Exploring Estes Park

Local Attractions

While one of the main reasons people travel to Estes Park is the proximity to Rocky Mountain National Park, it is certainly not the only draw. Estes Park is packed full of over 200 stores for the shoppers in your family as well as approximately 120 restaurants for the foodies!

Trail Ridge Road (Summer Only):

You will want to hit Trail Ridge Road up to the visitors center. It will take you up a few more thousand feet of elevation. Also, check out Bear Lake. There is no specific route to take around the park, it’s pretty easy to navigate once you’re there. Get a map and start at one entrance and leave from the other. You will hit most of the high points. There is an app called ‘Up Ahead’. It gives a turn by turn audio tour of the park.  

Alluvail Fan Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park

A huge rock slide came down about forty years ago and all the rocks landed in this one place. It’s better than any playground for a kid because they can climb around on the boulders and slop around in the river. 

Getting Around

**FREE Shuttle**

In the very busy and crowded summer, we recommend using the free shuttles that take you around Estes and up into the park. At peak season, the line to enter the park can be 50 cars deep! The shuttles bypass the lines of people and are sometimes the only way to gain entrance into the most popular trails such as Bear Lake. The shuttles only run during the busy season, for more information call the Estes Park Visitors Center at 970-577-9900. 

Favorite Hikes & Things to Do

Gem Lake Loop

The loop is about a mile and a half and takes about an hour. The hike has amazing panoramic views of the Continental Divide!

Homer Rouse Memorial Trail

This is a local favorite three-mile round trip hike. You'll walk past meadows that are often full of grazing horses, with a backdrop of the Twin Sisters Mountain and a trail that continues through a thick evergreen forest.

Walk To Birch Ruins

Estes Park is full of Colorado history including turn-of-the-century stone masonry ruins. They sit atop a 75 foot high rock outcropping that overlooks Estes Park Elkhorn Ave with a great view of the town.

Picnic at Lily Lake

Just up Highway 7, Lily Lake is a great spot to picnic, with amazing views of Longs Peak and Mount Meeker.

Find the Elk!

Elk are most people’s favorite parts of visiting Estes Park! Sometimes you can spot them in the very center of town or up on the hills behind the condo complex. The golf course is another one of their favorite spots. Just remember if you do see them to keep your distance, especially if you're on foot. They're wild animals after all!

A few of our favorite Restaurants