# ColoradoWhatToDo.com

> A plain guide to what there is to do in Colorado. Every activity carries its region, season,
> effort and cost, and the permit and fee rules are verified against the agency that sets them.
> Published by Search Converts LLC. Edited by Zach Wennstedt, Denver, Colorado.

## Editorial policy

- Permit windows, fees and seasonal access are attributed to the issuing agency.
- Where a rule changed recently, the page says what changed and when.
- No ratings, no reviews and no aggregateRating anywhere on this site.
- No payment or affiliate link affects any list here. Sponsored units are labelled.
- No AI-generated reviews, no fabricated statistics, no placeholder text.

## Pages

- [Home](https://coloradowhattodo.com/): What to do in Colorado — 36 real places filterable by region, cost and who you are travelling with, plus the 2026 permit and reservation rules for Rocky Mountain National Park, Maroon Bells, Hanging Lake and Mount Blue Sky.
- [Fun Things To Do](https://coloradowhattodo.com/fun-things-to-do-in-colorado/): Fun things to do in Colorado — sandboarding 750-foot dunes, soaking in natural hot springs, a castle built by one man, the highest paved road in North America, rafting the Arkansas and stargazing under 13 Dark Sky Parks.
- [With Kids](https://coloradowhattodo.com/things-to-do-in-colorado-with-kids/): Things to do in Colorado with kids — sandboarding the Great Sand Dunes, the Durango steam train, dinosaur footprints near Denver, the elk rut in Estes Park, plus the altitude problem nobody warns families about.
- [Free Things To Do](https://coloradowhattodo.com/free-things-to-do-in-colorado/): Free things to do in Colorado — Garden of the Gods, Red Rocks, the NCAR Mesa Lab, Dinosaur Ridge, Bishop Castle, Bent's Old Fort, Paint Mines, the elk rut, stargazing and every national forest trailhead in the state.

## Verified 2026 access rules

- Rocky Mountain National Park: timed entry 22 May – 13 Oct (rest of park) and 22 May – 18 Oct (Bear Lake Road). $2 processing fee. Extra slots release 7 p.m. MT the night before.
- Maroon Bells: vehicle access 15 May – 31 Oct, $10 parking reservation. RFTA shuttle 22 May – 18 Oct, $16 adult. Road shuttle-only 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
- Hanging Lake: permits through December 2026. $12 May–Oct, $10 Nov–Apr. Trailhead at I-70 Exit 125 is eastbound access only.
- Mount Blue Sky: reopened Memorial Day weekend 2026. Timed entry now administered by Denver Mountain Parks.

## Sources

- National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region, Bureau of Land Management.
- Colorado Department of Transportation, Colorado Parks & Wildlife, Colorado Geological Survey.
- Denver Mountain Parks, Aspen Chamber Resort Association, Visit Glenwood Springs, DarkSky International.

## Contact

- Additions, corrections and advertising inquiries: info@eyetoad.com