Estes Park, Colorado City Guide
For over 20 years, Pamela Lanier's Estes Park, Colorado Travel Guide has been your connection to Estes Park's tourism community with invaluable details on local attractions, restaurants, shopping, museums, history, outdoor recreation and more.
The Beauty & Culture of Estes Park
 Estes Park knows how to show bed and breakfast travelers a good time by throwing several events throughout the year. Estes Park comes to life from spring through the holiday season, featuring a fun, festive variety of celebrations. From a Rooftop Rodeo to a Film Festival and Specialty Dog Show, there truly is something to celebrate just about every day. Enjoy the Jazz Fest performances in the outdoor amphitheatre and celebrate the golden colors of fall during the Autumn Gold Festival, jam-packed with bands, bratwursts, and beers. Bed and breakfast travelers will enjoy kicking off the winter season at the popular and memorable Catch the Glow Holiday Celebration. Bands walk the streets of Estes Park playing beloved Christmas songs, dancers sway to the festive tunes, and floats parade close behind. Held annually the day after Thanksgiving, the festival is a fun-filled day complete with hay rides, visits from Santa Claus, and strolling animal characters all set against the backdrop of holiday music and a winter glow.
Estes Park is bursting with enough natural beauty for one vacation, but when a scenic drive beckons there are a few marvelous options to choose from. Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuous paved road in the United States and is open from Memorial Day until late September to late November when heavy snowfalls make it impossible to access. The route takes passengers past dwarfed plants and animals that have adapted to the high altitude all the way up to the summit where visitors witness the alpine tundra. For a half-day excursion, follow the Fall River Road to Endovalley where waterfalls, glacier deposits, icy pools, and majestic views will take your breath away. The Glen Haven Half-Day Loop takes travelers back in time to a cozy hamlet and views of Twin Sisters, Longs Peak, and the Continental Divide.
Summertime bed and breakfast visitors will delight in the Estes Park Summer Music Series of bluegrass, jazz, folk, and rock performances that entice visitors to relax on the lawn and listen to the sweet sounds; while visitors during the winter season can strap on some snowshoes and explore the Rockies the easiest and most popular way. Anyone familiar with hiking can quickly master snowshoes, and Park Rangers lead free snowshoeing tours on the weekends.
Take part in one of four Art Walks offered each year in Estes Park and enjoy the beauty displayed in the museum quality shows and the quaint artist studios. The oil paintings, sculpture, pottery, glasswork, photography, jewelry, and woodwork created by the more than 200 artists living in the Estes Valley are well worth admiring. The self-guided Art Walks are free, and if travelers happen to miss one of them, do take time to investigate all the galleries have to offer.
|
