Tips for Travelers with Disabilities -- America's national parks, including Rocky Mountain, have made great strides in recent years in rendering their facilities more accessible to visitors with disabilities. At Rocky Mountain National Park, visitor centers and museums are wheelchair accessible, including the restrooms. There are designated parking spots for travelers with disabilities, and curb cuts where necessary. A 23-minute orientation film on the park, which is shown on the lower level of the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center, is closed-captioned, although currently that section of the building is only marginally accessible because of a steep ramp.
Among the park's campgrounds, only Longs Peak and Aspenglen have no fully accessible campsites and restrooms. There is one large accessible backcountry campsite off the Sprague Lake Trail, with a fully accessible vault toilet, picnic tables, fire ring, and grill. There are no shower facilities for anyone within the park.
Amphitheaters at Moraine Park and Aspenglen Campgrounds are fully accessible, the Glacier Basin Campground amphitheater is moderately accessible, and the amphitheater at Timber Creek has a very steep ramp that makes it only marginally accessible. Arrangements can be made in advance for preferred seating at ranger talks and similar activities.
Among the accessible trails are most of the .5-mile Bear Lake Trail (one section has stairs) that loops around Bear Lake, the .1-mile Beaver Boardwalk loop, the .5-mile loop around Sprague Lake, the .8-mile Lily Lake Loop Trail, and the 1-mile Coyote Valley Loop Trail.
A TDD (Telecommunication Device for the Deaf) phone is available at park headquarters at the Beaver Meadows Entrance, and there is also one in the Estes Park Public Library, 335 E. Elkhorn Ave.
The National Park Service's Golden Access Passport, available free at all national parks, is a lifetime pass that is issued to any U.S. citizen or permanent resident who is medically certified as disabled or blind. The pass permits free park entry and gives a 50% discount on National Park Service campgrounds and activities (not on those offered by private concessionaires).
