Sheep Lakes Information Station

About

A pullout and information station in Horseshoe Park, inside Rocky Mountain National Park, where bighorn sheep come down to a natural mineral lick. If you want to see sheep without a long hike, this is the spot. Go early and be patient.

Sheep Lakes is in Horseshoe Park, inside Rocky Mountain National Park, so the park entrance pass applies and a timed-entry reservation may be required in summer. Check nps.gov/romo before you go. The parking area and viewpoint stay open around the clock, and the information station itself is staffed daily from mid-May to mid-August, 9:30am to 4:30pm. Bighorn sheep are commonly seen here from May through mid-August.

Here's what people get wrong. The sheep come for the minerals, not for you. Each spring and summer, from April 15 through August 31, the park closes foot travel off roads and trails in Horseshoe Park, and you can't stop or park in the Bighorn Crossing Zone unless staff direct you. Stay at least 75 feet from sheep, which is about two bus lengths. Bring binoculars and keep your voice down. If the sheep change what they're doing because of you, you're too close. Pets aren't allowed on trails or in meadows in the Park, so leave the dog at home.