If you have just a short amount of time in the Rocky Mountain National Park, then an organized tour…read moreis the way to go. After researching tour companies through Yelp and other review websites I settled on Rocky Mountain Rush because of their great reviews on Trip Advisor. Though we had to contend with a rainy day, RMR did a great job of showing us some of the highlights of the park. The park itself is absolutely breathtaking (separate review) and a need-to-see experience. The RMR vehicle (pretty much a really big Hummer) is spacious and very comfortable. Since it has the capacity to become an open air vehicle, it can get a little chilly inside. Comfy fleece blankets are provided. Our guide was fantastic - he seemed to know a lot about the park's history and was truly funny. Just a couple of things... not easy to make a reservation online. I sent three requests and eventually just had to call. It is virtually impossible for me to use a phone on my work days so I would have found online more convenient. A longer tour, even by just an hour or so would be great. The park is huge so don't get me wrong... I get why you can't see everything in a few hours. Besides the basic hummer tour, they also do downhill biking adventures and wine and cheese sunset tours. Their prices are on the moderate side ($50 pp). Overall, a good service!

Great tour company, excellent guides, and a fun experience for all. It doesn't hurt that they give…read moretourists who are of age a little splash of schnapps in their hot cocoa to sweeten the pot, and snacks along the way are welcome (Oreos, peanut butter crackers, etc.). Tours are relatively reasonably priced (though not cheap) for the entertainment and educational bits and bobs about the places you're taken to, but for the winter tours where your exposure to several areas of the park is limited, I do think they could knock off a few bucks. We had a bit of a mishap during my tour, where my phone was dropped and my battery tumbled off a bridge and down the side of the mountain. Our guide saved the day by literally sliding down the mountain to retrieve my battered - but still functional! - phone innards. Nevermind the details about how that happened (though I wonder if it'll make it into our guide's stories from here on out), but not having that battery would have really put a kink in the remainder of FH and I's trip to Colorado, so I was thankful, if a bit nervous, that he rescued it. We would love to come back in the summertime and take one of the off-road tours, and will definitely look up this company again if we find ourselves in Estes in warmer months.

We went on a Rocky Mountain Winter Adventure at the beginning of February 2026. It was the…read moreoff-season for Estes Park, but the weather was beautiful. There was only 3 of us other than the tour guide. Our tour guide, CE was incredibly kind, knowledgeable, and willing to make the tour whatever we wanted it to be! We saw deer, elk, and various birds. Again, this was the off-season, so may be able to spot more in different times of the year. We were offered snacks, water, and hot chocolate. There was little snow, but we were able to sled! All in all, would recommend this tour/excursion to anyone looking to experience the Rocky Mountain National Park!

WOW. The views were out of this world…read more I think our tour guide was Wesley (I remember he lived in an RV with his gf), but I might have his name wrong. He was an amazing tour guide. He was very informative. Had some dad jokes. Was a good driver bc I wouldn't trust myself on road haha. It was absolutely terrifying at some points. I'm afraid of heights. The tour was not long enough. I wish we could have seen the other parts of the park with water which that could very well be another tour and I'm don't know it. Highly recommend this company tho. It was worth every penny and his food recs were spot on too!

Highly recommend to anyone! Our group of two was paired with a group of four--three adults and one…read morelittle. The little did just fine in the car seat in the backseat of the jeep while the rest of us rode in the open back. Chance was an incredible guide telling us facts and funny anecdotes (and dad jokes) along the way. He also jumped out with us on each of the stops inside of the park. Grab a bathroom break and drinks/snacks before you head out near the office. There are primitive bathrooms along the way.

Booked this last minute Rocky Mountain Safari tour for 4pm. Our tour guide Jeff was friendly,…read morefunny, and knowledgeable. The tour started out slow for animal sightings but Jeff eventually got us on some elk herds and deer. They are active in the morning (7am) and evening (closer to 6pm). Jeff made sure we were comfortable the whole time. This is a great tour for people looking for a local perspective.

I love ascending whether by car, tram, train, funicular, or airplane!…read more I had this experience on my list of things to do while on vacation when we visited the Rocky Mountain National Park. We finished taking the scenic drives around RMNP and went into Estes Park. I suggested we take the tram up the mountain before dinner. We arrived at the lower terminal. There's a parking lot available to park in for a fee. Handicap Parking is free. We went inside and bought our tickets for $35.96 each. There was no line to board the tram, so we went on out to the loading area. There's a gift shop here you can visit before going up. It is highly recommended to have a reservation (purchase tickets in advance)! Prices vary depending on day of the week and time. If you are a walk-in, the time slot you want may be sold out and you'll have to select an available time. Each tram accommodates 10 people. We had the car to ourselves along with the tram attendant. She was very friendly and we had a nice conversation. She lets riders in and out of the tram. The ride is fairly short (5 minutes each way) even though the tram doesn't travel terribly fast. There's an elevation gain of 1,029 ft. The upper terminal sits at 8,619 ft. This is a very smooth ride. The windows of the tram were wide open, which was great! At the upper terminal, there is an observation platform with telescopes, gift shop, picnic areas, restrooms, cafe, and a trail to the West Summit. The trail is .75 miles one way and is supposedly a fairly easy hike. There's a machine that spins fresh cotton candy and I had to try it! We bought a small bag of peanuts to feed the chipmunks, but it seemed like the birds got most of them. The view is breathtaking! We left the top around the golden hour and it was awesome! This was a serene way to enjoy nature!

So fun! So not hesitate to book the three rides! One just isn't enough! The views are epic! The…read moreride controllers are really good at managing riders so you can go as fast as you want without worrying about bumping into the person in front of you! We loved it!

My wife and I went to The Stanley Hotel for the Shining tour because I am huge Stephen King fan! I…read moreloved the tour and it was super informational! Our guide, Mary, was super fun and had jokes and some really good facts for us! She encouraged us to take pictures and to ask questions! I will definitely be back

I went on the Shining Tour and our tour guide was incredible! Great information and dramatic…read morestorytelling theatrics. You won't be bored! We got a few minutes to take photos at various stops of the tour. You can even stand in the naked lady bathtub and recreate her iconic sultry pose!

Best birthday present ever! My sister and I did one of the sunrise tours. I've been on wildlife…read moretours all over the country and this one was my favorite. Jared is a very knowledgeable naturalist and he has a great entertaining, conversational manner. Not only did he find tons of wildlife for us to watch, he talked all about the animal behaviors we were seeing (that's not common in my experience - a lot of guides I've toured with end the conversation at "hey look! An elk.") Even in between seeing animals, Jared was unstumpable. I had questions about the trees in RMNP and the geology and he has so many interesting facts to share. Thanks for a great morning, Jared!

My wife and I had an amazing time working with Jared on Monday for a sunrise and sunset photo…read moreexcursion. Jared communicated well before the trip to make sure we were prepared for the day. He was punctual both times he picked us up and was a wealth of knowledge about the area. We are just getting into photography and Jared was patient in educating us on the different aspects of photography and what we should be taking into consideration when looking to take a photo. He made sure we were covering the topics we wanted to shoot and would give us different options as the day/weather provided. We traveled in for a wedding so we used Jared's equipment. While cautious, he was very trusting of his using and carrying his equipment. He knows great spots for different types of pictures. We're coming back from this trip with some great photos of the Rocky Mountains and the pika I was hoping to see. If you are into photography or just getting into it and want to have someone show you around RMNP, we highly recommend booking with Jared.

We rented a 4-seater ATV from Backbone Adventures and had an incredible day out on the Switzerland…read moreTrail. It was 3 of us, including my 8-year-old son, and the conditions couldn't have been better--just a little snow, some mud, and plenty of opportunities for big splashes (which my son absolutely loved). We did a 5-hour rental, which felt like the perfect amount of time to explore without feeling rushed. The equipment was in great shape, and even the truck used to haul the ATV and trailer to the trailhead was well-maintained--everything felt professional and dialed in. The team really made the experience stand out. Everyone we interacted with was fantastic, and Andrew in particular was a superstar--he handled both checkout and check-in, made everything easy, and clearly cares about making sure customers have a great time. We'll definitely be back, especially to experience the trails in full snow. Highly recommend all around.

My husband really wanted to go side by side riding while on vacation so we chose Backbone…read moreAdventures because it had excellent reviews. The customer service here is excellent. Everyone working here was friendly, informative, knowledgeable, and provided excellent recommendations for what trail to choose. They suggested we log in to CoTrex so we had access to the off road trail, which was very helpful. They also had us scan a QR code with directions to the trail, which made the whole process very seamless. We got a side by side for 3 hours and went to Pole Hill. It was a lot of fun. The trails were great and it also had amazing views! We also saw a fox on the trail. You can tell that everyone working there loves the outdoors and that they all truly care about giving all their customers an amazing experience! Highly recommend this place!

This place is absolutely stunning!! You have to go if you are in the Colorado area!!…read more We got in around noon and went to Bear lake and Alberta falls! Both were incredible. We also drove around a bit and it was just dream like! There are sooo many elk! Drive slow and watch for wild life!! Hiking can be difficult even on the well maintained paths. Make sure you wear solid footwear! Take lots of pictures and know your cell phone service may not work inside the park. Always remember to carry out what you carry in! That includes things like banana peels and orange rinds! Don't leave anything behind! Enjoy this absolutely gorgeous national park!!

The views are spectacular from every angle throughout the park!…read more Rocky Mountain National Park was established on January 26, 1915 and was dedicated on Sept. 4, 1915. We had already planned to come here on Oct. 1, 2025 which coincided with the first day of the Federal Government Shutdown. We arrived before anyone was at the Entrance Station to take entrance fees & reservations. We later exited & reentered the park and there was a guy at the entrance booth. He didn't seem to know what was going on and the fees/reservations were not collected. I had gone online to recreation.gov and made a reservation for a timed entry to the park. There was a $2 fee. There are 2 reservation options: Timed Entry with or without Bear Lake Road Reservation. First wildlife we saw were the Mule Deer. During our visit here, we heard Elk bugling, saw Elk, Bighorn Sheep, Mule Deer, chipmunks, & birds. Trail Ridge Road is a major road which is also part of US Highway 34. It takes you up to the Alpine Tundra and is the highest continuous paved road in North America. Some of the stops are: Fairview Curve, Medicine Bow Curve, Lava Cliffs, Rock Cut, Forest Canyon, & Many Parks Curve. With the different elevations in the park, the terrain also changes! I was amazed with how the landscape was so vast & stunning from the grassy meadows to the Alpine Tundra! Trail of Aspens - there's a plaque with information about it at Hollowell Park. Look in the distance above the sign and you'll see them. Going in the Autumn time, it was so easy to see them as they were changing colors! Sprague Lake - saw lots of Trout in the shallow water before reaching the lake itself. Took the Trail Ridge Road up to the Alpine Tundra area where the Alpine Visitor Center is. This visitor center is the highest one in the National Park System at 11,796 feet. It was closed, but the Trail Ridge Store with a coffee stand next door was open. The elevation here can bring on altitude sickness. The elevation reaches over 12,000ft. Everyone should be careful and drink plenty of water. We live at Sea Level in Los Angeles and acclimating to the elevation helped somewhat. We still had a bit of trouble catching our breath. Coming back down, we stopped by the Sheep Lakes Information Station. I think we were too early to see the sheep. We didn't see any Bighorn Sheep there. Alluvial Fan - Pretty cool area! There was a Lawn Lake flood on July 15, 1982. An alluvial fan is basically a fan-shaped deposit of sediment. There's a bridge across Roaring River near the base of the Alluvial Fan. You can walk up a little bit for a view of the water falling or a selfie with the river in the background. We spent about 8 hours in the park. Most of it was driving and taking in the sights. No hiking for us, but we did get out and do some of the short walks out to see things. Our last stop was at the Fall River Visitor Center. It is located just outside of the park. Lucky for us that this is run in a partnership with the NPS & by the Rocky Mountain Conservatory and was open! We were able to see the exhibits and use the park stamp for my parks passport book. Next door is a store that we also visited and took advantage of their restroom before heading into the town for dinner. I hope to make it back again! Seeing the wildlife and the tundra area were highlights.

Best tour guide ever! Thank you Jeremiah (JJ) for giving us an adventure to remember forever…read more And, thank you for being patient with us old people! Perfect tour for families and adults only. Jeremiah made the day fun for all and we enjoyed the company of those with us.

A wonderful tour of RMNP and well worth it! The guide was very knowledgeable and knew a lot about…read morewhat we were seeing. Beautiful views of the park!