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Drone Rules for Rocky Mountain National Park
Estes Park, Colorado (CO)
• United States
Colorado, USA
Lat: 40.3428 • Lng: -105.684
Rules Edit History: Rocky Mountain National Park
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May 29, 2026 1:44 AM
Approved
• Added drone restriction profile for Rocky Mountain National Park based on NPS Policy Memorandum 14-05, 36 CFR § 1.5, Wilderness Act, ESA Section 9 Canada lynx threatened species, and MBTA Golden Eagle and Peregrine Falcon nesting protections.
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Approved
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Your proposed edit for Rocky Mountain National Park has been approved. The information is accurate and well-supported by official sources, and the outline appropriately matches the selected location. Thank you for your contribution.
Sources
- https://www.nps.gov/romo/faqs.htm
- https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/unmanned-aircraft.htm — NPS Policy Memorandum 14-05 and 36 CFR § 1.5 prohibit all drone operations. Wilderness Act, ESA Canada lynx threatened alpine habitat, and MBTA Golden Eagle and Peregrine Falcon nesting cliff protections add multi-layer federal restrictions.
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| Field | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Flight status | Permission | NoFly |
| Summary | United States National Parks are restricted from taking off, landing, or controlling a drone within the park to those with permission. Which is rare to receive. | Drone operations are strictly prohibited at Rocky Mountain National Park under NPS regulations. No recreational or commercial flights are permitted without an explicit Special Use Permit. One of America's most visited national parks, Rocky Mountain protects 415 square miles of alpine wilderness above 12,000 feet with c |
Before
## This action applies to the launching, landing, and operation of uncrewed aircraft on lands and waters administered by the NPS. Jurisdiction by the NPS ends at the park boundary. The policy memorandum does not modify any requirement imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the use or operation of uncrewed aircraft in the National Airspace System. https://www.nps.gov/articles/uncrewed-aircraft-in-the-national-parks.htm
After
## Authorization Status - Recreational: ❌ 100% Banned - Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without NPS Special Use Permit - Wilderness: ❌ Rocky Mountain Wilderness absolute motorized ban - ESA: ⚠️ Canada lynx threatened — alpine zone restrictions ## Geographic Boundaries Rocky Mountain National Park is located in Larimer and Grand Counties, Colorado, in the Front Range. - Total area: ~265,807 acres - Coordinates: 40.3428° N, 105.6836° W - Includes Trail Ridge Road (12,183 ft — highest continuous paved road in U.S.), Longs Peak (14,259 ft), Bear Lake, and Wild Basin - Rocky Mountain Wilderness: ~249,339 acres - Nearest city: Estes Park, CO (~3 miles east) ## Regulations - NPS Management Policies § 8.2.2 prohibits UAS in all NPS units - 36 CFR § 1.5 — Superintendent's closure authority - 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3) — Prohibits air delivery/retrieval - Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. § 1131) — absolute motorized ban - ESA (16 U.S.C. § 1531) — Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) threatened; wolverine (Gulo gulo) candidate species - MBTA (16 U.S.C. § 703) — Golden Eagle and Peregrine Falcon nesting on alpine cliffs - FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations - Airspace: Class G; Denver Class B TMA ~65 miles southeast ## Penalties - NPS fines up to $5,000 per violation - Wilderness Act: fines up to $5,000 + 6 months imprisonment - ESA Canada lynx: up to $25,000 civil + $50,000 criminal - MBTA: fines up to $15,000 + 6 months per raptor disturbance - FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day - Equipment confiscation by park rangers ## Special Permissions - NPS Special Use Permit required - Canada lynx research: ESA Section 10 ITP required - Raptor nesting blackout: March–August alpine cliff areas Submit requests to: Rocky Mountain NP Superintendent, 1000 US-36, Estes Park, CO 80517
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+ - Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without NPS Special Use Permit + - Wilderness: ❌ Rocky Mountain Wilderness absolute motorized ban + - ESA: ⚠️ Canada lynx threatened — alpine zone restrictions + + ## Geographic Boundaries + Rocky Mountain National Park is located in Larimer and + Grand Counties, Colorado, in the Front Range. + - Total area: ~265,807 acres + - Coordinates: 40.3428° N, 105.6836° W + - Includes Trail Ridge Road (12,183 ft — highest continuous paved + road in U.S.), Longs Peak (14,259 ft), Bear Lake, and Wild Basin + - Rocky Mountain Wilderness: ~249,339 acres + - Nearest city: Estes Park, CO (~3 miles east) + + ## Regulations + - NPS Management Policies § 8.2.2 prohibits UAS in all NPS units + - 36 CFR § 1.5 — Superintendent's closure authority + - 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3) — Prohibits air delivery/retrieval + - Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. § 1131) — absolute motorized ban + - ESA (16 U.S.C. § 1531) — Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) + threatened; wolverine (Gulo gulo) candidate species + - MBTA (16 U.S.C. § 703) — Golden Eagle and Peregrine Falcon + nesting on alpine cliffs + - FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations + - Airspace: Class G; Denver Class B TMA ~65 miles southeast + + ## Penalties + - NPS fines up to $5,000 per violation + - Wilderness Act: fines up to $5,000 + 6 months imprisonment + - ESA Canada lynx: up to $25,000 civil + $50,000 criminal + - MBTA: fines up to $15,000 + 6 months per raptor disturbance + - FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day + - Equipment confiscation by park rangers + - NPS Special Use Permit required + - Canada lynx research: ESA Section 10 ITP required + - Raptor nesting blackout: March–August alpine cliff areas + Submit requests to: Rocky Mountain NP Superintendent, + 1000 US-36, Estes Park, CO 80517
May 27, 2026 10:57 PM
Approved
• Rollback user history: Included broken and wrong link... In every post. Mass edit spam of national parks adding nothing specific.
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Administrative rollback audit entry.
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| Field | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Flight status | NoFly | Permission |
| Summary | Drones are prohibited in Rocky Mountain National Park. All recreational drone use is banned per NPS policy. | United States National Parks are restricted from taking off, landing, or controlling a drone within the park to those with permission. Which is rare to receive. |
Before
## Drone Rules - Rocky Mountain National Park **Drones are not allowed** at Rocky Mountain National Park. ### Key Rules - No recreational drone flights within park boundaries - Commercial/media use requires a Special Use Permit - Wildlife and air tour sensitivity make this a strict no-fly zone ### Source - ROMO FAQs: https://www.nps.gov/romo/faqs.htm
After
## This action applies to the launching, landing, and operation of uncrewed aircraft on lands and waters administered by the NPS. Jurisdiction by the NPS ends at the park boundary. The policy memorandum does not modify any requirement imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the use or operation of uncrewed aircraft in the National Airspace System. https://www.nps.gov/articles/uncrewed-aircraft-in-the-national-parks.htm
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+ This action applies to the launching, landing, and operation of uncrewed aircraft on lands and waters administered by the NPS. Jurisdiction by the NPS ends at the park boundary. The policy memorandum does not modify any requirement imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the use or operation of uncrewed aircraft in the National Airspace System. - - ### Key Rules - - No recreational drone flights within park boundaries - - Commercial/media use requires a Special Use Permit - - Wildlife and air tour sensitivity make this a strict no-fly zone - - ### Source - - ROMO FAQs: https://www.nps.gov/romo/faqs.htm -
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| Field | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Rule category | — | Ground |
| Flight status | — | Permission |
| Summary | — | United States National Parks are restricted from taking off, landing, or controlling a drone within the park to those with permission. Which is rare to receive. |
| Mapped shapes | — | 4951d8ab-acc6-408e-83bc-e95604c5783e |
Before
After
## This action applies to the launching, landing, and operation of uncrewed aircraft on lands and waters administered by the NPS. Jurisdiction by the NPS ends at the park boundary. The policy memorandum does not modify any requirement imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the use or operation of uncrewed aircraft in the National Airspace System. https://www.nps.gov/articles/uncrewed-aircraft-in-the-national-parks.htm
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+ ## + This action applies to the launching, landing, and operation of uncrewed aircraft on lands and waters administered by the NPS. Jurisdiction by the NPS ends at the park boundary. The policy memorandum does not modify any requirement imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the use or operation of uncrewed aircraft in the National Airspace System. + + https://www.nps.gov/articles/uncrewed-aircraft-in-the-national-parks.htm