Campground · Rocky Mountain National Park
A handy base for Bear Lake corridor starts.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Rocky Mountain Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Rocky Mountain National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Rocky Mountain audio tourRecorded for this place
Bear Lake Road Park and Ride: Leave the Car Here“The Park and Ride on Bear Lake Road is coming up, across from Glacier Basin Campground. When the seasonal shuttles are running, I'd use this to reach Bear Lake or Glacier Gorge without hunting for another parking space.”
Plays as you drive up to Glacier Basin Campground in the Parkwolf Rocky Mountain Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“…No cell service for majority of the day but had continuous access to the app - the maps, the tour guide as you drive is amazing. Highly recommend purchasing the subscription.”
Guide
Glacier Basin Campground is a developed frontcountry campground on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park, about five miles up Bear Lake Road at roughly 8,500 feet. Its 150 sites make it a useful overnight base if the Bear Lake corridor is your main plan. The entrance sits across from the Park & Ride, so the nearby shuttle makes getting to trailheads easier than moving the car again. Reservations are required; a campground booking includes the Bear Lake Road entry reservation for its first day, but check current booking details before you plan around it.
Most of the campground sits among lodgepole pines beside Glacier Creek, with westward views toward the Continental Divide. From some sites, you can see Longs Peak as well. Shade and tent-pad size vary from site to site, so compare the individual site details before choosing; the more open loops can feel quite exposed.
The campground ranger station dates to 1930; its log construction, stone foundation and exposed rafter ends are examples of the park's rustic building style. The ranger station was included in a 1988 National Register designation. Park history also records Glacier Basin and Aspenglen among the most popular campgrounds during the Depression, together drawing more than 15,000 campers in one summer season.
Wildlife
3,124 sightingsElkMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
1,601 sightingsMooseMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
19 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
19 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
30 sightingsGolden EagleMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
270 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Rocky Mountain. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasySprague Lake Nature Trail0.8 mi · 30 min · 0.9 mi awayA nearly level loop with lake and Continental Divide views.
ModerateSprague Lake via East Portal4.6 mi · 3 hr · 0.9 mi awayRocky switchbacks and aspen open onto Sprague Lake’s mountain reflections.
ModerateEast Portal Loop5.8 mi · 3.5 hr · 0.9 mi awayA forest loop starts beside an unusual mountain tunnel outlet.
ChallengingHollowell Park Loop10.2 mi · 6 hr · 1 mi awayA long loop through Moraine Park, Cub Lake, and Mill Creek Basin.ModerateMill Creek Basin Loop3.7 mi · 2.5 hr · 1 mi awayA creekside Hollowell Park loop with a meadow start and aspen return.
ChallengingStorm Pass Trail7.3 mi · 5.5 hr · 1.4 mi awayCross a high pass and finish beside Lily Lake.
ChallengingBoulder Brook Loop8.6 mi · 5 hr · 1.4 mi awayClimb beside cascades, then loop back past Alberta Falls.
ModerateBierstadt Lake Trail2.8 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.6 mi awaySteady moraine switchbacks end at a lake beneath the Continental Divide.
Sight · 0.3 mi awayPark & Ride Transit HubPark once for free shuttles to Bear Lake Road stops.
Sight · 0.6 mi awayGlacier Creek StablesThe park's lone stable pairs guided rides with mountain scenery.
Sight · 0.9 mi awaySprague LakeA gentle lake loop for Divide views and possible moose sightings.
Picnic area · 1 mi awayHollowell ParkA meadow picnic with Longs Peak across the basin.
Picnic area · 1.3 mi awayTuxedo Park Picnic AreaA quiet creekside picnic, reached by steps from the road.Sight · 1.5 mi awayBierstadt LakeMountain reflections reward the steep walk in.
Sight · 2.1 mi awayMoraine ParkAn open glacial meadow with elk beneath Longs Peak and the Divide.
Visitor center · 2.1 mi awayMoraine Park Discovery CenterA former lodge with hands-on exhibits above Moraine Park.Parkwolf’s Rocky Mountain ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
