The Wild Basin area is simply beautiful! Various trails running alongside a series of falls - you can spend as long or as little as you like here. Parking is limited however, so plan on arriving early.

We visited Wild Basin as a means to get away from the crowds during Independence Day weekend. Also, we went about an hour before dark, which helped. There were a few cars to navigate around on the narrow gravel road, but it was not nearly as crowded as the other areas of the park we saw. We were alone on the trail to Copeland Falls - a short (0.3 mi each way) almost level trail that is great for hikers who don't want a challenge. By the way, at the end of the road (at the trail head) there is a ranger station which has a restroom.

Hiking to Calypso Cascade—beautiful trails and views, nice chilly day, no bugs in early June, not too crowded.

There was no ranger at the station here, and the parking was limited. We went back late in the day, but the water level was low. This was not the best that RMNP has to offer.

This area of RMNP is not the most popular and well known of all the hiking spots. However, it is very nice and most of all, not overly crowded when compared to the Bear Lake area. It is about 16 miles south of Estes Park on Highway 7. Timed entry reservations were not required. However, the parking lot was not that large. We hiked in mid-August to Ouzel Falls (5.4 miles round trip) a “moderate” trek with about 950 feet of elevation gain. There are also other much tougher trails to Finch, Ouzel, Pear et al.