Westward

We arrived in Estes Park, Colorado on July 23.

When I started planning our trip, I found it a bit tough to figure out exactly what to do. My wife and I are relatively active people, when compared with the average summer tourist to Estes Park. In fact, Estes Park and RMNP make up one of the most frequented destinations in Colorado.

The I’ll be writing about our trip are going to be geared to people like us. I’ll write about what we did, why we did it, and whether or not we’d do it all again. I’ll also write about what we could have done as an alternative in some situations, using the gift of experience and hindsight. I hope this will serve as a mildly compelling and useful guide for anyone wanting to visit Estes Park in the summer, finding things to do during an Estes Park vacation or discovering where to hike in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Before we left, we had to plan the trip. We flew Southwest from Chicago to Denver because I’m from Texas, and SWA is the only airline that makes sense to people like me. Also, they still give free snacks and have direct flights along that route. Free checked bags is also a big deal, so this let us overpack like crazy, even though hiking in RMNP is pretty much an exercise in minimalism.

If Estes is crazy busy in the summer, July is certainly the high part of the season. The town was consistent 75-85 degrees during the day, while the higher trail destinations could get into the lower 50s during that time. And, it didn’t rain—or even threaten weather—the whole trip, even along the top of Trail Ridge Road.

We looked at every hotel and cabin rental resource available for the area, but couldn’t find anything that was close to the action and affordable (circa $100)—until we jumped on Airbnb. Immediately, we found Alpenhaven, a super cozy one-bedroom cabin on land owned by a couple who, according to one review, had at least a decade of experience in the hospitality industry. The couple lives on the property year-round, and maintains Alpenhaven and Alpenhut. Both cabins are completely private and have their own hot tubs. With a bedroom, kitchen, living space, bathroom and laundry, Alpenhaven was definitely a steal at $99 a night.

We reserved our place well in advance (maybe two months out), and I was honestly surprised that our dates—Thursday check-in, Sunday check-out—weren’t snatched up. When we spoke to the hosts on arrival, they said they were fully booked up through October and were already getting requests for the 2016 season.

If you’re traveling to Estes Park, plan early and don’t think like a tourist. If you’re up for it, you can even camp. I didn’t to a ton of research on camping in and around RMNP, but from what I could find, a lot of spots are first come, first served and many are more backcountry than might be enjoyable for a long vacation.

Finally, because Estes Park is a tourist destination, you’re guaranteed to have a few well stocked grocery stores. A Safeway is located just below the Stanley Hotel and has everything you need for any trip. There was a smaller, local store closer to the cabin—much more rustic. We stopped in once for ice cream after a long hiking day, but didn’t use it for much else.

The rest of these posts will go into more detail about what we actually did once we arrived in Estes. Overall, three nights is not enough time in the mountains, especially if you want to spend the majority of your time hiking. There are enough trails to last two weeks if you hike every day and more than enough activities.

I hope you find the next few posts enlightening about what’s possible in three days in RMNP and Estes. I’ll do my best to cut the BS and try to make the content as useful as possible. If you have questions or comments, please leave them in the comments below.