up during the morning.
Your best bet for no hassle parking is to park at the Estes Park Events Center Park & Ride and take the Estes Park Silver Route from the Park-N-Ride to the Town of Estes Park Visitor Center, or park in the 4-story parking garage at 691 N. St. Vrain Ave and walk next door to the Estes Park Visitor Center, then transfer to the RMNP Hiker Shuttle that goes directly to the Bear Lake Park n Ride.
From May 24 to October 2, 2024 the RMNP Hiker Shuttle will again operate on a daily basis and Saturday & Sunday service will run between October 7 to October 20. All passengers need a reservation ticket (available on Recreation.gov Hiker Shuttle Ticket) plus a valid Park Entrance Pass. Starting at 5pm the night before, tickets become available for time slots during the next day (9 am, 9:45 am, 10:30 am, 11:15 am, 12:00 pm, 12:45 pm, 1:30 pm, and 2:15 pm). Space is limited, and you must use the specific time slot that was reserved!
Coming back after your adventures, you can get on any returning bus. Shuttles leave the Park n Ride at 9:45 am, 10:15 am, 11:15 am, 12:00 pm, 12:45 pm, 1:30 pm, 3:00 pm, 3:45 pm, 4:30 pm, 5:15 pm and 6:00pm.
The last Hiker Shuttle Bus of the day leaves the Park n Ride at 6:00pm returning to the Estes Park Visitor Center. Be sure not to miss the bus as there are no other buses to Estes Park!
Bear Lake Park n Ride
At the Bear Lake/Glacier Basin Park n Ride, transfer to the Bear Lake Route to access hikes along the Bear Lake Road corridor (Bierstadt Lake, Sprague Lake, Glacier Gorge & Bear Lake). Transfer to the Moraine Park Route to access Glacier Basin & Moraine Park Campgrounds, Cub Lake & Fern Lake Trailheads, and the Moraine Park Discovery Center.
From May 24 to October 20 buses run every 10-15 minutes on the Bear Lake Route from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and every 60 minutes on the Moraine Park Route from 7:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Click here for more information about transportation to & from Rocky Mountain National Park.
Estes Park Free Summer Shuttle Buses
Around Estes Park, there are five free shuttle routes that fan out from the Visitor Center. The Red Downtown Trolley runs daily from Memorial Day Weekend to October 20, 9:00am to 9:00pm. The other routes start up July 1 and run daily through September 2, then weekends only from September 7 to September 29. The five routes are listed below:
Shuttles run approximately every 30 minutes between 9:00am and 9:00pm.
- Red route is the Downtown Trolley which starts operation on May 24.
- Gold route (Fall River Road) heads out to the Fall River Visitor Center and returns, stopping at lodging along Fall River Road.
- Silver route serves the Hwy 7 area and the Estes Park Events Complex Park & Ride lot with 400 paved parking spaces and a bus shelter.
- Brown route serves Riverside Drive and Moraine Ave.
- Blue route goes East on 34 and serves the motels along Big Thompson Ave.
- 2024 shuttle map, stops, and schedules…
Download a copy here
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.