Why go to estes park

Vrain Avenue, or in Bond Park. When you do see these animals, be sure to keep your distance. They might be used to people being around, but they are still wild animals and it is mating season so tempers are high. Check out other upcoming Fall events here. Whether you visit during peak leaf-peeping season or not usually late September, depending on the year , fall is a beautiful time of year to visit Estes Park.

Families give Mom a break from cooking with a Thanksgiving feast at a local restaurant, then stay for the weekend to enjoy the magical lights of the Catch the Glow parade through town on the day after Thanksgiving.

Winter is a prime wildlife watching season with tracks visible in the snow. Many animals move to the lower elevation of town for winter food.

Elk like the golf course; Deer, the bushes in Estes backyards. Come to Estes in winter to experience memorable winter activities. Enjoy snowshoeing, skiing, sledding, winter hiking , birding, quiet evenings by a fire, blue skies, sunshine and quiet. For an unforgettable experience, join a Ranger for a Full Moon Walk on snowshoes! Winter days are usually sunny, but cold temperatures, high winds, and ice and snow define winter in the Park.

Our biggest snow months are March and April. Skiing and snowshoeing conditions are usually best in January, February, and March. Bear Lake Road and other major paved roads remain open weather permitting. Higher elevations in Rocky Mountain National Park get more snow and are colder. The Park is open all year but Trail Ridge Road over the continental divide closes for winter. Explore This Park. Rocky Mountain National Park Colorado. Info Alerts Maps Calendar Reserve.

Alerts In Effect Dismiss. Dismiss View all alerts. Get Involved! Current Conditions. While this is often the first fourteener for more advanced climbers, the route is a series of sheer vertical cliffs, narrow ledges, and year-round winter conditions, and the amount of exposure on the final mile of the ascent is severe enough to turn many would-be summiters away.

The mile round-trip Keyhole Route , which starts at the Longs Peak Trailhead in the east side of the park, is the most common approach. The sites sit just before the home stretch of the summit, giving you the chance to turn this expedition into an overnight adventure.

The crux is crossing the Narrows, an exposed ledge with fatal consequences if things go awry. There are nearly established climbs, most of which are alpine affairs that require big days with long approaches. The bulk of the climbing is traditional, and much of it requires several pitches and descents that are way sketchier than the ascents. There are plenty of routes in the 5. Longs Peak has the most established routes, ranging from 5. But for a solid intro to what rock climbing is like in the park, head to the Glacier Gorge area, seven miles south of the Beaver Meadows entrance on Bear Lake Road, and climb the north ridge of the Spearhead, a seven-pitch adventure with a six-mile approach that requires some route finding.

While many of the large animals, like grizzly bears and gray wolves, were extirpated from the park in the early 20th century, there are plenty of charismatic megafauna living within its borders. The park estimates its elk population to be between and , while the bighorn sheep have reached a population of Moose were reintroduced to the park in the s and are thriving, especially in the meadows on the west side of the Continental Divide.

The Bighorn sheep are active throughout the day and can often be seen posing on cliffs at higher elevations. They also like the salt deposits in the meadow around Sheep Lakes. An out-and-back on Trail Ridge might be one of the most spectacular centuries you can do in the U.

Bonus: both of these roads are typically open to pedestrians and cyclists a month before rangers permit access to cars. If it was a mild winter, you can enjoy the entire month of April on Trail Ridge without any traffic.

Order online a wild-game meatloaf and a smoked old-fashioned to-go from Bird and Jim. Drive 45 minutes from the eastern edge of the park and you can make a pilgrimage to Oskar Blues Brewery in the town of Lyons to pick up a six-pack. Bring your mountain bike and head west from the park into Grand County, where Winter Park Resort operates Trestle, one of the best lift-served mountain-bike parks in the country, now featuring a new gondola to whisk you to the top of the mountain.

Twenty miles north, Granby Ranch has a lift that serves gnarly downhill and flowy cross-country trails alike. Spend an afternoon recovering in the pools at the Hot Sulphur Springs Resort and Spa , or search for the primitive Radium Hot Springs, which are carved out of the Colorado River south of the town of Kremmling.