Getting There

By Plane -- Visitors arriving by plane will usually fly into Denver International Airport (tel. 800/AIR-2DEN; TDD 800/688-1333; www.flydenver.com), which is about 90 miles southeast of the east entrances to the park. Airlines serving Denver include Air Canada (tel. 888/247-2262; www.aircanada.ca), Alaska Airlines (tel. 800/252-7522; www.alaskaair.com), American (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com), America West (tel. 800/235-9292; www.americawest.com), Continental (tel. 800/525-0280; www.continental.com), Delta (tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com), Frontier (tel. 800/432-1359; www.frontierairlines.com), Great Lakes (tel. 800/554-5111; www.greatlakesav.com), Lufthansa (tel. 888/688-2345; www.lufthansa.com), Mexicana (tel. 800/531-7921; www.mexicana.com), Midwest Express (tel. 800/452-2022; www.midwestairlines.com), Northwest (tel. 800/225-2525; www.nwa.com), United (tel. 800/241-6522; www.ual.com), and US Airways (tel. 800/428-4322; www.usair.com).

Flights from the United Kingdom -- One daily nonstop direct flight between London and Denver is offered by British Airways (tel. 800/247-9297, 0870/850-9850 in London; www.ba.com). Travelers from the United Kingdom can also take British Airways flights to other major U.S. cities and make connecting flights to Colorado.

From the Denver airport, travelers can either rent a car (see "By Car," below) or continue to Estes Park with Estes Park Shuttle (tel. 970/586-5151; www.estesparkshuttle.com). Rates are $39 one-way and $75 round-trip.

By Car -- Those using airlines or other public transportation to get to Colorado will likely arrive in Denver and will have to rent a car there. National rental agencies readily available include Advantage (tel. 800/777-5500; www.arac.com), Alamo (tel. 800/462-5266; www.alamo.com), Avis (tel. 800/230-4898; www.avis.com), Budget (tel. 800/527-0700; www.budget.com), Dollar (tel. 800/800-4000; www.dollarcar.com), Enterprise (tel. 800/261-7331; www.enterprise.com), Hertz (tel. 800/654-3131; www.hertz.com), National (tel. 888/227-7368; www.nationalcar.com), and Thrifty (tel. 800/847-4389; www.thrifty.com). Campers, travel trailers, and motor homes are available in Denver from Cruise America (tel. 800/327-7799; www.cruiseamerica.com). Motorcycles can be rented in the Denver area at Blue Sky Motorcycle Rentals (tel. 866/971-5501; www.blueskymotorcyclerentals.com).

Most visitors enter the park from Estes Park, which is about 71 miles northwest of Denver, 34 miles northwest of Boulder, and 42 miles southwest of Fort Collins. The most direct route to Estes Park from Denver is via U.S. 36 through Boulder. At Estes Park, that highway joins U.S. 34, which runs up the Big Thompson Canyon from I-25 and Loveland, and then continues through Rocky Mountain National Park to Grand Lake. An alternative scenic route from Denver to Estes Park is Colo. 7, the "Peak-to-Peak Scenic Byway" that transits Central City (Colo. 119), Nederland (Colo. 72), and Allenspark (Colo. 7) under different designations.

Those who want to enter the national park from the west can take U.S. 40 north from I-70 Exit 232, over the 11,307-foot Berthoud Pass, through Winter Park and Tabernash to Granby, and then follow U.S. 34 north to the village of Grand Lake and then on into the park. The distance from I-70 to the park entrance along this route is about 67 miles.

It's about 48 miles between the gateway cities of Estes Park and Grand Lake if you drive through the park on Trail Ridge Road, but this road is usually open only from late May to mid-October, and it can be closed by snow for hours, or even days, at any time.

When Trail Ridge Road is closed, the shortest way to get from one side of the park to the other is to drive a big circle around the south side of the park, a scenic trip that covers 143 miles and takes about 3 hours. From the Beaver Meadows Entrance Station on the east side of the national park, take U.S. 36 to Estes Park and go south on Colo. 7 for 14 miles through Allenspark to Colo. 72. Turn right (south) and continue 23 miles to Colo. 119, where you turn right (south) for 24 miles to U.S. 6. Head west on U.S. 6 for 3 miles, and then get on I-70 west for 12 miles to Exit 232, U.S. 40. Follow U.S. 40 for 52 miles north over Berthoud Pass and through Winter Park, Fraser (the self-proclaimed "icebox of the nation" at 8,574 ft. elevation), Tabernash, and Granby. Just north of Granby, turn right (east) onto U.S. 34 for 15 miles, skirting the western shores of Lake Granby and Shadow Mountain Lake, and continue past the turnoff to the community of Grand Lake and its namesake lake to the national park's western entrance.