Colorado in May?

Anything high up will generally be snowed in for much of May. One problem is that that tends to keep campers all lower in elevation which means more crowds down low. This is especially true of RMNP which fills with visitors from the Denver/Front Range area. I'd go elsewhere that early in the season.

For early May, might I suggest a couple of towns from which you could venture out.

1. Salida. Low enough in elevation to be quite pleasant most of the time by early May. Drive up the Arkansas River Valley as far as Leadville and take in the scenery. Lots to do in this area. Day trip south to Sand Dune NP. Head down river and poke around Canon City. You can day trip the Highway of Legends from Salida. Salida itself is quite fun to spend some time in, as in Buena Vista and Leadville.

2. Durango. Because you're on the edge of the desert, there are opportunities to explore here even in heavy snow years. Mesa Verde, Hovenweep, Canyon of the Ancients, these can all be explored from here. The Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad typically begins full service the first or second week of May. Silverton is worth a day trip, although the streets will probably still be muddy. Gorgeous scenery all the way to Ouray. Or take the road through Tellurde. Given the choice, Durango might be where I'd go in early May.

To be honest, in early May we're still exploring Utah, although so is everyone else. :(

Since you're retired and have the time, why not plan to be in Colorado in June rather than May? I think you'd enjoy it more and wouldn't have the weather limitations. It's not yet the busy family vacation time - July and August is - so it's not going to be crowded.

IDman wrote:
NORMALLY, you should be okay in the southern part of the start so you could enjoy the Hwy. of Legends.

X2 start South and then work your way North.
Love the Highway of Legends still have a home on it.

Thunder Mountain wrote:
As 36 year resident of Colorado's high country and a 30 year resident of Estes Park, I can tell you May can be a tough travel month. In Rocky, Trail Ridge Road in all likely hood will not be open. Traditional opening date is Memorial Day weekend. Can be a little earlier in a drought year.

You did not mention what your activity expectations are. Bear Lake will have some leftover snow. Lakes above will probably be frozen or partially frozen. Trails will be icy in the morning and slushy in the afternoon. Or you can have a really warm May with many trails more accessible. If you are only a car tourist interested in scenery, May is ok. You will miss the summer crowds in places like Estes Park and Aspen.

I remember a mid May storm in Estes Park that dumped almost 3' of snow with temps in the teens. I also remember a Memorial Day weekend storm with a couple feet of wet snow that shut down most roads. We called those storms "May dumps" then again it may not dump! I remember many beautiful warm and dry Mays. Snow storms that shut passes are not uncommon into early June.

The bottom line is that May can be very unsettled. Bring shorts, heavy coats and everything in between. The good news at the storms are usually quick hitters with the snow melting in 24-48 hours. Just stay informed and be prepared to hang out.

^^^^^ This.

This season, Trail Ridge didn't open until Memorial Day weekend, when the plows finally broke through, only to have it close down again. I was up there the weekend afterward, and the snow walls were 15-20+ feet high in places, and they closed the road in the evenings when the temps dropped below freezing. Camped in Moraine Park CG in RMNP, it was chilly in the evening, but no snow in the CG. Glacier Basin CG, at a higher elevation, didn't open until later in June.

Be aware also that one of the main access roads (US 34 through the Big Thompson Canyon) to Estes Park and RMNP is undergoing a major reconstruction project; it is currently under way with some minor projects, and the main project gets going full throttle in October 2016. There will be some complete shut downs of the road during certain periods of the construction project, and the main portion of this project is scheduled to run until May 2017, weather dependent. The entire project will not officially be complete until 2018 or 2019.

CDOT is working on recommendations of residents and businesses in the area to try to have a shorter construction period with full shut downs, than to try to keep the road open to limited traffic and have a longer construction time. Last update I received on the scope of the project indicated that they planned to have the majority of the main reconstruction finished by late May 2017, in time for the tourist season.

Alternative to getting to Estes Park/RMNP on the east side is US 36 from Lyons, which in turn can be reached via CO 66 from the north exit for Longmont off I-25

You mentioned in your follow up considering locations within 100 miles...presumably of RMNP? If that's the case, then consider Boyd Lake State Park in Loveland, if you can get by with just electric connections (common water and dump station on site), or St Vrain State Park outside of Longmont, at the I-25 exit for CO 119. Both are very nice parks.

I also usually recommend Riverview RV Resort west of Loveland, but in light of the construction going on in the Big Thompson Canyon/US34, this may be considerably out of the way for you.

You could also consider staying on the WEST side of RMNP, but you'd have to access via I-70 to US 40, up and over Berthoud Pass to Winter Park, and then on up to Granby and Grand Lake. There's a couple of fine commercial CG in Grand Lake, there's Timber Ridge CG inside RMNP (all first come/first served-no reservations accepted), and about a half dozen USFS CGs on that side that are really nice. An advantage of being on the west side would be that you're not limited to RMNP (admittedly not quite as scenic on the west side), since you'll be close to the Summit County area of Dillon/Frisco/Breckenridge as well as Hot Sulphur Springs. AND once again, weather will be a factor. That west side can get lots of snow, so the season for camping will be snow dependent. Some of the USFS CGs are along a major lake over there, and it's a bit lower in elevation, so the snow melt may be sooner, if it's a somewhat normal winter.

Thunder Mountain wrote:
As 36 year resident of Colorado's high country and a 30 year resident of Estes Park, I can tell you May can be a tough travel month. In Rocky, Trail Ridge Road in all likely hood will not be open. Traditional opening date is Memorial Day weekend. Can be a little earlier in a drought year.

You did not mention what your activity expectations are. Bear Lake will have some leftover snow. Lakes above will probably be frozen or partially frozen. Trails will be icy in the morning and slushy in the afternoon. Or you can have a really warm May with many trails more accessible. If you are only a car tourist interested in scenery, May is ok. You will miss the summer crowds in places like Estes Park and Aspen.

I remember a mid May storm in Estes Park that dumped almost 3' of snow with temps in the teens. I also remember a Memorial Day weekend storm with a couple feet of wet snow that shut down most roads. We called those storms "May dumps" then again it may not dump! I remember many beautiful warm and dry Mays. Snow storms that shut passes are not uncommon into early June.

The bottom line is that May can be very unsettled. Bring shorts, heavy coats and everything in between. The good news at the storms are usually quick hitters with the snow melting in 24-48 hours. Just stay informed and be prepared to hang out.

We are both 70, still fit and like to walk some. However hiking long distances at elevation is not an activity my wife will do. Mostly we want to see the Rockies and plan on sitting down at a nice lower elevation campsite with our 5th wheel then traveling around in the truck. Where would be a good place to make a base camp and have great views to enjoy within 100 miles for day trips???

Its directly dependent on the location altitude. In early May after a normal winter, anywhere over 10,000 ft elevation may still be under snow.
I get to my summer home in Co around late April - early May each year and at lower locations I'll be out in T-shirt and shorts, but many of my favorite hiking, ATV & Jeep trails up at 10,000 ft will still be closed for snow. In this area (Rio Grande National Forest) the US Forest Service has locked winter gates across most of their high country access roads that they don't unlock until mid May most years. The main public hiways will be open, even over the high passes. Its the secondary & back country roads that are not a priority until most of the snow melts. Trail Ridge Rd, Cottonwood Pass Rd, Independence Pass Rd, Pikes Peak summit road, Mt Evans summit road and similar ones are frequently not open until June. The goal is to have them open by the Memorial Day holiday, but that's not always met.
Even later in summer, it can be 90 degrees in Denver while in the 30's on top Mt Evans (the highest paved road in the country). I've been snowed on in July & Aug while hiking up over 12,000 ft. It doesn't last long and the sun comes back in a few hours, but you need to be prepared in the high country.

Likes to tow wrote:
Planing a trip for next year and just wonder how much of Colorado is usable and enjoyable in the first half of May? I would think some mountain passes would still be closed but how much of Rocky Mt National Park could we see? How about the Scenic Highway of Legends, Maroon Bells and other top attractions??

NORMALLY, you should be okay in the southern part of the start so you could enjoy the Hwy. of Legends.

As 36 year resident of Colorado's high country and a 30 year resident of Estes Park, I can tell you May can be a tough travel month. In Rocky, Trail Ridge Road in all likely hood will not be open. Traditional opening date is Memorial Day weekend. Can be a little earlier in a drought year.

You did not mention what your activity expectations are. Bear Lake will have some leftover snow. Lakes above will probably be frozen or partially frozen. Trails will be icy in the morning and slushy in the afternoon. Or you can have a really warm May with many trails more accessible. If you are only a car tourist interested in scenery, May is ok. You will miss the summer crowds in places like Estes Park and Aspen.

I remember a mid May storm in Estes Park that dumped almost 3' of snow with temps in the teens. I also remember a Memorial Day weekend storm with a couple feet of wet snow that shut down most roads. We called those storms "May dumps" then again it may not dump! I remember many beautiful warm and dry Mays. Snow storms that shut passes are not uncommon into early June.

The bottom line is that May can be very unsettled. Bring shorts, heavy coats and everything in between. The good news at the storms are usually quick hitters with the snow melting in 24-48 hours. Just stay informed and be prepared to hang out.