Estes Park, Colorado – (Updated 2024)
Estes Park
Estes Park is a real mountain town in the Rockies.
Take it easy at this rustic mountain spot, but don’t plan to stay still for long. Estes Park, which is known as “Colorado’s Original Playground,” is a great place to stay while on vacation in Rocky Mountain National Park. Follow a mountain trail by foot, bike, or snowshoe in the winter. You can see a real chuck wagon show, spend the night at a dude ranch, or just take a walk downtown, where the art and buildings are all Western-inspired. At Estes Park, you’ll never run out of things to do!
Get to the top of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountain National Park is just over 15 minutes from town. It covers over 1,000 square kilometers of beautiful mountain scenery, with 100 peaks higher than 3,300 meters. On different paths, you can hike around lakes and gorges, through basins and waterfalls, and up to the tops of mountains. Drive along Trail Ridge Road, which is the highest regularly paved road in the United States. It goes up more than 3,600 meters and winds through the park’s rocky interior. Every season is great for recreation here. In the summer, people love to fish, ride bikes, and ride horses. In the winter, skating, sledding, and cross-country skiing are very popular. Get a guided tour of the park through the Rocky Mountain Conservancy before you leave. You can learn about everything from how to survive in the mountains to where elk live.
Check out the natural beauty of Estes Park.
You might want to spend all of your time in the national park, but the town itself is full of beautiful nature areas. Rent a boat or canoe and go to Lake Estes, a lake off the Big Thompson River. Spend some time on the wading beach or around the lake, where you can see elk, deer, and bald eagles. There is a bird refuge close by. Two beautiful drives show off the area’s many mountains and woods. You will see old gold mines and ghost towns along the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway. You will also see Lily Mountain and Twin Sisters. Old Fall River Road in the national park lives up to its name. It was built in 1920 and was the first road in the park that cars could use. This road goes slowly up through the high country and is narrow and steep in places. It winds through woods and gives you views of the Rocky Mountains that you wouldn’t get any other way. There is a recreation place called the YMCA of the Rockies right outside the park that is meant to fully immerse you in mountain culture. After settling into your cabin, plan a day of fun in the Rocky Mountains, like river rafting, archery, yoga, or campfires.
Connect with the local culture
A trip to Estes Park Memorial Observatory is a must if you have kids with you. You will learn about everything in the sky above those beautiful mountain peaks. Look through the huge telescope and check out the Sundial Project on the site. Estes Park is a great place to be if you’re interested in the natural world, but there’s also a place for people who are interested in the supernatural. Go to the Stanley Hotel, a huge lodge from the turn of the century that became famous for being the setting for Stephen King’s “The Shining.” The property has both historic and “Night Spirit” walks that guests can take. There are also beautiful views of the national park. You can take a walk along downtown’s Riverwalk and visit more than 200 shops, restaurants, and art studios along Elkhorn and Moraine avenues. This is a great way to get away from the grand Stanley Hotel.