Estes Park is a great little tourist town in the mountains about 30 minutes northwest of Boulder, Colorado. Residing at the gateway to Rocky Mountain National park, it’s to the mountains as a boardwalk is to an ocean resort. The Victorian charm of the little town helps to complete this image. Whether you prefer to shop, hike, lounge about in your room, or just drive though the mountains, there is something for almost everyone to enjoy in Estes Park.

▫ A little trivia first
You’ve almost certainly seen a small part of Estes Park. The original movie version of The Shining was filmed at the famous Stanley Hotel in Estes Park. Having been there dozens of times, I can assure you that I’ve never seen Jack Nicholson with an axe (or without one) in Estes Park.

Now I’m sure you are wondering what is so famous about the Stanley Hotel since I mentioned it as the famous Stanley Hotel. Well besides the filming of The Shining it was built by F.O. Stanley, the man behind the Stanley Steamer Automobile Company. Mr. Stanley was largely responsible for the existence of Estes Park as the town it is today. Not only did he build one of the finest hotels in Colorado there, but he also built most of the town’s infrastructure. This includes the first roads, establishment of the utility companies, donation of the fair grounds and even providing the first bus to bring early tourist to Estes Park from nearby towns.

So it is, the man responsible for the Stanley Steamer turned a backward little mountain town into a quaint tourist community. All this said, the Stanley Hotel is something that you shouldn’t miss. Even if staying in the posh, highbrow, supposedly haunted hotel isn’t your cup of tea, take the tour with the Stanley Museum in the hotel. www.StanleyMuseum.org

▫ What you will find in Estes Park today
Estes Park has managed a blend of modern convenience and Victorian charm. Shopping ranges from tiny gift shops to a modern shopping center with a grocery store and theater.

One of America’s most scenic drives, though Rocky Mountain National Park, starts just a few miles out of town.

If you ever wanted to see an Elk up close, the odds are pretty good that you will meet one in Estes. They walk right through the town, not too worried about people from Texas and New York. It’s pretty disconcerting the first time you come out of a shop and one is walking by as if he owns the street. They aren’t tame so I wouldn’t try to pet or feed one, but I’ve never heard of them attacking anyone.

No matter what type of place you like to stay in, there is something that will fit your taste was well. The previously mentioned Stanley Hotel has quite a list of dignitaries including: Jim Carrey, Peter Gabriel, Elliott Gould, Steven Weber, Judy Collins, Bob Dylan, Jeff Daniels, Ed McCaffery, Brooks Robinson, Johnny Rutherford, Reynelda Muse, Bill Walton, Amy Grant, Gary Burghoff "Radar", Scott Carpenter, Jerry Seinfeld (from their website: stanleyhotel.com). There are also options for camping, numerous cabins, bed and breakfasts, and Motels in and around town. Here are a couple of links: http://www.estes-park.com/lodging/ and http://estes.on-line.com/

▫ Shopping
The main strip of Estes Park, Elkhorn Road, is flanked by numerous shops, some very original, a few filled with the same kind of junk that you might find any roadside hawker trying to pawn. This section is obviously the older, Victorian portion of Estes park, and even in the more cheesy of the shops are housed in architecturally outstanding buildings complete with creaking floors.

Elkhorn Road is backed by a scenic walkway. The walkway itself flanks the Big Thompson River. Essentially right behind many of the shops is pure wilderness.

The typical boardwalk style shops are all here. There is the candy store where they made everything earlier that day and the saltwater taffy machine in the front is always running. At least a few stores sell primarily tee-shirts. Of course all the stores that would normally have seashells and bags of sand to bring home have a decidedly more mountain theme.

It is pretty easy for people who like shopping to spend a day just perusing the various shops. My wife would fit that category. Me, I’m more of a half day is plenty kinda guy. Still, the shops are generally interesting and one of a kind.

Those on extended trips will find the modern grocery store past the East end of the main drag on Elkhorn as well as movie theaters and a couple fast food joints.

A few of the more interesting shops are:
The Ore Cart has a unique collection of rocks. I know what you’re thinking: ROCKS?!? As strange as it sounds this is one of the most interesting shops I’ve seen anywhere. They have your typical geodes (the rocks full of crystals when split open). But more interestingly they specialize in fossils. There was a fossilized ancient shark in the shop that you could take home for the low price of $50,000 one time I stopped in. A little out of my price range for bathroom decor, but nonetheless very interesting.

Gepetto's Toy Factory has many odd toys that you won’t find in most other places. It is fun place for little kids and big ones too.

The Old Church Shops is as close to a mall as you will find in Estes (I don’t like malls, so this is a good thing). There are about a dozen shops in here, mostly interesting. The coffee shop there pours a pretty mean cup when you’re ready for a little caffeination.

▫ Eating
Mama Rose’s towards the east end of Elkhorn serves very tasty Italian (who’d have guessed by the name, right?) It is one of my favorite places to sit down for dinner and relax for a little while after a long day in the sun at Estes Park. Mama Rose’s is casual upscale. Prices run in the $10 to $15 range for entrees.

Poppy’s Pizza is right beside Mama Rose’s. They have a nice soup and salad bar, personal pizzas in unique varieties as well as sandwiches and burgers. The south windows look right over the river walk. This is a favorite lunch place for me. It will run you about $5 to $7 per entrée here.

Casa Grande, a block or so west of the previously noted eateries, serves up some pretty good Mexican grub. They are also right by the river and have a nice patio that overlooks it. I haven’t been there for a while, but I recall the price range being in the $7 to $10 ballpark.

There are dozens of other choices, none of which is memorable. That’s not a bad thing, because I would have remembered a bad meal for certain. Almost all of the restaurants have menus posted out front so you know what you’re getting into before you sit down.

▫ Rocky Mountain National Park
The mountains are certainly the main attraction at Estes Park. I’ve lived in Colorado for eighteen years, so it sometimes is easy to take them for granted. Still I remember the first drive through the park though. I was glued to the window in amazement at the scenery. If you haven’t been to the park before it is a must do item.

Trail Ridge Road winds through the park giving these spectacular views and takes visitors over the continental divide, which is the point where to the east drainage flows to the Atlantic (or Gulf of Mexico) and to the west drainage flows to the Pacific. Much of the route is above the tree line and only passable in the summer months. There are numerous places to pull off and park for amazing views, hikes, picnics and a few designated wildlife-viewing areas. I thought the beaver pond was particularly interesting my first time out.

They generally strive to have the road open from Memorial Day until Labor Day, but with snow pack sometime exceeding 12 feet, it doesn’t always work out as planned. Even in the summer it can be pretty cold in the higher altitudes. I would suggest bringing a jacket in summer regardless of your intent to head to the park or not. I have shivered my way around Estes Park more than once thinking it would be much warmer there than it actually was. At an elevation of 7500 feet, the town is often quite a bit more chilly than Boulder and Denver are.

▫ Altitude Sickness
The elevation of Estes Park brings me to a side note. If you visit from outside the Rocky Mountain Region, it is best to acclimate yourself in Boulder or Denver for a couple days before heading to the mountains. Drinking lots of water can help. There are lots of issues with dehydration in our dry climate. But the altitude alone is harsh enough that it ruins some visitor’s trips to the Rockies.

My uncle who visited recently found himself in very bad shape while staying at nearly 10,000 feet elevation. Despite being athletic and in good health, he ended up in the ER for altitude sickness. Unfortunately, he spent most of his trip on oxygen instead of skiing.

According the local doctor, the main symptoms to look for are a headache that persists, lethargy, and breathlessness or waking up catching your breath in the night. Basically what happened in my uncle’s case was that his oxygen level fell to dangerously low levels. He did manage to ski two days by the end of the week, but because he waited two days to go see the doctor, his situation was worse than it might have been.

While Estes isn’t quite as severe as many of the ski resorts, it is a good idea to pay close attention to any symptoms that you get while visiting. The likelihood of such problems in Estes itself is somewhat lower as the altitude isn’t as common, but you should be especially aware if you drive through the Rocky Mountain National Park.

▫ Amusements and other things to see
Coming into town on highway 36, you will see Lake Estes. It is a pretty fair sized mountain lake (those of you who spend time on the big bays like the Chesapeake and Hudson won’t be impressed in the least. Still, if you have a longing to go boating, the lake is there. You can rent a boat at Estes Valley Recreation and Parks Marina. http://www.estesvalleyrecreation.com

If golf is more your speed, there are two courses to play in Estes: a nine and an eighteen hole. The eighteen hole course was rated sixth most beautiful golf course in the United States by Mitch Kaplan, author of The Golf Book of Lists, according to their website. In the high altitude your drives will carry quite a bit further. I haven’t played the courses in Estes so I cannot help you out much beyond that, but the Estes Valley Recreation link above will get you some more info.

There is a fun center with go-karts, putt-putt golf, a train ride and bumper boats east of Lake Estes. More info: http://www.rideakart.com/

There is a similar complex just south of the main drag on Moraine. This one has giant spiral and roller coaster style slides, go-karts, bumper cars and putt-putt golf. http://www.funcityofestes.com/

There is an aerial tram that you can ride to the top of Prospect Mountain for outstanding views. http://www.estestram.com/

There are numerous other activities that I couldn’t begin to cover in their entirety here. Just a few are: tubing/kayaking, sledding, horseback riding, swimming, drinking beer at the Estes Brewery, hot air balloon rides, and of course hiking. Essentially if you like the outdoors, there is plenty to do in Estes Park.

▫ Events
Praise in the Rockies takes place annually around the end of July at the YMCA camp in Estes park. It is a Christian Songwriter’s/Musician’s conference that lasts for a week and includes nightly performances from the biggest names in Gospel music. More info at: http://www.gospelmusic.org/rockies/

The Scottish Festival is a pretty big event drawing large crowds from Boulder and Denver to witness caber tossing and eat Haggis. There is of course also Irish and Highland dancing, singing and a vast array of Celtic merchandise. These festivities occur the weekend after Labor Day. More info at: http://www.scotfest.com/

You can also catch music festivals, rodeos and something going on just about every day in the summer time. The town gets nicely decked out for Christmas as well with many happenings in the park on Elkhorn.

▫ Getting there/Parking
The drive from Boulder takes about 20 to 30 minutes. It is a pretty simply drive as highway 36 (a.k.a. the Boulder Turnpike) takes you right into Estes Park. From Denver, simply head West on highway 36. Go right through Boulder. The highway takes a couple of turns in the vicinity of the town of Lyons, but follow the signs and you cannot miss Estes Park.

My favorite place to park for a day trip is on Riverside Drive. Just take a left from Elkhorn at the third light once you hit town. The lot is about a block up the hill on the right side of the road there. This lot puts you pretty much in the middle of the main drag and almost always has a few open parking spots. Of course now that I let my favorite spot slip I will never again be able to park there.

Final Thoughts
While living less than an hour away from the mountains, ski resorts and other local attractions has caused some deal of apathy for them in me, I still get up to Estes Park a couple of times a year. For my wife and I, it is a nice day trip out of the summer heat of the lower elevations.

We always come home with a big bag of salt-water taffy and half a dozen presents that we will usually lose before Christmas actually arrives. Strangely, we haven’t learned that it can be bitter cold in the wintertime and seem to end up Christmas shopping again in November there every year. But even with the cold, Estes is so much better than going to the mall.

If you do get out towards Estes Park its absolutely worth a couple of days on your itinerary. I would spend one in Rocky Mountain National Park and another in town. As mentioned the park is a must see attraction. The town is just one of those things that you have to see as well.

Click here for my review of nearby Boulder

Thanks to SurgRN911 for adding this item so I could review it.

Recommended: Yes

Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug