Elk, Ghosts, and Goodbye to the Rockies

See all the photos from this trip on Flickr.

This was it - our last day in Estes Park. We started at the Estes Park Visitors Center to get advice on where to rent bikes for a ride around Lake Estes. From there, we walked to the marina to pick up our bikes.

Along the way we encountered a large herd of elk who came down from some high rocks next to the lake trail, crossed the trail, and went out into the lake. The huge bull elk with his enormous rack of antlers came last at a majestic pace, looking left and right to make sure that no one was nearby to bother his herd before he crossed the path .

After our bike ride we went to the historic Stanley Hotel, built in the early 1900s by F.O. Stanley , the inventor of the Stanley Steamer automobile, to house his friends when they visited Estes Park. The hotel is reported to be haunted by the happy ghosts of former guests, some of them children. It was also Stephen King's inspiration for the hotel in his horror novel The Shining, although, contrary to popular belief, the movie was not filmed here. (The exterior of the Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood was actually used for the film.) Our tour guide gave us an interesting and enthusiastic overview of the history of the hotel and the Stanley family and we enjoyed a nice lunch out on the patio in the warm sunshine.

Tomorrow we'll have breakfast and drive back to Denver to fly home. This has been a great trip. We're glad to add Rocky Mountain National Park to the growing list of national parks that we have visited.

See all our photos from this trip on Flickr.

Another Hiking Day

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We came here to see the national park, so today we were off to do some more hiking. It was much warmer than the last time we hiked, so we left our winter clothes behind today.

Today we chose to start with the Cub Lake Trail. It began in a valley, then skirted a marshy meadow along the edge of the forest. The trail was relatively flat at first, but eventually began to climb up through the forest, getting steep enough near the end to require several switchbacks. We were glad to have our hiking poles. Once we reached Cub Lake we sat on a rock and had a snack while enjoying the serene setting.

Leaving Cub Lake, we headed even higher through the forest toward The Pool at the base of a waterfall on the Fern Lake Trail. This 6+ mile hike took us over 4 hours altogether because we stopped so often to take photos. I concentrated on close-ups of the many wildflowers, berries and other plants along the trail. The views were also magnificent. The highlight of the hike was one spot on the trail where we encountered a bunch of colorful butterflies. One even landed on Rick's vest!

We had thought we might try a second hike after this, but we were pretty well worn out after this hike so instead, we took a short break and then went back into town for dinner. This was at another rooftop restaurant, Chilito's, where we enjoyed authentic Mexican food and margaritas.

During dinner, we commented on what an ideal vacation destination this is. You have a nice little resort town with nice accommodations and plenty of shops and restaurants right outside of a beautiful wilderness area where you can hike and enjoy the serenity and solitude of the national park. The best of both worlds!

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Long's Peak Scottish Irish Festival

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Saturday morning dawned bright and cloudless and a little on the cool side. We walked the length of Estes Park's main street to get into a long line at Starbucks for breakfast. Along the way, people were already staking out their spots for the parade marking the opening of the annual Scottish Irish Festival at the Estes Park Fairgrounds. There was a feeling of excitement in the air as brawny men in kilts roamed the sidewalks along with Scottie dogs on leashes.


We found a sunny spot near one of the parade announcers where we watched bagpipe band after bagpipe band and clan after clan - in alphabetical order - pass by. An hour had passed and we'd only reached the M's, so we decided to start walking back to the Silver Moon to get ready to go out to the Fairgrounds for the Festival. The parade finally ended shortly afterwards, there not being that many clans beginning with the letters N-Z.

Once at the Fairgrounds, we were a little overwhelmed by the crowds and the noise, but once we got acclimated, we enjoyed watching the parade of the Dogs of the British Isles, a performance by the Marine Band, some athletic events, and a bagpipe band competition. There were tents for musical performances, dancing, and lots and lots of merchandise. Each clan had a display and there were many food booths and beer at every turn.


After a few hours, we felt that we'd been sufficiently immersed in Scottish/Irish culture and headed back to town to look for a quiet place to have a late lunch. Looking up, we spotted Vega's rooftop tapas bar where we enjoyed a couple of beers and some sandwiches while overlooking downtown Estes Park. It was a different kind of day, but really fun!

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Hiking the Lake Trails

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This was our day to hit the trails. Following our ranger’s advice, we boarded the hiker’s shuttle to Bear Lake near the Moraine Park Visitors Center. We were very glad our friend Ann had told us to be sure to bring warm jackets, hats and gloves, because the temperature on this brilliantly sunny day started out in the 30s, the wind was brisk, and there were even a few snowflakes in the air.

Bear Lake is a tiny, pristine mountain lake with a mostly flat half-mile trail encircling it. We took our time making the circuit, taking lots of photos. Sufficiently primed, we continued along a trail connecting three successively higher lakes – Nymph, Dream and Emerald. Bear Lake is at a little over 9,000 feet in elevation. By the time we finished our hike a few hours later, we had topped 11,000 feet. The hike back down, needless to say, was much less challenging than the ascent. We may not be the fastest hikers in the world – we stop too often to take photos and admire the view – but we were pleased with how well we managed the climb – our first using our brand new hiking poles.

Once we descended from the lakes, we took another short climb – about 2 ½ miles round-trip – to Alberta Falls where we encountered a group of 8th graders on a field trip. We didn't linger there too long. Altogether, we hiked over six miles today!

After today’s strenuous efforts, a good steak was in order – and Orlando’s, which received rave accolades on the communal restaurant review board in our hotel’s lobby, fit the bill perfectly. This upscale restaurant is hidden behind a rather rowdy downtown bar – a pleasant surprise of a place that we would never have found on our own. We had excellent food and extremely efficient service here and felt duly rewarded.

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Getting the Lay of the Land

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Our first stop whenever we visit a national park is the Visitors Center. We find that the rangers always offer invaluable help in determining the best plan to accomplish our goals. Since this was our first day in the park, we thought we might get the lay of the land by driving the 50 mile-long Trail Ridge Road, which connects the east and west entrances of the park. Our ranger suggested some short hikes we might try along the way while our bodies get acclimated to the high altitude. She also told us about the Old Fall River Road, a picturesque one-way section of roadway, full of steep switchbacks, that ascends above the tree line to the Alpine Visitors Center. She also suggested some moderate hikes we might try another day.

We started out on Trail Ridge Road and then picked up Old Fall River Road, stopping at pull-outs along the way. We enjoyed a short hike down to a pretty waterfall and took in increasingly more breathtaking views as we climbed higher and higher. There was a high-wind warning in effect today and as we climbed higher, the winds grew stronger and the temperature dropped, but it was clear and sunny and didn’t deter us from enjoying the spectacular views at every turn. The aspen trees were beginning to turn a brilliant yellow on many of the slopes, and above the tree line, the tiny tundra plants splashed the slopes with a variety of colors.

On our descent from the Alpine Visitors Center, we reached the Continental Divide – an undramatic spot along the roadway identifiable only by the sign posted there. We continued several miles further after that to see the Hovwrath Historic Site along the headwaters of the Colorado River, where an early dude ranch operated in the early 1900s. By then we had traversed about two-thirds of Trail Ridge Road. We figured if we continued to the end we would be making the return drive in the dark, so we decided to turn back toward Estes Park. On our way back, we walked the 0.8 mile trail up to Rock Cut, the highest point we would reach on this trip at over 12,000 feet. With winds gusting to over 60 miles per hour and the very thin air at this elevation, this seemingly short and simple hike took real effort, but we were more than rewarded by the magnificent views from the top.

Returning to Estes Park, we did a little window shopping on the main street while we looked for a place to have dinner. We chose the Wapati Grille, semi-hidden down a funky little alley. They served up good burgers and beer and we walked back to the Silver Moon afterwards full, tired and pleased with having chosen such a pleasant vacation destination.

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Arrival Day

Because we had to reschedule our flights, we ended up flying the “scenic route” to Denver via Orlando, with a 2-hour layover. Estes Park is about an hour and a half’s drive from Denver, so we had a long day of travel.

As soon as we got on the highway in Denver, we could see the Rockies in the distance. First we passed acres of open farmland and then we started to climb through the foothills. As we neared our destination, the hills turned to mountains of tumbled boulders dotted with fir trees. Majestic ranges made a stunning backdrop for the town of Estes Park.

We checked in at the Silver Moon around suppertime and took the desk clerk’s recommendation to try Smokin’ Dick’s Barbecue. It was a good choice. We stuffed ourselves with chicken, ribs and beef brisket, accompanied by a variety of sauces and sides. On our way back to the hotel, a herd of elk had traffic stopped while they crossed the street and climbed a hill on the other side. The big bull, with a full rack of antlers, followed the herd at a regal pace, seemingly unfazed by the cars that had stopped in both directions.

Still on Eastern Time, we fell into bed early, anticipating ascending into the mountains the next day.

On our way to the Rockies!

Today we'll fly to Denver, pick up a rental car and drive to Estes Park, CO, a resort town just outside the east entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. We'll be staying in the Silver Moon Inn, right on the Fall River, which runs through the center of town. It's on the River Walk, a picturesque path that circles Estes Park. Here's a photo from the Silver Moon's website.

This trip almost didn't happen. My elderly mother had a small health problem just two days before we had planned to leave - and wouldn't you know it, it was over the Labor Day weekend. After spending a night in the ER, a day in the hospital, and finally being checked out by her own health care providers, it was determined that it would be best to place her in respite care in a nursing home while we're away. We had to delay leaving on our trip for one day. Fortunately, we were able to change our flight and hotel reservations and tack an extra day on the other end, so now our vacation is going off almost as planned!

We hope to do a lot of sightseeing, take some hikes, ride bikes, and sample the menus in some local restaurants. There is also a Scottish Festival going on in Estes Park while we're there that we'll probably check out.

We're off!