Night before going to RMNP, stay in Denver or Estes Park? (Aspen: renting, homes)

[Mike from back east]

FWIW, Larimer is a block from the 16th St pedestrian mall where there are no cars allowed and a free bus runs for about 2 miles, from Union Station on down to Colfax at Civic Center Park and the State Capitol. That entire area around Larimer and ped mall is full of every eatery known to man.

If you're a bookworm you'd love Tattered Cover Bookstore at 16th and Wynkoop. A block from there is the Old Oxford Hotel with their Cruise Room art deco eatery.

[hikernut]

Originally Posted by nwman2830

I booked for two nights so I don't have to stress about early morning ride or late night drive. I still plan to arrive first in downtown Denver to get lunch at Larimer Square and rent a car nearby. Since I will arrive in DIA at 12pm, I think it should give me plenty of time to make it to Estes before sunset.

That should be plenty of time. Hwy 36 is the usual route from Denver and should take around two hours, maybe a little bit longer if weekend traffic is starting on Thursday(?). I'd check traffic report for accidents before leaving Denver, as you could divert to Hwy 34 if needed.

Try to get into RMNP early in the morning. As the day progresses, parking lots will fill up as well as pull outs for scenic views. The west side of the park is also nice, and a lot greener, if you have time to make it over there. We saw several moose on the west side of RMNP the last time we visited.

[duster1979]

If you dig craft beers make sure to hit The Barrel while you're in Estes. https://thebarrel.beer/ Great place, I think it just opened last year and moved to a new location on Moraine Avenue this past winter.

There are some great places to eat in Estes. The Dunraven (Italian, steaks, seafood)and Nicky's (steak & seafood) are great for a nice evening meal. Ed's Cantina (sandwiches, Mexican) and the Rock In (general menu) are great as well, and the Baldpate Inn's soup & salad buffet is perfect for a light lunch. Those aren't the only places, but they're the ones that first come to mind when I think about eating in Estes.

Definitely plan your park visit(s) for early in the morning. Evenings are good, too.

You'll have a great time. We had an Estes trip planned for this summer but it fell through. Now we're planning to go at Thanksgiving which means the park will likely be closed (or at least most of it) as well as the seasonal businesses, but I've never been there in the off-off season so I'm looking forward to that experience.

[NYCresident2014]

Originally Posted by Katarina Witt

Be careful with the alcohol at higher altitudes until you've acclimated a bit. Alcohol is dehydrating and it is impossible to predict who will get altitude sickness.
Altitude Sickness-Topic Overview
Altitude Sickness: Causes, Symptoms, and Diagnosis

My wife and I went to Estes Park for a week back when we were only engaged, and we loved it so much that we decided to get married in RMNP... so yes, the altitude can make you do strange things!

Kidding aside, I was hit hard by altitude sickness. It wasn't terrible at the altitude of Estes Park, but when we ventured into the park it hit me instantly and wouldn't go away until I got to lower levels. I was extremely dizzy and loopy during the vows and also for a couple hours after when the photographer took us around the park to get (beautiful) photos.

Lovely place though, can't wait to go back!

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by NYCresident2014

My wife and I went to Estes Park for a week back when we were only engaged, and we loved it so much that we decided to get married in RMNP... so yes, the altitude can make you do strange things!
...
Lovely place though, can't wait to go back!

How long ago? in what era...?

We too were married near Estes and had a great start to the next 40 yrs from there.

We left CO in 1980, but fortunately we still get back to EP several times / yr. It is a Happy / relaxing place. A friend and ex neighbor wrote several historical books about the area.

https://www.amazon.com/history-Estes.../dp/B0007FX25I

No quite the same as when I was a kid and we Ice Skated in the parking lot behind Bob and Tony's. (climate change...)

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by NYCresident2014

My wife and I went to Estes Park for a week back when we were only engaged, and we loved it so much that we decided to get married in RMNP... so yes, the altitude can make you do strange things!

Kidding aside, I was hit hard by altitude sickness. It wasn't terrible at the altitude of Estes Park, but when we ventured into the park it hit me instantly and wouldn't go away until I got to lower levels. I was extremely dizzy and loopy during the vows and also for a couple hours after when the photographer took us around the park to get (beautiful) photos.

Lovely place though, can't wait to go back!

Ha! My daughter is getting married in Estes this September. I never thought till now that some of the out-of-staters might get altitude sickness. That's in addition to me worrying that it might snow that day! This could get real interesting.

[nwman2830]

Originally Posted by duster1979

If you dig craft beers make sure to hit The Barrel while you're in Estes. https://thebarrel.beer/ Great place, I think it just opened last year and moved to a new location on Moraine Avenue this past winter.
.

Thanks for suggestions. But I will avoid drinking alcohol before going to RMNP to avoid altitude sickness or prevent from making it worse if I get one. I plan to drink on my last night on Sunday on Laramier Street where I will stay in downtown hotel.

Not sure if I need to rent at minimum SUV or should large compact/full size car be enough? I wont have big luggage.

[sunsprit]

Originally Posted by nwman2830

Not sure if I need to rent at minimum SUV or should large compact/full size car be enough? I wont have big luggage.

Absent the need to haul a lot of luggage/passengers ...

a large compact car will be more than adequate for your travels.

[duster1979]

Originally Posted by nwman2830

Thanks for suggestions. But I will avoid drinking alcohol before going to RMNP to avoid altitude sickness or prevent from making it worse if I get one. I plan to drink on my last night on Sunday on Laramier Street where I will stay in downtown hotel.

I'm not suggesting going before you go into the park, I was assuming if you wanted a beer it would be in the evening after returning from a day in the park.

And unless you really tie one on, alcohol consumption doesn't really have any impact on altitude sickness. Inadequate hydration (drink as much water as you can hold), improper diet (eat lots of carbs), and lack of acclimation (shouldn't be an issue since you're flying into Denver and presumable spending the night in Estes before heading into the park) are what you really need to concern yourself with. Altitude sickness isn't an issue until you get above 8000 feet anyway, Estes is at 7522.

And just to show that I have some experience in this area I think it's important to give you a little background. When I was 23 years old I left the Illinois flatlands to work as a dude wrangler at a stable in Estes Park, taking guided horseback tours into RMNP (National Park Gateways Stables at the Hwy 34 entrance to the park, still a great facility if you have any interest in that sort of thing). For five summers I spent most of my daylight hours above 9000 feet and most of my evening hours drinking beer. Not once in that time did I ever suffer any symptom of altitude sickness beyond a mild headache (which could have been attributed to the beer itself), and I can say the same for the dozen or so people I worked with every summer.

The effects of alcohol are much greater at that elevation, though. I wouldn't suggest more than a drink or two, maybe three over the course of a long evening if you're a fairly regular drinker.

I don't want to make it sound like I'm pushing you to drink if you don't want to, I just don't want you to deny yourself an activity that you might enjoy because of misinformation. And the Barrel really is a fun place with a great variety of regional beers.

Not sure if I need to rent at minimum SUV or should large compact/full size car be enough? I wont have big luggage.

Enterprise recommends a mid-size car or larger for mountain driving, the smaller options just don't have enough poop in their pants for some of those roads. We rented a Traverse last year, it did fine. The cool thing was that I had reserved a compact online, then decided to upgrade on their recommendation which was only a couple of bucks more anyway. Then they upgraded us to the Traverse at no extra charge because they didn't have a midsize car ready.

[StealthRabbit]

I rent compact or economy for my monthly trips to EP, (year round) never had a problem, and we climb pretty steep stuff + Switchbacks going to cabin.

Get something you are comfortable with. When available I select a Ford Focus Sport model, ~ 40mpg and plenty peppy.
When I have the choice... I avoid Datsuns (Nissan) with CVT (tranny) Poor economy and similar transmission to driving a snowmobile ... not too much fun in Mtns, but it DOES work!.