Weekday trip to Estes Park (Fort Collins, Loveland: homes, live, garage)

[jonwb]

My wife and I are driving up to Estes Park for 4 hrs on a Monday (8/20) as part of our Colorado vacation. We'll have the morning or afternoon.. either is available. We want to avoid the touristy sections and just park, walk around and enjoy the best views and water areas before driving back to Fort Collins. Maybe we'd need to drive further towards RMNP? Not sure

Could someone give us some information as to when would be the best time to go.. and where in the park we could achieve this?

Thanks for the suggestions

[bluescreen73]

If you want to go to RMNP and avoid many of the tourists, stay away from Estes Park and go to Grand Lake instead. Estes won't be as busy on a Monday, but it'll still be noticeable.

[EastwardBound]

It won't be as bad during the week, but it will still be congested during this time of year and I would go as early as possible.

If you want to stay within town, you can park at the garage at the visitor's center and walk the loop around Lake Estes, grab a bite to eat and then get out of Dodge.

If you plan to go into RMNP itself and want to see water, you can head to Bear Lake, but again, make sure you go very early. Personally, we only go into the park once a year anymore since we have our dog. We go up to Trail Ridge Road in May right before it opens, to be able to walk on the road with our dog. If you went to see the mountain tundra along Trail Ridge Road, it is very spectacular, but again, GO EARLY.

If you have time and want something less touristy, I would skip Estes Park and RMNP altogether and head through Lyons, Ward and down to Nederland. More local vibe and there are some easier, shorter hiking trails you can do.

[StealthRabbit]

As with any summer trip to a NP.. Go EARLY... go late. (more animals / photo ops / less people / quicker travel)

Nothing like waking up to an Estes Park fresh air morning! If you can't stay there overnight.. I would be SURE to be at one of the 3 inbound overlooks for sunrise (sun lighting up the Estes Park Basin) (inbound and HIGH above Estes from Glen Haven, (NE) or Pole Hill (SE)(36) or highway #7 South)

On your way to Bear Lake, stop at Sprague Lake, there were moose, wading in the lake near parking lot on our last visit.
You can find some nice 'scenic hideouts' in RMNP by staying OFF the main sites / trails.

If I were to need to be in Ft Collins in evening... I would leave Estes Park westbound and go over Trail Ridge, then to Walden and down the Poudre to Ft Collins. (LONG trip 3+ hrs extra, but nice) For an EXTRA nice (2 hrs extra... head to saratoga (free hobo hot springs) then over Snowy Range to Laramie, then to Ft Collins (spectacular!) We used to do that loop on our motorcycles... ~5 hrs after work on a weeknight.

Shorter version.. 1.5 hrs(EP to FC)Go east down 34 (very scenic, then take a short detour (right) to Carter and Flatiron / Pinewood lakes, then head back toward Loveland, but staying on the west side of Devi's Backbone. Head toward Masonville, then over Horsetooth to Ft Collins.

If you have more time...2 hrs (EP - FC),,, you can head up the Buckhorn Canyon from Masonville, then take Rist Canyon down into La Porte. (west of Ft Collins)

[hikernut]

Yes, to do anything in RMNP in the time allotted (assuming the 4 hours includes driving to/from Ft Collins?) you will need to leave really, really early. Get there around sunrise. You'll have a couple of hours to enjoy the relative quiet, then when you are leaving the park you will see the lines of cars waiting to get in.

If you don't want to get up early, honestly I'd choose a different destination.

[jonwb]

Ok, sounds good.. thank you all.

No problem in getting there early. It looks like 7AM would be optimal. We have a lot of places to visit in & around Fort Collins so we'll probably stay closer to Estes this time. We'll see though?

BTW, is the aerial tram at Estes a good choice or too touristy? The views from the top look spectacular!

[hikernut]

Originally Posted by jonwb

BTW, is the aerial tram at Estes a good choice or too touristy? The views from the top look spectacular!

It's fine, IMO, but if you are planning to drive into the National Park I'd skip it.

If the day is not too windy I'd probably head up Trail Ridge Road first. Views are fantastic. This and the Bear Lake area tend to be busiest.

If you want to stop for a picnic before you head back to FC, there are some nice picnic spots in the trees at Endovalley.

[Mike Weber]

For a quieter experience near Estes, consider hiking in Hermit Park. The Limber Pine trail and Kruger Rock trail are nice and realively uncrowded compared to Rocky Mountain National Park. If you are looking for a longer hike, Moose Meadow to Homestead Meadows is a nice hike. The park is a county park, so fees are considerably less than the National Park. You won't get the same elevation or views as in RMNP, but you also won't have the crowds.

[jonwb]

Thanks Mike and hikernut...

Well, unfortunately we won't have a lot of time to hike. The trip is mainly set up around visiting FC and Wellington for possible relocation. We're drawn to water, which is why a short jaunt up to Estes to walk around the lake sounded like a good plan. I've copied everyone's suggestions into a document for future use. If we move, we'll definitely take advantage of this generous information and explore further.

[Thoreau424]

Originally Posted by jonwb

We're drawn to water

But Colorado is such a dry state