Estes Park
The eastern gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, home to the Stanley Hotel that inspired The Shining, free-roaming elk herds, and a riverwalk through downtown.
- Altitude
- 2,293 m
- Coordinates
- 40.377°, -105.522°
Current Weather
Estes Park is the primary eastern gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park and one of the busiest mountain tourism towns in Colorado in summer. The town sits at 7,522 feet in a broad valley surrounded by the Mummy Range, with the Big Thompson River running through downtown alongside a riverwalk and shopping district. The Stanley Hotel, built in 1909, inspired Stephen King's The Shining and remains a working hotel with ghost tours. Elk herds graze freely through town in fall during the rutting season — the bugling of bulls is one of Colorado's signature wildlife experiences. Estes is the staging point for trips up Trail Ridge Road, the Bear Lake corridor, and Longs Peak. Bear Lake parking and shuttle reservations are required during summer; plan ahead.