Motorists in and around Rocky Mountain National Park are advised to be on the lookout for “safety checkpoints” this weekend, according a park news release.
Park rangers will increase law enforcement patrols beginning on Saturday. The safety checkpoints will be “vehicle and driver-safety related, including driving under the influence,” according to park spokeswoman Kyle Patterson. In addition to sobriety, they will be checking for license, registration, insurance violations and vehicle equipment violations.
In addition to enforcement efforts by park rangers, according to the release, the Colorado State Patrol will be conducting a “saturation patrol” outside the park. The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office will also be involved.
“This coordinated effort between Rocky Mountain National Park and the Colorado State Patrol aims to support public safety during the holiday weekend,” the release states.
Visitors are reminded that the park has a timed entry reservation system. Timed entry reservations for all areas of the park except the Bear Lake corridor are required from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Access to all areas of the park including the Bear Lake corridor are required from 5 a.m. until 6 p.m. through recreation.gov.
Most reservation slots are snapped up weeks in advance. A few are released first-come, first-served at 7 p.m. the night before a desired arrival date. They sell out quickly, however.
High temperatures this weekend in the park will hit 59 degrees on Friday and 64 on Saturday and Sunday. There is a high chance of lightning from noon until 4 p.m. on Friday and from 3-6 p.m. on Saturday.
