Is Old Fall River Road open?
Rocky Mountain National Park · Colorado
Seasonal — closed for winter
Old Fall River Road is closed for the winter. It typically reopens the first week of July (late June in a light-snow year).
Last checked Wed, 14 Oct 2026 13:00:58 GMT
Rocky Mountain National Park's original auto route to the high country — an 11-mile one-way gravel climb to Fall River Pass.
Rocky Mountain National Park — check current park status.
When does Old Fall River Road open?
Typically open the first week of July (late June in a light-snow year) to early-to-mid October. Plowing usually begins in April; the opening date depends entirely on snowpack and can swing several weeks.
One-way uphill, gravel, no trailers or large vehicles. It opens weeks after Trail Ridge Road — the narrow valley holds avalanche debris into June — and closes at the first snowfall. After the vehicle season it reopens briefly to bikes and walkers before full winter closure. From late May to mid-October it sits inside Rocky Mountain National Park's timed-entry reservation zone.
| Year | Opened |
|---|
| 2019 | July 12 |
| 2021 | July 3 |
| 2023 | July 1 |
| 2024 | June 30 |
| 2025 | July 4 |
Opening dates from the National Park Service.
Reservations
Rocky Mountain National Park requires a timed-entry reservation from Friday, May 22 through about October 13, 2026 (the Bear Lake Road corridor runs a few days longer). Two permits are sold on Recreation.gov: “Timed Entry” (all areas except Bear Lake Road, needed 9 a.m.–2 p.m.) and “Timed Entry + Bear Lake Road” (needed 5 a.m.–6 p.m.). Reservations open May 1 for late May/June, then on the 1st of each prior month; 40% of each day’s slots release at 7 p.m. MDT the night before. $2 processing fee. No reservation needed outside those hours or dates.
Reservation details on the park page →
How we know this
We watch Rocky Mountain National Park's official National Park Service alerts for anything that names Old Fall River Road, and refresh this page with the daily build. Between closures we show the typical season and recent opening dates. It's our reading of public information, not an official determination. Always check the official link before you drive.