One of the best getaways to Estes Park is for the opening of Trail Ridge Road. Rocky Mountain National Park, typically, opens Trail Ridge Road the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend. This year, that’s May 22. The iconic Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuous paved highway in the US. It’s always a scenic and
At more than 12,000-feet in elevation, each spring, rotary plows dig paths through mounds of wind-driven snow on Trail Ridge Road, often leaving snowdrifts more than 20-25 feet high. Rocky Mountain National Park, typically, opens Trail Ridge Road on Memorial Day weekend but weather is always a factor. A week before Memorial Day 2017, a
Note: the photos in this post represent small businesses who have partnered with EstesPark.com to provide gifts for our Romance In the Rockies essay contest. Details here. There is something romantic about the mountains. The snowcapped mountains. A secluded log cabin with a fire in the fireplace. Snow-covered trails through the thick, pine forests. Waterfalls frozen
After a snowfall, Estes Park resembles a Currier and Ives painting. Holiday lights illuminate freshly fallen snow on the trees along the Big Thompson River. Snow squeaks underfoot. Rocky Mountain National Park is just minutes away. Visit Estes Park and can enjoy the winter outdoors the old-fashioned way on a pair snowshoes or cross country
While we typically post stories in this blog about things to see and do in Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, today’s post is a slight departure. We take time to recognize two heroes in the Estes-Rocky area who recently passed from this earth. These are individuals who made a huge difference in our
As autumn dissolves into winter the village of Estes Park takes a breath. And exhales. The community’s heart rate slows as snow turns the peaks white in Rocky Mountain National Park. I remember during past visits how I would breathe in the crisp mountain air and listen to…the silence, the quiet, the serenity. Isn’t this
Walking among the aspen is like venturing into a cathedral of stunning yellows and oranges. For the past week my wife and I watch the colors explode on the hillsides of Rocky Mountain National Park. We are itching to hit the trail, but which one? Mills Lake is one of the most popular destinations in
Crisp mountain air, glorious fall colors in bursts of vibrant orange and yellows, and the haunting bugling of the bull elk. It’s not a well-kept secret, but for many, fall is the best time of year to visit Estes Park. The grandparents are available to watch the kids so my wife and I decide to escape
During fall in the high country, the haunting bull elk bugle marks the beginning of the elk “rut,” or mating season. The bugling starts high-pitched, like a shrill whistle, and slides into a grunt that echoes across the valley. It comes from the gut, signaling that a bull and his harem are in the area