Reservation Please: The New Way to Visit Colorado State Parks

Planning for your next adventure in Colorado is becoming critical due to new systems and rules.

According to a press release from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Eldorado Canyon State Park will begin enforcing vehicle reservations during specific periods for certain dates.

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Vehicle Reservation Required for Eldorado Canyon State Park

From July 23, 2022, through September 15, 2022, vehicle reservations will be required on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays for vehicles wishing to park at Eldorado Canyon State Park.

This means you'll need to make a parking reservation which will give you a 2-hour entry window. Parking reservations are available from 5:30 AM to 5:30 PM and can be made up to 30 days in advance.

The sooner you make a parking reservation the better because there will be minimal parking reservations available 24 hours before your desired date.

Eldorado Canyon State Park is the first Colorado state park that will now require parking reservations. Next year parking reservations will continue on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays from May 15, 2023, through September 15, 2023.

Other Popular Colorado Attractions Also Requiring Timed-Entry

While Eldorado Canyon State Park is the first Colorado State park to start requiring timed-entry reservations, it's not the first Colorado attraction to do, and most likely other state parks in Colorado will follow.

In order to drive your vehicle to the summit of Pikes Peak, timed-entry reservations are also required from May 27 to September 30, 2022. Timed-entry reservations are even required for attractions such as the Denver Zoo or the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

Previously COVID-19 was the major contributing factor for timed-entry reservations, but now that the pandemic is behind us, more people are looking to get out, meaning lots of congestion for Colorado's top attractions.

Say goodbye to the days of just getting up and going, it looks like timed-entry reservations are here to stay.

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Colorado's Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

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Stunning Images of Colorado's New Sweetwater Lake State Park

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Source: The Way of the Future in Colorado? New Reservation System for State Park