If you are fed up with the summer heat down along the Front Range and the crowds up at Rocky Mountain National Park this time of year, there is a cool solution for both.
August is the second-hottest month in Fort Collins and the second-most-visited month in the park, with more than 650,000 visitors in August of 2023. September is the park’s third-most-visited month.
You can beat the heat and the crowds if you are willing to do one thing: Wake up early.
The benefits of rising early and driving up Trail Ridge Road to watch the sunrise far outweigh the sleep drawback.
Sunrise along the highest continuously paved road in the U.S. at an elevation of around 12,000 feet offers breathtaking golden-hour color for photography and viewing of wildlife usually near or along the road, thanks to a lack of traffic.
Sure, September and early October are prime time for elk bugling in Moraine and Horseshoe parks, where many of the elk migrate to from higher elevations. But the crowds can be unbearable.