Things to Do in Estes Park
Top things to do in Estes Park
- Rocky Mountain National Park. A 415-square-mile wilderness sanctuary at Estes Park's doorstep, offering more than 300 miles of trails, abundant wildlife, and alpine terrain that tops 14,000 feet. With nearly 3,000 elk roaming the valleys, the park delivers some of the most accessible big-wildlife encounters in the country.
- Trail Ridge Road. The highest continuous paved road in the United States, cresting at 12,183 feet as it crosses the Continental Divide from Estes Park to Grand Lake over 48 miles. At nearly 12,000 feet, the Alpine Visitor Center — the highest visitor center in the entire National Park System — marks the roof of the drive.
- The Stanley Hotel. F.O. Stanley's Georgian Colonial masterpiece opened in 1909 as one of the world's first all-electric hotels, later inspiring Stephen King's novel The Shining after King's stay in Room 217. Today visitors can choose from historic, paranormal, and Shining-themed guided tours, and explore Colorado's largest whiskey bar.
- Elk Rut Viewing. From mid-September to mid-October, roughly 3,000 elk funnel from Rocky Mountain National Park into Estes Park's open meadows for their annual rut, filling the valley with the haunting bugle of bull elk at dawn and dusk. Moraine Park and Horseshoe Park within the national park, as well as Bond Park in downtown, are…
- Estes Park Aerial Tramway. For more than 70 years this European-style cable car — one of only a handful operating in the United States — has carried visitors up to the 8,900-foot summit of Prospect Mountain in a five-minute ride with no support towers to interrupt the views. The summit offers a café, gift shop, picnic areas, and short hiking…
- Lake Estes & Marina. A 185-acre reservoir rimmed by a 3.75-mile paved trail offering front-row views of the Continental Divide, Lake Estes is Estes Park's year-round recreation anchor. The marina rents kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, pontoon boats, and fishing gear; stocked rainbow and brown trout make it a reliable spot for anglers of…
- Downtown Riverwalk. A one-mile paved path hugging the Big Thompson and Fall Rivers through the heart of downtown, the Riverwalk links more than 300 shops, breweries, galleries, and restaurants at George Hix Riverside Plaza where the two rivers converge. Statues, footbridges, and river-view patios make it the social center of any Estes…
- Bighorn Sheep at Sheep Lakes. Each late spring and early summer, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep descend from the Mummy Range to the mineral-rich waters of Sheep Lakes in Horseshoe Park, offering close, reliable views of one of Colorado's most iconic animals. A seasonal ranger station on site logs daily sightings and provides interpretation.
Top-rated tours & activities in Estes Park
Retractable Glass Top Tour in Rocky Mountain National Park — 5.0★ (522 reviews)
Top of the World Tour (Wildside 4x4 Tours) — 5.0★ (403 reviews)
Thrilling Rock'n Roller Coaster Tour (Wildside 4x4 Tours) — 5.0★ (158 reviews)
Acrylic Pour Painting Class in Estes Park, Colorado — 4.8★ (52 reviews)
Winter Wonderland Adventure Tour | Sledding (Wildside 4x4 Tours) — 5.0★ (173 reviews)
Summer Private Rocky Mountain National Park Driving Tour — 5.0★ (115 reviews)
The Rocky Mountain National Park Safari Tour — 4.9★ (403 reviews)
Create Your Own Hydro Dipped Tumbler, Mug or Flask in Estes Park — 4.9★ (44 reviews)