Travel: Easing into Estes Park

The summer travel season may be coming to a close soon, but the coming months may just be the perfect time to plan a trip to the Rockies.

Estes Park, Colo., - located about 65 miles northwest of Denver - is an ideal mountain getaway given its proximity to Rocky Mountain National Park. While the area was heavily impacted by severe flooding just a few years ago - something we are all too familiar with here in the Corridor - the city of Estes Park has done a tremendous job of rebuilding and preparing for thousands of tourists to vacation there each year.

My family and I visited this past spring and found that taking a trip to Estes Park during the off seasons (fall, winter and spring) is a great opportunity to take in the beauty of the area with a few less tourists to share it with.

Deciding on the right type of accommodations for your adventure is half the fun in Estes Park. There is a whole host of options when it comes to lodging, from cabins and cottages to a luxury hotel or vacation rental condos. We stayed in a quaint two-bedroom cabin at Streamside on Fall River. The location was perfect (an easy drive into the park or into the heart of Estes Park) for all that we planned to do while in the Rockies. One of the smartest lodging decisions we made was to pick a place right on Fall River (there are many to choose from). Not only did they provide fishing gear so we could try our luck, but we also enjoyed listening to the river rush by our cabin as we fell asleep each night. And upgrading to a place with an outdoor hot tub is a fun luxury in this beautiful landscape as well.

Of course, Rocky Mountain National Park - spanning some 415 square miles - and its stunning mountain landscape offers several days worth of activities to keep you busy while in Estes Park. This year also happens to be the park's 100th anniversary so it's a special time to be enjoying the natural wonders within.

Upon entering the park, make sure to stop in the visitor center and talk with a Park Ranger to gather important information and some great park tips. Kids also can pick up Junior Ranger Activity Booklets to provide a lot of fun facts about one of America's most popular national parks.

While in the park there are many great hiking trails to explore, 300 miles of trails in fact. My best advice is to make sure you pack for much cooler temperatures and don't be surprised to find snow if you are there any time besides summer. Keeping our fingers and toes warm while we were in the park was the key to our fun.

We spent one afternoon hiking around Bear Lake and enjoying nature's playground. Another hike up to Alberta Falls provided stunning views and a good workout. We took an easy hike around Sprague Lake one morning and enjoyed views of the Continental Divide.

Because we visited the park in spring, the ever popular Trail Ridge Road was not yet open for tourist - we were told it was still covered in 20 feet of snow. But if this scenic drive, perhaps the most famous in Colorado, is open while you visit, don't pass up the opportunity to experience views from the highest continuously paved highway in the United States at more than 12,000 feet.

Both inside and outside of the park (think walking right along the roadside on your way to dinner) you'll see plenty of elk. At one point while we were in the park we saw a gang some 50 strong. Also keep your eyes open for the elusive big horn sheep. Big game is in fact most often spotted in the park during the fall and winter months. Other inhabitants of the park include mule deer, beaver, coyote, moose, bear, fox, mountain lion, bobcat and golden eagles. We kept a running list of all the creatures we saw.

After you've rested up from your hikes, don't forget to shop the main drag in Estes Park. There is a whole host of boutiques and tourist shops to stock up on Colorado gear and Rocky Mountain mementos. My kids were especially excited about the souvenir gems and stones they picked out at one of the many rock shops. The Red Rose Rock Shop was a favorite as it also featured an interesting rock museum.

Another can't miss stop while in Estes Park is the historic and stately Stanley Hotel. Situated on a picturesque hillside - or mountainside, rather - the hotel's claim to fame is that it was the inspiration for Stephen King's The Shining. While the movie was actually filmed in Oregon, King once stayed at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park and used the hotel as inspiration for his book. Today the hotel staff offers a number of tours to share the neck-hair-raising stories of the property.

Don't forget to make a pit stop in Cascades Whiskey Bar while you are there as well. You can enjoy a whiskey flight - the bar offers 500 whiskey options, the most in Colorado - or a prohibition style cocktail. And in the gift shop you can pick up a key chain for room 217 or 401. There are plenty of great eateries around the area and we sampled as many as we could. Don't miss the Estes Park Pie Shop & Bakery, where they serve breakfast all day. Build your own breakfast burritos and order at least a few pieces of pie to go. The triple berry and the peanut butter pie rocked.

Poppy's Pizza & Grill is another can't miss spot, great for lunch or dinner. Located right along the Fall River, this picturesque spot offers delicious sandwiches and inventive, globally inspired pizzas.

And what would a Colorado vacation be without a brewery stop. The Estes Park Brewery - at elevation 7,522 - brews up a flavorful assortment of beers sure to please the adult travelers in your group. We especially enjoyed the Longs Peak Raspberry Wheat, the Estes Park Renegade IPA and the Redrum Ale.

If you are looking to have a true Rocky Mountain feast, then stop in The Rock Inn Mountain Tavern. This former big band dance hall first opened more than 70 years ago, and today offers the perfect rustic lodge setting - completely with two wood burning fireplaces - to fuel up for more fun. Order the pan-seared trout for dinner, then kick back, relax and enjoy the live blue grass jam.

While you won't be eager to leave your Rocky Mountain vacation behind anytime soon, my family found consolation in the fact that there are spectacular drives into and out of Estes Park. Highway 7 (southbound toward Boulder and Denver) to Highway 72, also known as the Peak to Peak Highway, is Colorado's oldest scenic byway. It offers breathtaking views of Twin Sisters Mountains and many interesting sites along the way.

Highway 34 coming into Estes Park from the east offers plenty of twists and turns through jagged mountains along the Big Thompson River. The sheer rock faces rising up from the road certainly made me wonder how the pioneers ever navigated these lands.

For all the fun we had in Estes Park, I am sure glad they did.