Colorado trip in mid May

As others have said, regarding RMNP...

Although Trail Ridge Rd usually opens around Memorial Day, as noted in a previous post, that can vary. And "open" versus "safe to travel" are two different things. Yes, the Park staff are vigilant in getting the road plowed and open but for general traffic purposes, it can usually take 1-2 additional weeks of plowing and cooperative weather to become generally safe for through traffic travel. Since I'm local and go up there A LOT, I'm usually one of the first to try my hand at going all the way across to Grand Lake. And it's been white knuckle time on more than a few occasions, even in my Tahoe in 4x4 mode.

Fall River Rd, even if it were not damaged by flooding, usually doesn't open until late June/early July. It's status for the upcoming year is questionable.

Aspenglen CG may or may not be open that early. Moraine Park, though it's open all year, will still have limited site availability beyond the "B" loop -- remaining loops usually are still snowed in until late May/early June. Glacier Basin, at a higher elevation, can be the latest to open for the season, and usually not until June.

The commercial CG in the Estes Park area usually open some time between May 15-30, depending on the weather and snow melt in Estes Park. Memorial Day is the traditional kick off of the season up there, with most of the stores/shops open by then; not always the case in the weeks prior. Again, weather dependent.

Coming up that early could be a huge disappointment due to limits, and that would be a shame, since there's so much to see/do there...when the weather is better!

WallynDiane wrote:
Friends are considering renting a RV in Denver and spending a week going to Rocky Mountain National Park, Vail then over to Arches National Park.

They asked if we wanted to gi with them. We have never traveled to this area before and it is on our bucket list. I am worried that higher elevation roads may not be opened yet by mid May.

We love cold weather camping so that isn't an issue.

We went to Yosemite in mid May '11 and the upper elevation roads were still not opened. We missed Glacier Point and Tioga Pass because of closed roads.

How risky is it going there in mid May?

As has been suggested - Look at Utah first (it can be really HOT even in May, so the earlier the better). That will give you another week to possible see Trail Ridge and RMNP - That said we have hiked in April and the higher Lakes are still frozen solid so...... also one year we got to the top of the Mountain and the weather changed in the 100 or so minutes it took to run down we got 6-8 inches of snow and it took 3 hours to drive back to Boulder in 20+ inches.

If you enjoyed Yosemite you will likely enjoy this trip - GO FOR IT.

BOL,

Lived in Estes 8 years - would not suggest going into that area in May if you really want to enjoy RMNP. Odds are slim you will get up to the high elevations; as said, Trail Ridge usually opens for Memorial Day. And that is one of the absolute musts of going there.

It would be worth the trip just to see Arches IMO. Like Ivylog said, go there first and take advantage of the weather there (before it gets hotter). As for Colorado, surely there is someplace interesting in the lower elevations where you could stay and do stuff, and gaze upward at those snow-capped peaks.

I travel to the Moab every year in late March and early April and never have a problem. That being said you very well could run into a snow storm that would impede your travel plans. In that case you might have to spend an extra day prior to coming eastbound over the Eisenhower Tunnel. You definitely will not be able to travel over Trail Ridge road that time of year and probably not until the last week of May or even into early June. Most high altitude campgrounds do not open fully until the last week of May or first week of June.

You'll definitely want to go across Trail Ridge Road if doing RMNP.

Trail Ridge Road historically opens on Memorial Day weekend; last year the road opened on May 23. The earliest the road has opened was on May 7, 2002; the latest June 26, 1943. Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuous paved road in the United States, climbs to 12,183 feet and connects the towns of Estes Park and Grand Lake.

I would go to Arches first although a week will not help much in it getting warmer in the mountains. I-70 is a major route so other than right after a large snow storm it will not be a problem. Further from the main roads it's more likely to be a problem that early at higher elevations. Go for it and make it 10 days.

Trail Ridge road will likely be closed and there will probably be snow on the ground in the mountains. Still might be a good trip. Wouldn't be unlikely for you to hit a snow storm either.

That said, we usually wait until mid-June to hit the mountains.

Mid-May will be too early for the high mountains. When I worked for the USFS, we often couldn't get into the higher trails until June/early July.