THINGS TO DO
Rocky Mountain National Park
Obviously the big draw here is the RMNP. You probably already have a rough idea of what you plan to do in the park so I won’t spend a lot of time on this topic.
If you plan to hike there is a free internal bus system to get you from your parking spot to the trail head. Parking goes quickly during peak times. If you plan to be in the Bear Lake Road Corridor you will need a timed ticket to enter the park from 5 am to 6 pm. Reservations are made online with a $2 processing fee. The loophole here is if you arrive before 5 am no permit is required. You will also need a vehicle entrance pass. $30 a day or $35 per week.
The park itself is breathtaking and just driving around can be entertainment enough for most folks. I highly recommend purchasing the RMNP Tour on the GyPSy Guide. You can download the app for $10. You only need it on 1 device. Open the app when you enter the park and connect it to your car stereo if possible. If not you can just put it on speaker. It uses your GPS and when you pass specific way points (135 different ones to be exact), the guide comes on and tells you what you’re looking at. We enjoyed it so much we did it multiple times.
If you’re hiking be sure not to miss Alberta Falls. It is on Glacier Gorge Trail but you can continue on to Mills Lake and the Loch. We also found the Emerald and Gem Lake trails to be quite spectacular but if you’re a novice, pay attention to the elevation gains. The constant switch backs can be a bit challenging. My walking stick came in quite handy. Bear Lake Loop is pretty but nothing special. Its great for small children and people with walking difficulties as its short and mostly flat.
The Stanley Hotel
If you aren’t planning to splurge to stay here, the hotel is still worth a visit if your a fan of the Shining. While the rooms are updated and modern, the lobby and common areas are reflective of the era the hotel was built. They have a whiskey bar and steakhouse at the hotel and we stopped in for cocktails and appetizers on our visit. Also consider taking a hotel tour for $25-30 pp. There are several to choose from and they last about 60 minutes. These tours can take you to places you can’t otherwise access. We did the Spirited Tour because, who doesn’t love a good ghost story?
Estes Lake Trail
This is a relatively easy 4 mile loop around Estes Lake. What makes this trail special is the elk like to congregate around this lake and you can see some up close and personal. Just remember they are wild animals, quite large, and unpredictable. I saw some tourists getting dangerously close for a photograph. Winding up in a hospital is not a great way to spend your vacation.
The Estes Park Arial Tramway
This tramway, in operation since 1955, is open seasonally and will lift you to 9000 foot elevation to the top of Prospect Mountain. Unfortunately it was closed on our visit and now appears to be closed permanently as the founder’s son passed away in 2022. However, the owners are hopeful to sell and this local fixture may reopen under new management in the future.
Downtown
For a city with a population of less than 6,000 people, Estes Park has quite a bustling downtown area. Located at Moraine and Elkhorn Avenues, you can find a large variety of shops selling local and artisanal goods. There is also a beautiful babbling brook running through downtown behind some of the shops offering benches and quiet respite from the noise and activity of the main streets.
BREWERIES
Estes Park has 4 breweries. Rockcut Brewing, Lumpy Ridge Brewing, and Avant Garde all offer similar high quality beers. We actually went to Rockcut twice on our trip. They have a nice sunny outdoor area where people congregate with their dogs.
The fourth brewery, Estes Park brewery, has good, albeit not great, beer. However they have a large restaurant with multiple sports playing on big screen TVs. Its obviously popular with locals and we had quite a wait when we arrived. We bought an awesome hoodie here featuring a beer with a nod to the Shining. (Redrum backwards is Murder!). They also give out free beer samples in the gift shop. Who doesn’t like free?
If this isn’t enough to quench your thirst, be sure to check out The Barrel, offering spirits as well as an extensive tap system of Colorado produced craft beers, ciders, meads, and Kombucha.
Have you been to Estes Park? What do you love the most? Please comment below. If you’re planning a trip to Denver, make sure you check out my post on FREE and CHEAP things to do.
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