Rocky Mountain National Park: Fantastic One-Day Visit…read more We only had one day to explore Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), so we made the most of it by hiking the Bear Lake Corridor and visiting Bear Lake, Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, and Emerald Lake. Getting an Early Start We reserved timed entry for both RMNP and the Bear Lake Corridor with a 5:00 AM entry time and entered through the Fall River Entrance. After talking with several Colorado locals, we were advised to arrive at the Bear Lake Trailhead before 5:00 AM to secure parking. We arrived around 4:30 AM, and that proved to be excellent advice. The early start rewarded us with peaceful trails, beautiful lighting, and very few people around. Hiking the Bear Lake Corridor Bear Lake is an easy, family-friendly hike of about 0.7 miles. The hike to Emerald Lake is more challenging, with approximately 1.6 miles of uphill climbing. The route passes Nymph Lake and Dream Lake before reaching Emerald Lake, and the scenery becomes more impressive with every step. The views and serenity were unmatched in the early morning hours. As we were leaving the Bear Lake area, the parking lots were completely full, and shuttle buses were already operating. Scenic Driving After the hike, we drove Old Fall River Road, a seasonal one-way dirt road that offers spectacular views and a unique driving experience. We also visited: Alpine Visitor Center Trail Ridge Cafe & Gift Shop. From there, we drove Trail Ridge Road back toward Estes Park. Along the way, we were fortunate to see: Elk Moose Bighorn sheep Seeing all three species in a single day was a highlight of our trip. Tips for Future Visitors: I highly recommend bringing: A cooler with drinks and snacks Sandwiches or a packed lunch Bug spray Sunscreen A sun hat At least one liter of water per person per hour hike. The AllTrails app (download maps in advance for navigation) The Trail Ridge Café can be crowded and expensive, so having your own food and drinks can save both time and money. Final Thoughts: Although we wished we had more than one day in Rocky Mountain National Park, we were touring Colorado for the week and had limited time. Even so, this was one of the highlights of our trip. With an early start, a little planning, and a willingness to explore beyond the main attractions, it's possible to experience some of the very best that RMNP has to offer in a single day.

Rocky Mountain National Park is absolutely beautiful, but it's important to know before you go that…read moreit is not pet-friendly on the trails. Dogs are only allowed in developed areas like parking lots and campgrounds. We visited shortly after a major wildfire, and it was heartbreaking to see how much of the forest had burned. It really puts into perspective how powerful nature can be. One of the most interesting things we learned from a park ranger was that moose are considered one of the biggest wildlife concerns around dogs, even service animals. I never would have guessed that! The ranger explained that dogs can make wildlife feel threatened, which is one of the reasons the park has such strict dog regulations. If you're visiting with a service animal, I'd recommend checking with a ranger about recent wildlife sightings before heading out. That's just my personal opinion--you don't want to put yourself, your dog, or the wildlife in a dangerous situation. One unexpected highlight was spotting a beaver right along the side of the road while driving through the park! We completed three easy trails: * Coyote Valley Trail - About 1 mile round trip, completely flat with little to no elevation gain. Limited parking. * Holzwarth Historic Site - Around 1 mile round trip with very little incline. The trail leads to several historic cabins and buildings. Decent-sized parking lot. * Colorado River Trailhead - Our favorite of the three. It's also about 1 mile round trip and has the most elevation gain, although I'd still consider it an easy hike. Large parking area. Overall, Rocky Mountain National Park is an incredible place to visit with amazing scenery and wildlife. Just be sure to plan ahead if you're traveling with a dog and understand the pet restrictions before you arrive.

We enjoyed the campground. Staff were great! Nice to see wildlife wander through (deer, wild…read moreturkeys prairie dogs). We enjoyed being on the river. Super close to everything in town.

This is a no frills campground. Has a playground but no pool or put-put like the campground next…read moredoor. Did I say it was less expensive than the other one, too? Most sites have trees and a cement pad per site. Some sites back right up to the river. It's clean and convenient to both RMNP and downtown Estes. The manager is a friendly soul and they provided a complementary breakfast on Saturday. Fresh fruit, yogurt, pancakes, sausage, eggs, cereal and drinks in a very clean cutely decorated club house. The bathrooms and laundry facilities were clean and in working condition. The WIFI is amazing. I have spent time here while 'working from home' and had no issues what so ever. No cable but we use our fire stick or IPads and it never buffered even when the campground was full! The only thing I wish they had was a dog run. My pups were used to a yard and miss being off leash after a few days. Can't go wrong here.

Great views and friendly staff, only downside is there aren't really any trees on any of the plots…read moretherefore not a ton of privacy and it can get pretty windy.

This campground is beautiful. The tent sites have designated areas where you can set up your tent…read more You are not allowed to stake anything into the ground elsewhere. Loop A has both RV and Tent sites which is fine if you dont mind the sound of generators. You can walk to sprague lake from this campground. Each site has a designated bear box for storing all your food and scented items. There are flush toilets and a designated dish washing sink. The bathroom have had soap available. Im not sure how often the restrooms are cleaned but Ive seen the same dirty bathroom sink for the last 3 days. Most sites can fit two cars nicely. They do sell firewood, ice (2.50), icecream and soda in a stand near the ranger kiosk. The older lady that works at the concession stand is very aggressive and rude. We wanted to get ice cream and approched the stand and asked if they had icecream because we had not seen the fadded chart on the door. she responded "thats what it says right there"... ok we asked for two crunch bars which were 2.00 a piece... 1 bar was open and I asked if I could please have a sealed one. She because upset and aggressively snatched the open bar and threw it back in the cooler. She then proceeded to charge me 4.00 for 1 bar with out giving me a replacement. I handed her the other bar in my other hand and asked for my money back. Pretty sure your not supposed to sell open food items to customers nor be aggressive and rude towards them. Buyer beware.

This a beautiful small town located at the foot of the Rocky Mountain National Park. There is a…read morefree trolly that will take you around town and stop at various places to let you off to tour around and then you can get back on when you want to. There are small stops everywhere that are fun to shop around in at your leisure.

While visiting Rocky Mountain National Park, I spent some time in Estes Park after each day in the…read morepark. You have to go through this town to get to a couple of the park entrances. I grabbed dinner at a few restaurants and spent some time in Stanley Park. The view of Lake Estes from the park is stunning. The downtown area in Estes Park has a number of restaurants and retail stores. For activities, there is an Aerial Tramway to Prospect Mountain's summit or you can jump on a jeep tour. If you love outdoor activities, this is a great place to visit. Sadly, there was a huge wildfire going on when I was here that caused a lot of smoke. But overall, Estes Park is a great town to visit and has lots to do.

Tried to "check in" while we were there but alas no reception. But that is okay. :)…read more Hermit park is a nice little area to go and get away. It is usually fairly quiet. There are lots of trees and gorgeous views of various mountain peaks. This is around 50-55 minutes from my house (or more depending on traffic). This is a county owned park, so you either need a larimer county park pass. Or there is a $9 fee you can pay upon entering if you dont have that. The park is well maintained. There are trash cans at the trail head. Also cared for bathrooms. There is more than kruger rock trail in the park. There is also saddleback and limber trail as well. Kruger is most well known and also tends to be the busiest. The trails are clearly marked and very user friendly. Dogs are allowed here BUT they need to be leashed ;) This is a really nice area to head to when you want to go into estes but dont necessarily want to deal with the crowds of rocky mountain national park. They do close for a few months in the winter. They actually just reopened i believe march 1 for the season so just be aware depending on the time of year you are wanting to go. Current trail conditions as of today were snowy and dry on parts. if you keep going past kruger onto the limber trail on the other side of kruger then you start getting into some deeper snow and snowshoes may be advised. We did about a mile that way and then opted to turn back around. Because the first 2.5 miles were not like that we had opted to not tow our snowshoes with us though we did pack them in the car.

I recently hiked the Kruger Hike trail and really enjoyed it! First of all, it's dog friendly which…read moreis always a huge plus for me. It's just about 4 miles round trip, so it's not super long. It gains about 900 feet in elevation but never feels really strenuous. Last weekend there was snow on the trail, but it was well marked and easy to follow up to the top. When you make it to the end of trail, make sure to climb to the very top of the rocks. You have to do a little bit of scrambling to get there, but the views are so worth it! You get a fantastic look at Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. The location is great, just a couple of miles away from Estes Park, which is a fun place to stop after you hike. Our group (plus 2 doggies) had a great morning hiking Kruger rock, and would definitely bring other friends and family to check it out.

Very clean cabins right on the river and nice people that manage the plate. Dog friendly too…read more Recommended!

We loved this place! The cabins are absolutely adorable! A little small but perfect for two…read more Perfectly built and stocked and the owners are amazing. We will definitely go back.

My son and I stayed at this KOA over the weekend and we had the best time! I was immediately…read moreimpressed with the cleanliness of our cabin as well as the bathrooms. Overall, the grounds and amenities were well-maintained. There were some fun organized activities like an ice cream social, karaoke, train rides and a pancake breakfast in the morning. We interacted with several staff members and all of them were pleasant and welcoming, but our favorite was Tim. Not only was he incredibly easy on the eyes, but he started up the communal fire pit and spent time chatting and roasting marshmallows with a bunch of us. We will definitely be back!

we had an amazing time here , it was the first time driving an rv and they just made everything so…read moreeasy answered all my questions, we got there after close time but gave us Instructions on what to do and where they would leave our stuff to get into our area, had laundry Matt's all the staff was extremely nice and so family friendly not to mention we saw elk every morning right outside our spot it was just such a nice time!

Circling the drain!! I've been coming here for over 20 years and I've witnessed the prices go up…read morebut the amenities go down. They really haven't done much improvement to the sites except basic maintenance. Previously , they had Sunday church services and coffee and donuts on Saturday mornings, and a beautifully maintained crystal clear pond with lots of large trout. It's now a sludge puddle with few fishes and less trees. I came to love this place but it's being run down way too much. The people are great, and I appreciate the trash pickups every day from our site, but it's just not as lovely as it used to be. The ridiculous fire pit by the playground is rarely used by anyone and they've gotten rid of the community events and fun games. It's location is great which is one of the reasons we come here. But since the change to the RMNP entry schedule, the construction everywhere and loss of businesses, it's become tedious. It would be much more attractive if the concentrated beautification they pour into their office area was applied throughout the facility. It's boring and looks old and unloved. PLEASE MAKE IMPROVEMENTS!!

Last week I did the worst thing I have ever done: Tried to pick up my kids from Spruce Lake RV…read morePark. I confess, my crime came from ignorance, but that's no excuse. I should not have tried to get my kids for dinner, or at least I should not have done so without studying up on Spruce Lake RV Park's rules. At least then I could have prevented myself from bestowing the absolutely devastating trauma I brought onto the poor owner and staff member of this park. They would not have been forced to yell at me at the top of their lungs, threaten to call the police and insist that I wait, standing, in the middle of their vehicle pathway instead of sitting down on a nearby bench as they went to berate my in-laws for my actions. This RV park, you see, has a very strict rule that all visitors must check in at the office and pay a fee upon entering. This is not, as I assumed, a fee for parking or for bringing in a vehicle -- it is a fee for ENTERING the park, on foot, by parachute, via tunnel or by any other means. If you come into their park, they expect payment for each individual person entering, including young children, and they expect it for each day you come in. My in-laws had stayed at the park for two previous years before this happened, and the first time my wife and I went to visit their trailer at the park we saw the sign and stopped into the office to check in. The clerk seemed surprised that we had actually stopped in and did not charge us anything. We got the impression that this was not something the RV park really cared about, and perhaps the sign was there for legal purposes. So on subsequent visits we simply drove past the sign, visited my wife's parents and left. I am so sorry that I assumed this was ok. Judging by the reaction of the RV park owner and staff member, trying to pick up my children to bring them to dinner makes me absolute scum, a despicable criminal worthy only of contempt. As I tried to clarify to the owner and his employee what I was doing in the park and clarify the rules with them in a very calm manner, they treated me as the disgusting monster I am by yelling over me, refusing to listen to a word I said and telling me over and over again that they didn't care about what I was saying. If they had listened to me, maybe they could have corrected me when I told them I planned on parking my car outside the park and walking in to retrieve my children, which I now know does nothing to erase my obligation to pay the entry fee. It was all deserved. I asked them for their names. Since I was clearly in the wrong and they "don't care about reviews," I wanted to apologize to them publicly by name. But they didn't want to give me their names for some reason, despite telling me that I was the one who broke the rules and therefore nobody would listen to me. All I can say to anybody planning to stay at this RV park is that if you plan on having any guests visit you, DON'T RISK STAYING HERE. By doing so you may be delivering even more trauma onto the owner and staff of the park. You could pay a fee for each person entering the park for any length of time for any reason, but why chance it?