I need Ideas for THINGS TO DO in Estes Park, CO?!?

You could spend a week at Rocky Mt. Natl Park and still not see everything. You should be able to drive all the way through the park and come out on the side near Granby. Trail Ridge Road should be open by late June. There are some wonderful lakes near Granby.. On your way back I would take I-70. Check out Mt. Evans. Will be first Idaho Springs exit then follow signs. It is the highest road in North Amrica. You could also drive through Black Hawk and Central City. They are some old mining towns that now have legalized limited gambling. Whether you gamble or not is is really scenic.

The Stanley is great. Definitely do the Ghost tour. I would stay there at least one night if possible. If you walk around the Stanley in the evening be prepared to see a lot of elk.

Finally, have dinner at Dunravens. It is a about 10 miles out of Estes Park but they have some of the best food I have ever had.

Estes Park Things To Do

Hi Amber!

Horseback riding is a lot of fun! Especially when you're riding through Rocky Mountains! Check out High Country Stables. River Rafting is a boat load of fun, pardon the pun! Below is a link with some places. Shopping in downtown Estes is great! Make sure you take one of those Old Time Photos! They are great to remember your trip and maybe even used for a holiday card! Definitely do the ghost tour at the Stanley Hotel! It's great, and a lot of fun and cheap!

Food! Sometime have dinner at Hunter's Chop House! It's on Big Thompson Ave. It's next to a Best Western. Also, Mountain Munchies has the BEST hot dogs! Next to the Post Office. Locals Grill has great pizza!

If you have any questions feel free to contact me, we go to Estes ALL the time!

~Hallie

First off, it won't take a whole day for the tour of the Stanley, but it is worth checking out. My favorite hike in RMNP is Cub Lake, but there are some other hikes that are lower impact. In my opinion, the best views are in Moraine Park, but trust me, you can't get away from them in RMNP. Also, Trail Ridge Road opened yesterday, so you should definitely take it over to the city of Grand Lake and spend a day there. I'd devote a whole day to RMNP in general (probably the eastern half,) and then a day doing Trail Ridge/ Grand Lake. I love kayaking on that lake, and renting boats is pretty inexpensive and very low impact out on the calm lake- probably lower impact than even short hikes considering the altitude. In Estes in general, YMCA of the Rockies has a lot of options, but that would obviously be sports & outdoors stuff. You could drive down to Boulder for a day which is a pretty cool town and the shopping there is pretty good, and you could do the Celestial Seasonings Factory Tour which is free and pretty cool, (though the Coors Brewery Tour in Golden, CO is better but twice as far from Estes.)

But remember, drink lots of water to combat altitude sickness, and you may need extra sunscreen due to the altitude as well!

If there is space available, Rocky Mountain National Park accepts RV campers at some of its campgrounds. You probably should call to make a reservation first if you are considering this idea, however, since the national park is very popular. There are also some campgrounds which accept RVs in Estes Park, and Loveland/Fort Collins (all cities commutable to the national park if you are able to drive). Estes Park is much closer -- it borders the national park and is located in the mountains. Loveland and Fort Collins are situated directly to the east of the mountain area in the "Front Range". All three communities are in a very scenic part of the world. There are many motels and rental cabin facilities in Estes Park which might permit a large RV to park on their grounds also. It might be adviseable to call and reserve a spot in advance with a private campground or motel also if you visit during a popular time of year; the area is a tourist attraction so frequently facilities are booked in advance. If you visit the area, a sojourn into the Rocky Mountain National Park is very rewarding. The scenic beauty of the park attracts many visitors, and it is usually possible to see wildlife and memorable landscapes there. Loveland, located on the road between Interstate 25 (a major north-south highway) and the road into Estes Park, is noted for its artistic community; it is a cultural center with many activities which appeal to art lovers. Estes Park also attracts many tourists (it usually has crowded streets and many shops selling souvenirs) and also a number of recreational activities, e.g. horse and trail rides, mountain climbing, and so forth... I hope you have a great vacation. Best wishes!

You definitely have to go to Fort Collins. It isn't too far from Estes Park and there is always something going on. It is where Colorado State University is so it's a college town. :) You definitely have to do some hiking at the park. Estes Park has a cute downtown with tons of little stores. You have to try their fudge. They have the most amazing homemade fudge. I have never done this but I always want to.. horseback riding. Also, when you first get into town there is a little amusement park with mini-golf. My husband and I love to go mini-golfing and they have a fun course.

I agree! Shopping is definitely awesome. You might want more than one day in Rocky Mountain National Park. Regardless of if you get out and walk or not, there is a ton of driving you can do and animal watching.

Don't forget that there are random fast weather changes, so be ready for anything wherever you go!

Colorado natives aren't kidding about if you don't like the weather, wait five minutes.

If you're going after July 4th Trail Ridge Road, the highest road in North America, will be open, and there will still be snow at the top. Beautiful views and fun drive through the park on top of a mountain ridge

there are also an incredible amount of elk in the park, always cool, even for we who see them all the time

I would take at least one day to drive over Trail Ridge Road to Grand Lake. It is an amazing day trip with views you will never forget.

http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx?trailid=...

There are also some lovely trails before you get to the Park at are fairly easy hiking. Bear Lake, Cub Lake and Fern Lake are all good hikes.