Estes Park, Colorado

[taz]

My family and I are thinking on taking a vacation in July.
. It will be my husband, son (19) and daughters (16). What suggestions do you have for us to do for a week.

thanks

[DalmationDad]

Originally Posted by taz

My family and I are thinking on taking a vacation in July.
. It will be my husband, son (19) and daughters (16). What suggestions do you have for us to do for a week.

thanks

I remember climbing to the top of a nearby mountain to a beautiful lake. The climb was not terribly difficult, but it was fairly long. I'm sure the locals could tell you right where it is if you mention lake on top of mountain.

[NotJLB]

Hope you enjoy the outdoors, cuz that's what EP has to offer.

Rocky Mountain National Park.

Have a picnic by a stream.

Fish for trout.

Go to Endovalley Park.

Try to spot some bighorn sheep.

Take Trail Ridge Road over to the Western Entrance.

Golf.

One of our favorite places, but we don't go any more.

[lucyann]

Don't let your vehicle overheat. We had to stop a couple of times to let the van cool.
Have you considered dividing your time between Estes Park and Manitou Springs? There's another thread here about Manitou Springs/Colorado Springs.

[Ms_Terese]

We've spent lots of weekends in Estes!

Stroll downtown, the Riverwalk, and visit the little shops, especially the confectionary that has the saltwater taffy!

Visit The Stanley Hotel for sure, beautiful place!

Take a ride on the Estes Park Aerial Tramway, and take your camera!

For a nice day trip, take Trail Ridge Road from Estes through Rocky Mountain National Park until you get to the other side at Grand Lake.

Tons of hiking and scenery.

It all depends on your interests, but it would be impossible to not have a great time!

[NotJLB]

If you are flatlanders, it will take a couple days to acclimate. A flight of stairs will leave you breathless.

As for shopping, it used to be a crafty place but a lot of that has been replaced by cheap imports, like everywhere else.

Oh yeah, the Taffy Shop on the main drive. Vanilla pecan is our favorite.

Driving around and gawking at nature. We saw a bear and a cougar (cat kind).

[Ms_Terese]

Originally Posted by NotJLB

We saw a bear and a cougar (cat kind).

Is there a cougar that isn't a cat kind?

[NotJLB]

Originally Posted by Ms_Terese

Is there a cougar that isn't a cat kind?

I assume you just forgot a smilie.

If not, maybe you can google cougar.

There's a few of one variety around Branson.

[lucyann]

I guess cradle robber or cradle snatcher is no longer PC. The word "Cougar" has taken on a whole new meaning...

Cougar—a woman over 40[5] who sexually pursues younger men, typically more than eight years her junior.[6] The origin of the word is debated; however, it is thought to have first appeared in print on the Canadian dating website Cougardate.com[7] and has been used in TV series, advertising and film. The 2007 film Cougar Club was dedicated to the subject and in Spring 2009 TV Land aired a reality show called The Cougar. A new show called Cougar Town, explores the difficulty and stigma of many so-called "Cougars".

Learn something new everyday.

[Jalva2]

If you're wanting to do some hiking in the national park, there are tons of good guidebooks out there. Our favorite is:

http://www.amazon.com/Outdoor-Family...453277&sr=8-16

In July, be aware of limited parking at some of the more popular trailheads (Bear Lake in particular). Get there EARLY.

And also, in July in the Rockies, take those lightning precautions SERIOUSLY!

EP is a great town! Have fun!

[SemperFly]

The "mall" in Estes Park burned down this last year. I dont know if there has been any attempt to rebuild it yet.
Having lived there for several years, there are a few things that we always had to take our family visitors to do.

Rocky Mtn Nat Park and Trailridge Road. Incredible views, a lot of times you will see wildlife such as elk, deer, moose, bighorn sheep, lots of chipmunks at the scenic overlooks so have peanuts handy for them to munch on.

Take a drive down through Poudre Canyon into Loveland and Ft Collins along the Big Thompson River, you can stop to eat on a roadside picnic area and fish the Big T for wild trout.

Coors Brewery in Golden

Denver and Boulder, so many things to do there. But watch out for the hippies on Pearl St in Boulder (that is where Mork and Mindy was filmed)

Go to Longmont and slap a few of my high school friends in the head for me

[NotJLB]

We used to do a show at the fairgrounds in Longmont every June, and stay the week prior in EP.

Not everyone does well in altitude, including me. I couple times I could not do the Trail Ridge drive. If I was congested, at about 10000 feet I would get very lightheaded and would have to pull over. It's not as bad as some CO mountain roads, but not one you want to be lightheaded while driving.

If we had a gambling itch we would go to Central City, which is a pretty drive. We would meet with some of my college buds there. We have cured that itch.