Estes Park, Colorado is a great place to spend and extended summer weekend. The scenery is stunning and there is so much to experience! There is way more to do in Colorado than you can do in just one weekend, but if you are like us and you often find yourself carefully calculating when you can take vacation days from work, sometimes a few days is all you have for an adventure. A fairly convenient way to experience the Rockies is by basing yourself in Estes Park!
Getting To Estes Park
Denver International Airport has tons of flights in and out every day, so you should be able to find a reasonably priced flight that fits your schedule. Later in this post I will give you some ideas of things to do in Denver if you have a little extra time in the city. After arriving in Denver, we recommend you rent a car – totally necessary for the rest of the activities we are going to recommend for this trip.
Where To Stay In Estes Park
There is something at every price point in terms of lodging in Estes Park. We stayed at a VRBO that was perfect for our group, but there are also plenty of hotels (even one allegedly haunted one). We recommend you select your accommodation based on proximity to the activities you plan to do. So, if you won’t be spending much time in town, a VRBO on the outskirts might be best.
What To Do In Estes Park
Estes Park is a lovely little town. It can feel a bit touristy, but it is pleasant to explore and has all the basic necessities. The appeal is that it is conveniently located near some awesome activities in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Hiking
There is plenty of hiking near Estes Park! Since the focus of this post is a shorter trip, we recommend doing some of the easier hikes in the area. These hikes won’t take up your whole day, but still offer some incredible views.
If you aren’t an avid hiker, you won’t need to go out and buy a bunch of new gear to enjoy your leisurely hikes in Estes Park. It is best to dress in layers, wearing as little cotton as possible. Moisture wicking, and other sport materials are best. Hiking boots are ideal, but for these easy trails, any sturdy and comfortable shoe will suffice. If you are going to buy anything, I highly recommend it be a hydration pack. You can spend less than $30 on one of these and it will really help to keep you hydrated!
Tip: Bring WAY more water than you think you need.
Altitude Sickness
This is a good point to mention the altitude. The town of Estes Park sits right around 7,500 ft. If you are a sea-level dweller like us Michiganders, this is an abrupt change. You will likely feel at least some effects, which can range from mild shortness of breath to fatigue and nausea. The best thing you can do for yourself is drink plenty of water and slow down your altitude increase as much as possible. For example, arrange your trip activities so that you don’t arrive in Estes Park and immediately go on a hike. Save that for the second or third day if possible. Also, if you begin to feel ill while hiking, slow down. You may need to go to a lower altitude to feel better, or you may hardly feel the effects at all.
Scenic Driving
As much as I love hiking, driving Trail Ridge Road was one of my favorite actives. It is the highest continuously paved road in the United States, and takes you to a maximum altitude of 12,183 feet, where crosses the Continental Divide in an alpine tundra with some incredible panoramic views. There is also tons of wildlife, and I can almost guarantee you will see plenty of elk!
We took Trail Ridge Road from Estes Park to Grand Lake, and back. Grand Lake is a really quaint town with places for lunch, ice cream, and a leisurely break before making the trek back to Estes Park. There are even some nearby easy trails to get out of the car and stretch your legs. We did a short hike to Adams Falls, which was perfect for us.
The roundtrip drive on Trail Ridge Road will take you a minimum of 4 hours, but I recommend allocating an entire day to this activity. The drive can be a little stressful, so making frequent stops is helpful and will allow you to enjoy the experience. Keep in mind this road is seasonal, open roughly Memorial Day through the beginning of October. There will be long stretches on the trail where you have no cell service, so I recommend downloading the google maps for this area to your phone ahead of time. Lastly, bring snacks!
Horseback Riding
We got up early one morning to do a breakfast trail ride at Sombrero Stables, and I really enjoyed it. The staff members were great about pairing you with a horse that worked for your size and skillset, and the trail ride was the perfect length. It included a delicious breakfast on the trail, which I thought was neat! This is a good activity to add to your itinerary if you have any interest at all in horseback riding.
Dining
Because we had a rental house, we mostly cooked/packed our meals. Especially if you are hiking, packing lunch is a great idea. There are quite a few restaurants in Estes Park, so if you plan to eat out, you should have no trouble finding places to eat. The one place I can recommend is Rock Cut Brewing Company. This was a great way to end a day of hiking and adventure. I am a sucker for a good beer, and Rock Cut had some great beer!
Denver Activities
If you end up having a day to spend in Denver, there is definitely plenty to do! You can head downtown and check out Union Station, where there are lots of shops and restaurants. If it’s the morning and you need a bite to eat, go to one of the Snooze locations and get some Bravocado toast!
I highly recommend checking out the River North Art District (RiNo). There is one super cool spot that all beer lovers need to experience. It’s called First Draft, and how it works is you order food at the counter, and then you open a tab. You then receive a card that is linked to your tab. Then you walk over to a wall full of taps and swipe your card and self pour! The reason I really like this concept is because sometimes, I want a big beer, and other times, I don’t even want a full beer. This gives you full control and allows you to try a bunch of different types of beer. Be careful though – a bunch of heavy pours will run up a hefty tab!
There is so much to do in Colorado, in every season. I’m not sure whether winter or summer is my favorite! If you only have a few free days in the summer, head to Estes Park.