Elk hang out around the surrounding area here! I've never seen Elk up close, so this was a treat!…read more This Visitor Center is great for tourists as well as locals. Parking is plentiful. There's a parking lot out front which fills up with people watching the Elk, walking around here, & taking the shuttle buses into town and to the Rocky Mountain National Park. You can obtain lots of free information on the Estes Park area including outdoor activities, lodging, activities around town, dining, & shopping. During the peak summer season, you can take the free town shuttles to this Visitor Center, then transfer from here to the free RMNP shuttles. Avoid parking and traffic issues during the busiest times of the year. Outside are some green areas (parklets), a pedestrian bridge that will take you across the river (where we saw Elk), some art, and the Estes Park Veterans Monument. It's a nice place to wander while stretching your legs.

This was our first stop when we arrived in Estes Park. We got out of the car and the first thing we…read moresee is Elk roaming around the grounds. We went inside and there we several well versed people to give us a map and show us around. They explained the free trolly that tours the city and where the restaurants where located. We were anxious to see the park so we decided to skip the city.

This Visitor Center is not run solely by the NPS. It has a unique public-private partnership with…read moreH.W. Stewart, Inc, the Rocky Mountain Nature Association, the Rocky Mountain Conservancy, & the National Park Service. Even though we arrived during the Government shutdown, it was still able to be open to the public. Thank goodness! We were so sad that other Visitor Centers were closed. We stopped at the top in the Tundra zone and found the Alpine Visitor Center closed. This Visitor Center is just outside the park entrance off of Highway 34 remains open daily from 9am-5pm and is open all year round. We had exited the park at the Fall River Station when we saw this and decided to stop in at the end of the day. The Fall River Visitor Center is the newest Visitor Center. It has a good number of exhibits featuring some of the wildlife that you might see in the national park. The Visitor Center also has a store, and a ranger desk. There are some rubber stamps for your parks passport. This visitor center also has public toilets available. We were here briefly, but it was a nice little stop!

This visitor center is located just outside of the Fall River Entrance Station in Estes Park. There…read moreis a welcome sign nearby that people like to pull over and get a photo in front of. The Fall River Visitor Center is a nice building with exhibits and park rangers on hand to answer questions. It is also a gift shop and bookstore. While here, do not forget to get your national park passport book stamped. Next door is a restaurant if you are hungry and looking for a bite to eat. After entering Rocky Mountain National Park through the Fall River Entrance Station, you can access either Trail Ridge Road or Old Fall River Road. Old Fall River Road is the original road through the park. Both roads are seasonal and close in the winter. Either route will take you all the way to the Alpine Visitor Center. Rocky Mountain National Park requires a timed entry reservation made in advance to enter the park. The Fall River Entrance is currently under construction for road widening, a new entrance sign and entrance station kiosks. This will help reduce traffic congestion going into the park. The visitor center remains open during this time.

Nice scenic overlook from Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. At around 12,000 feet…read moreelevation, this overlook gives you a nice view of the Never Summer Mountains and the Gore Range. The jagged peaks of the Gore Range are named for Sir St George Gore, an Irish aristocrat who went on a hunting expedition in the area in the 1850's. The Never Summer Mountains were created by volcanic activity between 29 and 24 million years ago. There is a small parking lot near the overlook that you can park at. I made a short stop here after visiting the nearby Alpine Visitor Center. The overlook can only be accessed in the summer months because Trail Ridge Road closes during the winter season.

A mile from Lava Cliffs Overlook, passing the Trail Ridge Summit, you arrive at Gore Range…read moreOverlook. Gorge Range is the highest point of the road at 12,183 feet and naturally offers dramatic snow-covered mountain views. Up ahead is the Alpine Visitor Center which makes a great stopping point if you're ready to head back. This is one of the best places to get a view of the west of the park, with spectacular views of the Gore Range mountains, which run for sixty miles. next stop--the Alpine Visitor Centre

We drove up from our place in Glendale where we were staying. Traffic was light so it took just…read moreover an hour. Our first stop was the Beaver meadows Visitor Center. The Rangers gave us a map and a wealth of information about what to see. The Park has a new system where you have to get a special visitor pass to enter the park before 2:00 pm. After that you can enter with a regular pass. It was shortly before 2:00 so we dove out to the entrance. We showed our Senior Pass and Driver ID and we were off. We had 4 hours to see everything we wanted to see. Since we saw most areas when were were here last time we wanted to go out to the Alpine Visitor Center and enjoy the 12,000 ft elevation. We were surprised to see very little snow on the mountains compared to our last visit. I heard someone say there was a very dry winter here with small amounts of snow. This is one of the most beautiful of all the National Parks we've visited and one of the oldest. It is a must visit if you are in the area.

Stunning. Superlative…read more Easy to navigate. Views are amazing at every turn. Definitely do not miss this National Park.

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.

This is a gorgeous part of Rocky Mountain National Park and definitely worth visiting. I highly…read morerecommend booking well in advance (think 2 months) for timed entry. I was a few days into the month when the timed entry opened for the dates we were visiting and I got a 12pm entry as the morning times had already been booked. Closer to the date you won't find anything until a few spots open up the night before. When we visited we did the park and ride which took us past a couple trailheads before getting to Bear Lake. The lake itself is absolutely gorgeous. The walk nearby is flat and easy to do - a good option for anyone with accessibility issues. We spent some time here before hiking up to Nymph Lake which was also a beauty. There are a few more lakes you can continue hiking toward from Bear Lake to extend your visit. Our trip around Bear Lake, up to Nymph Lake and back took around 1 and a half hour with stopping a few times along the way to admire the natural beauty. I think you could easily spend half a day here doing some of the connecting hikes. We loved our visit here and would certainly come back!

On our day trip to RMNP we were able to get entry time to the Bear Lake road the day before. Came…read moremid day and park was busy. The Bear lake parking area showed that it was closed but we headed in anyway just to see the sights and wow what incredible views and what a magnificent park. The parking area was busy but there were spots as early visitors were slowly streaming out. You can take the shuttle which takes you to all the other trail areas and that seemed very convenient. Great facilites and this trailhead is a great spot for a bunch of different trails we did the Alberta falls hike and then at the end walk to the bear lake which is only like 300 ft from the parking area. There are only bending machines so there is no food so come prepared. We had a great time yes the bathrooms are stinky but that's a national park for you. Trail heads are well maintained and marked and this is such a beautiful part of the park and it's too bad we only have one day.

Beautiful shady walk! Lots of pretty bridges to cross. Lots of benches next to creek for stopping…read moreto take in the view. I was able to breastfeed my son at one of the benches which was nice.

The Riverwalk is great. I USA start around the visitor center, walk by the river for a bit, then…read morereturn along the main street. There are tons of food and ice cream options as well as a couple of parks and some art. Stations for kids to play music are scattered along the way.

The trail around the lake is busy but beautiful! We were captivated by all of the views and cute…read moredogs on leashes. The trail is smooth and pretty flat overall especially on the first half. There is parking all around the lake. There was not a lot of shade but fortunately it was in the mid 70s so not too bad. We opted to park at the visitor center and walk over. The center has nice bathrooms and a gift shop so that was a nice thing for us too. If you like easy walks or bike rides with great views be sure to add this to the list!

My absolute favorite running trail! I ran in the morning and it wasn't too crowded, weather was…read moregreat, felt safe, and it was beautiful. The only issue I had was wanting to stop and take pictures instead of running. There were elk a couple mornings, but I didn't see them everyday :( The trail is 3.7 miles around with a few big hills. There's a parking garage and a few lots throughout, including a camping area. The welcome center is nearby to get water or use the bathroom, and there are bathrooms near the bike/ boat rental place but their water fountains weren't working. I love this trail and recommend running here if you're visiting the area!