Estes Park – rocky mountain tot

Introverts Guide to Estes Park, Colorado

I’ve been on a search for a better vacation destination for our family than Estes Park, Colorado. Guess what!? I haven’t discovered one yet. The reason why is because Estes Park combines the beauty of the natural world with a lot of family-friendly entertainment options.

I found a fun article, The Vacation You Should Take, Based on Your Introverted Myers-Briggs Type. I believe there is something in Estes Park for every personality type or mood that you are in. Here are some ideas for my fellow introverts:

The article says that ‘INTJ: Go on a reading retreat at a secluded cabin’. If this is you, Estes Park is perfect because there are a lot of cabins like ours to rent in Estes Park. One of my favorite things to do on vacation is sit by our fireplace and get lost in a good book. I stock up on books when I’m in town at Macdonald Bookshop and Cliffhanger Used Books. Check out my Book Lovers Guide to Estes Park.

For the personality type INTP, the article suggests you ‘Attend your favorite convention, like Comic-Con.’ I used to work at a convention center, so I know there is a convention for every hobby. Some of the hobby conventions held in Estes Park include the Craft Spirits Festival, Bigfoot Days, and Wool Market which are held at Estes Park Events Complex. There is also a large Scottish-Irish Highlands Festival at the Estes Park Fairgrounds.

INFP types should ‘Connect with nature, like going on a quiet forest retreat’. Estes Park is located next to Rocky Mountain National Park. There are countless opportunities to connect with nature in the park. However, because this is such a popular tourist destination, you’ll benefit from venturing to the park during off-peak seasons such as winter and spring. If you go during summer months, avoid holiday weekends, get up early, and go hiking further than most fellow hikers (over 3 miles). One of my favorite spots to connect with nature is the Calypso Cascades in the Wild Basin.

The article says ISFP types should ‘Take a trip to the beach’. Based on the articles description (‘love spending time with a few favorite friends and hobbies’ + ‘often like to be creative and to explore new places’), this is the personality type I most relate to. One of the things I struggle most with Estes Park is that I feel like I’m going to run out of new places to explore if we keep going back every year. That’s why I often come up with ‘food adventures’ on our trip. For example we went to all the Asian restaurants in town to figure out which we liked most. We also did a Cinnamon Roll Showdown and searched for Estes Park’s best bowl of chili.

Finally, INFJ types should ‘Have “creative space” at an Airbnb in a new town.’ For these types I recommend going on a relaxing stroll along Estes Park Riverwalk. First stop at Kind Coffee whose mission is to ‘Promote the sustainability of our environment through the sales of certified organic and fairly traded coffees’. Next step into one of the town’s numerous art galleries. This summer I’m excited to check out Joy House, ‘a store made up of gifts that are all made by friends with special needs or disabilities.’ You might also enjoy spending time in Rocky Mountain National Park sketching or photographing the incredible mountain landscape and wild animals like elk or moose that frequent the area. For tips check out local photographer Erik Stensland’s new book, ‘The Photographers Guide to RMNP’.

Black Lake Hike in Rocky Mountain National Park

This morning I received a text from my husband with a link to an article from an Estes Park newspaper that there is a wildfire near Estes Park today (November 16, 2021). The fire is currently 133 acres. They are calling it the Kruger Rock Fire. Strong winds have not helped the situation. The most up-to-date information can be found on the Larimer County website, here.

Today’s wildfire is located a few miles south of our cabin. It’s hard to tell the specific areas where the fire has made an impact. It looks like it is near a hiking destination that we’ve enjoyed in the past called Kruger Rock which is in Hermit Park. I wrote more about the area here.

Rather than anxiously checking and rechecking news updates, I thought it would be more productive to write a post that I’ve been meaning to write for a while. Back in August, my husband and I went on a hike to Black Lake. We chose Black Lake out of many options we were considering for a ‘date hike’ mostly because it felt like a sure bet. I knew that we would pass by Mills Lake on the way which is one of my favorite destinations in Rocky Mountain National Park.

We got into Rocky Mountain National Park before 6:00 am so that we would have a good chance of getting a parking spot at Bear Lake. I’m not a fan of getting out of bed early in the morning, but I am a big fan of watching the sunrise over the mountains. It was also amazing to have one of the most popular destinations in the park to ourselves. I took the following video of Alberta Falls which is located .6 miles from the Bear Lake parking area.

Alberta Falls

We took the hike on August 1st, which meant we had to purchase a timed-entry permit for the Bear Lake corridor. The permits are required between May 28 – October 11, so if you are planning a late fall or winter visit the permits probably aren’t something you will need to worry about. However, I recommend looking at the national park’s website for the latest information because this is a pretty new system.

Mills Lake is located a little less than three miles into the hike.

Mills Lake

We ran into a group of female elk on the trail. I thought they’d be scared and run away when they saw us… nope. They held their ground and we let them. We backed up and let them have their space and time on the trail. It was slightly intimidating, but it is also one of my favorite memories from the hike.

There was a section of the trail that had a lot of knocked down trees. I did a little research and found that, ‘In November of 2011 a microburst, with winds estimated at 70 to 90 mph, hit the region and decimated hundreds of trees in this area alone. The blowdown impacted a section of trail that extends for roughly a half-mile.’ according to Rocky Mountain Trails.com. I thought that was very interesting because I didn’t realize microbursts occur in mountain areas. It’s also remarkable that the event occurred a decade ago, but you can still see noticeable damage.

This trail featured numerous streams and waterfalls along with spectacular mountain views.

Not far from Black Lake we had to climb up the side of a waterfall. Looking back we enjoyed the view of the lush valley below.

Black lake

Black Lake Trail is rated as a 5 star hike on AllTrails.com. Fellow hikers made comments about the privacy and noted ‘hardly any other hikers’ on the trail after Mills Lake. Hikers also stated it is a ‘good workout’ for moderate hikers. Tips include pre-downloading maps on your phone and wearing mosquito repellent.

Black Lake is also one of the hikes featured on the new Rocky Mountain Channel which is a subscription service that provides high-quality video content about Rocky Mountain National Park that can be streamed from anywhere.

We stopped for a snack at Black Lake where we admired the dark reflection quality which is perhaps how the lake earned its name.

On the way back, the sky turned bright blue and the mountains glowed in the sun. Our total hiking distance was 9.6 miles round trip. I’m so glad that my husband and I had an opportunity to do something we love in one of our favorite places.

The town of Estes Park, the fire crews, and the surrounding wildlife areas are in our thoughts and prayers tonight!

Honeymoon Hike and Other Things I’m Looking forward to in Estes Park, Colorado

Okay, it’s not actually our honeymoon -we’ve been married for nine years (go us!) and we will have our kids with us on our upcoming trip to Estes Park, Colorado. However, we have an awesome sister willing to watch our kids so that my husband and I can go on a hike together. This is really rare for us, so we are thrilled.

The last time we went on what I call a ‘honeymoon hike’ was in July of 2019. On that trip we climbed through Timberlane Falls to get to the spectacular Sky Pond.

Sky Pond will be hard to beat. The hikes we are considering for our next adventure include Black Lake, Sandbeach Lake, Chasm Lake and Mt. Ida.

Black Lake

Mills Lake is one of my favorite hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park and it is on the way to Black Lake which makes this destination very appealing. Beyond Mills Lake we would pass by Jewel Lake and Ribbon Falls. The hike is right under 10 miles in length which is ideal for me. My husband is happy to hike up to 20 miles, so we will need to compromise on the length. The biggest negative is that the hike is located within the Bear Lake corridor which is the most popular area of Rocky Mountain National Park. Timed-entry permits are required for entry between 5am to 6pm in this area. The permits go fast, so we haven’t been able to obtain one yet. That means I need to wake up really early to get there before 5am, or we can hope to get one of the limited permits that are held for purchase the day prior at 5 p.m. through recreation.gov.

I found a great description of the hike to Black Lake on rockymountaintrails.com.

Sandbeach Lake

‘Bring your beach towel, sunscreen, and a good book, as this is a great place to enjoy both the mountains and the beach well away from the busy crowds to be found elsewhere.’ says local photographer, Erik Stensland, in his RMNP hiking guide book. Stensland rates this hike as strenuous at 8.7 miles round-trip.

The Sandbeach trailhead is located in the Wild Basin area of Rocky Mountain National Park. This area is typically much less visited than the Bear Lake corridor which means we’d have some flexibility on arrival time. Reservations are required before 9am in this section of the park. I’m a big fan of sleeping, so this is a major benefit for me. My husband doesn’t mind waking up ultra early to reach a peak at dawn. If I want this hike to be our top-choice, I might have to pack a can of local lager for him to sip on this mountain beach. Cheers!

Chasm Lake

My husband hiked near Chasm Lake this winter. Because of the snowy conditions, he didn’t go the whole way, but he went far enough to know that this hike looks amazing. This 8.8 mile hike is rated 5 out of 5 stars on Alltrails.com. It features a waterfall. Recent hikers called it ‘stunning’, ‘challenging but worth it’, and a ‘quintessential Colorado trail’. Reviewers suggested to bring bug spray and arrive early because the parking lot gets filled early (5am) by hikers going up to Longs Peak.

Mt. Ida

‘Hands down this is the best hike in Rocky Mountain National Park. The views from the summit are simply epic.’ It’s hard to ignore this recommendation from rockymountaintrails.com. Besides the epic recommendation, another positive for this hike is we wouldn’t need the Bear Lake corridor pass. My only hesitation is the trailhead is at Milner Pass which is a further drive (an hour) from our cabin in Estes Park. However, I bet the early morning drive over Trail Ridge Road would be beautiful. We would want to get an early start because this hike is above tree line. I don’t want to be caught up in an afternoon thunderstorm. Speaking of weather, according to the 10 day forecast we have a 50% change of scattered thunderstorms. We will be keeping our eye on the weather and hope for clear skies.

Rain Plans

If it rains, my backup plan is to enjoy a romantic breakfast date at Claire’s Restaurant and Bar and stroll around Erik Stensland’s art gallery which opens at 10:00am in downtown Estes Park.

estes park bucket list

vacation rental in estes park colorado — View from our new home away from home at Solitude Cabins

Besides the hike with my husband, I’m looking forward to adventures with my sister-in-law, having fun with our girls, and even enjoying a little self-pampering during our upcoming trip.

My sister-in-law loves to go shopping, so I’m excited to browse some of the shops along the Riverwalk. Some of my favorite shops include Trenz at the Park, Macdonald Bookshop, and Mary Jane’s.

Our girls (ages 4 and 6) have never played mini-golf, so I think this could be a fun time to try it out. There are several mini-golf spots to choose from in Estes Park. I also want to take them to Penelope’s World Famous Burgers and Fries for a sundae treat.

For ‘me-time’, I’m looking forward to getting my hair cut at Glow Salon and Spa. I also love to catch up on my reading list on vacation. I’m bringing Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate, The Rose Code by Kate Quinn, and Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid.

Planning a Memorial Day Trip to Estes Park, Colorado 2021

This year I decided to go back to school to get a master’s degree in teaching, and I also started working part-time as a preschool teacher. I love it, but I haven’t had a lot of time to sit down and write on this site. Now, as the school year is winding down, I’m excited to start planning our summer and begin writing again. The first thing on our list is our annual Memorial Day trip to the mountains. It is hard to believe that we will be heading to our cabin in Estes Park, Colorado in just a couple of weeks.

This Memorial Day, we are excited to host our friends who have never been to Colorado before. As we talked through the new timed-entry permit and the restrictions on hiking in areas of the park due to recent wild fires, I realized that planning a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park feels pretty complicated this year. I’ve attempted to summarize the new system below:

Rocky Mountain National Park Timed-Entry Permit

What: 2 hour reservation to enter the park. There isn’t a restriction on how long you can stay. Parking is not guaranteed. Reservations must be made in advance.

Cost: $2/vehicle + normal park entry fees

When: May 28 – October 11 (pilot program)

Where: There are two types of permits, one for the Bear Lake Road Corridor and another for the rest of the park.

Bear Lake Road Corridor + Rest of the Park– required between 5 am to 6 pm.

Non-Bear Lake Pass – required between 9 am to 3 pm.

How: Reservations for May and June can be made online now through recreation.gov. Reservations for July open up on June 1.

More Information: National Park website.

hiking suggestions

Some of our favorite early season hikes such as Hollowell Park, Cub Lake and Fern Lake are inaccessible right now (as of 5/16/21) because of damage caused by wildfires in 2020. Before planning hikes, make sure to check out the latest information on closures here.

This year we hope to visit the Wild Basin, Gem Lake, Lily Lake, Bierstadt Lake, and Sprague Lake.

The Wild Basin tops our wish list because it wasn’t impacted by the wildfires and the elevation is lower compared to other areas in the park, which means typically there is less snow in May/June. There are also several beautiful waterfalls, and the trail is pretty easy for young kids to hike (ages 4- 7).

Gem Lake also avoided fire damage. Even though it is a short hike, it gains a lot of elevation (1,000 ft.). I’m not sure if we will make it to the top, but there are great views along the way and unique rock formations that the kids will love. Even if we make it half way, the hike will be memorable.

Lily Lake is our go-to hike. No matter what time of year or time of day, it’s always a great choice. We enjoy adding the Lily Ridge trail to lengthen the otherwise short hike around the lake.

Bierstadt Lake and Sprague Lake are in the Bear Lake corridor. This means they are popular attractions and require the Bear Lake corridor pass. These start at decent elevations, so it’s possible to encounter slush or even significant snow in May. We’ve spotted elk and moose in this area, and the views of the continental divide are truly spectacular at both destinations.

I can’t wait to share our favorite places with our friends. Even though it’s a little complicated, I know our trip will be well-worth the extra effort. I’m also hopeful that the trails in Rocky Mountain National Park that have been overused will benefit from less traffic, and that those impacted by fire will be soon on the road to a beautiful recovery!

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Memorial Day in Rocky Mountain National Park

Moose Spotting Makes for a Memorable Morning Hike Around Sprague Lake

Category: Estes Park