Estes Park, CO: the gateway to the Rocky Mountains

Estes Park lake: beautiful any time of year

Our home in Estes Park. Parts of the house are over 110 years old!

Our family has had a house up in Estes Park, Colorado since 2017. We bought a 110+ year old cabin in one of the most historic neighborhoods, did a major remodel and turned it in to a beautiful 4 bedroom home with a outdoor space, perfect for entertainment and for kids to explore! This was a project done before we even thought about our world travels and was a real estate investment for short term rental income. We have spent many weekends and even months (thank you Covid) up in Estes Park and really love it! The area has so much to offer: gorgeous nature, plentiful wildlife, diverse outdoor activities, Rocky Mountain National Park, small town vibe, great restaurants & breweries and amazing infrastructure due to it’s booming tourist industry!

Below are some of our favorite activities, hikes, restaurants & breweries:

Rocky Mountain National Park: This is THE main attraction in Estes Park. We tend to have an annual National Park pass and try to explore the park as much as we can. It has become VERY busy over the summer and on the weekends you can wait for hours in line to enter the park. Hence we prefer weekdays.There are numerous hikes in the park that we enjoy, from the easy Sprague Lake loop, Chasm falls, Emerald lake and West Alluvial Fan hikes to more strenuous Deer mountain, Bierstadt Lake, Long lake & Crystal lakes. You can get an informative map and recommendations from the park rangers at the entrance.

Twin Owls & Gem Lake: there are many amazing hikes around Estes Park and in Rocky Mountain National Park. One of our favorite hikes are near our home and just about 2 miles from downtown. You do not need to enter the national park and still have amazing views and hikes from the mountains. At Lumpy Ridge trail head there are many options for all fitness levels. You can do the easy short loop of 2 miles or hike all the way to gem lake and back, which is steep and about 3 miles. And for those who have many hours and energy, you can head to balanced rock or do the full 11 mile loop. There is a helpful map at the trail head.

Lily lake: This is a very popular and easy hike just south os Estes Park. It is paved loop around the lake that is just under 1 mile. It offers amazing views and lake splashing fun! The benefit of this hike is you do not need to enter RMNP (which, as mentioned before, can be very busy during the summer months) There are 2 other, harder, hikes nearby: Lily Mountain Trailhead and Twin Sisters trail head.
Estes Park Lake: This is one of the main attractions in Estes Park and is a beautiful lake near downtown. The loop around the lake (on a paved path) is about 4 miles. You can drop your car off at the visitors center and stroll around. You will encounter lot’s of wildlife, from the regular elk, deer and geese to the bald eagles and ducks. At the opposite end of the lake (near Antonio’s Real New York Pizza) you can rent bikes, boats and SUPs to enjoy the lake in the summer. On the off run of the lake there is a river with amazing fly fishing spots!
Horseback riding: During the summer one of the fun activities is horse back riding. One of the most popular ones is on the East side of Estes park Lake, Sombrero Stables. They have friendly staff and offer 30min, 1hr or 2 hr rides. You can find more informations HERE. Another option, near the Fall River entrance to RMNP is National Park Gateway Stables. More information HERE.

The Barrel: one of our favorite spots in Estes Park

Downtown shopping: walking along Elkhorn drive (the Main Street in Estes Park) you will find many restaurants, cafes, souvenir & clothing stores, home goods store, fishing gadget stores, etc etc. Definitely stop by the toffee & ice cream stores (we love Laura’s Fine candies) and indulge yourself with some delicious sweetness!

The Stanley hotel: this is the famous historic hotel where Stephen King inspired his famous book (and movie) The shining. The hotel was built in the early 1900’s and has beautifully preserved the historic vibe of this place. You can come and stay or just walk around the grounds, have a meal or a drink. They also offer ghost tours.
Some of our favorite restaurants & places to eat:
- Bird & Jim: Modern Mountain Dining from an ingredient driven kitchen! They have options for all tastes come delicious entrees to the classic burger. Great place with nice mountain views.
- Ed’s Cantina & grill: the best mexican restaurant in town! Great margaritas, friendly and efficient staff and great menu with many options and reasonably priced!
- The Grubsteak: Great place for game meat but many other options…. Historic mountain town decor restaurant right along the downtown strip.
- Antonio’s Real New York Pizza: this is a bit off the beaten path but the pizza is definitely worth it! Try the Hell’s Kitchen pizza!!
- Himalayan Curry & Kebab: although an unusual cuisine option, this is one of the best butter chicken we have ever had! It’s a small restaurant (a small patio is open in the summer) but service is efficient, they have good vegetarian options and great portions for the price you pay!
- Cinnamon’s Bakery: this small bakery only offers cinnamon rolls and are freshly made on site, every day. Get there early as the often sell out before 10am! They have several varieties of the sticky deliciousness, including pecan, classic, berries, etc Friendly service and definitely worth waking up early and standing in line for! This is a must every time we stay in Estes!
- Rock Cut Brewing Company: There are several breweries in town but this one is our favorite. The service is friendly, the beers are great, they had food trucks, it’s walking distance from downtown and it’s near the river and plenty of space for the kids to stay busy. The other brewery in town that we recommend is Avant Garde Aleworks and Lumpy Ridge Brewing Company.
- The Barrel: this tap house is near Rock Cut brewery and is right downtown. It has many amazing beers on tap (in the summer it can get up to 50+ varieties). From local Colorado craft beer to wines, non alcoholic beers and drinks for the kids. In the summer their outdoor patio is fun with food truck and life music. In the winter, their inside is cozy and spacious.

There is so much to do and explore in Estes Park and surroundings. There are activities for all sorts of interests, budgets, fitness levels and ages. You will surely not be bored or disappointed.