I needed a small bike repair. It was taken care of immediately upon entry to the store, finished in…read more15 minutes and with a very reasonable charge. This was my third time in the store, once for a bike rental, and the other time to purchase supplies. Every time there, the staff has been very helpful. This is truly a customer oriented business.

We came here to rent snow shoes to take into RMNP. The service was so helpful and so friendly. She…read moregave us all the tips and tricks and when we returned the rentals, they were all genuinely interested in our experience with the snow shoes. The store has everything you could possibly need for whatever outdoor activity you are interested in. I highly recommend them.

Stanley Park is a beautiful park in Estes Park that is located right next to Lake Estes. This place…read morehas all sorts of things to do. Stanley Park has bike paths, a skate park, playground, a few ballfields, tennis and pickleball courts and a dog park. On occasions, this park will host concerts and festivals. I was in town for a 5K run that was supposed to take place here. But the event was canceled due to some nearby wildfires that were causing smoke to fill the air. I ended up doing the run virtually on the sidewalk and enjoyed the beauty of the surrounding area. You can get a glimpse of the mountains from Rocky Mountain National Park in the background. The bike park course is open to the public and to non-mountain bikers too. The perimeter track can also be used for running, walking your dog and horseback riding. The paved part can also be used for bikes, skateboards and roller skates. If you don't have a bike, they have bike rentals nearby. After I finished my run, I spotted an Elk hanging around grazing the grass.

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.

Nick is a knowledgeable, patient, professional guide. My family enjoyed an awesome morning mountain…read morebike tour with him recently and I highly recommend him as a guide. He did a great job coaching everyone from experts to extremely altitude challenged riders.

Nick was amazing! I've been riding for years. I was hoping to gain some confidence and learn about…read moresome skills that I should be working on. I did! Nick gave just the right amount of advice so I could absorb what he was saying. Not too much so I was overwhelmed and not too little. This was definitely money well spent!

Considering that Boulder is a Mecca of cycling in the USA, one would have high expectations of any…read morebike shop in any town nearby- especially one such as Estes Park which has both great road and mountain biking in the area. But perhaps Estes is just too Middle America? And maybe I'm spoiled by the amazing bike shops in Austin. BUT it is nearly unforgivable IMHO to *not* inform me in advance that you don't have any full suspension mountain bikes in size small. At all. Ever. I reserved the bike 3 days in advance and didn't know until I came in to pick it up that it didn't exist! It's unfortunate but the only person with any competence seems to be the owner. So as a tip - don't trust anyone else at the shop to know anything. They're all very nice but....

The bike shop is not in the location shown on Apple maps. It's two miles out of town at the…read moreopposite end of the lake.

If you want to ride ebikes around the grand lake area, this is the place to get them! Brooks was…read moresuper helpful and the communication was quick and clear. He showed us how everything worked and gave us suggestions on where to go. He even brought them to us and picked them back up. Next time we're in the area we will def book one of the guided tours that he offers!

From the owner: We offer the best and custom E-Bikes and E-Scooters Rentals, Sales, Demo and Deliveries available…read morein Rocky Mountain National Park (*Timber Creek Campground) and Beautiful Grand Lake Colorado. We have proprietary E-Retro-Fit Models not seen anywhere else, and offer educational and fun tours into RMNP, and Grand Lake’s most amazing sites. We will accommodate your families needs for one of the most fun and memorable days in the Grand Valley available. Please Rockerental.com or call 303-594-6866 for details and reservations. Deliver to your Hotel or VRBO!

This was truly an amazing experience! Dickie was our guide and made it such a great time! He was…read moreextremely knowledgeable and gave us great instructions while keeping it fun! There was a huge traffic jam that potentially would make it difficult for us to get picked up and dickie swiftly found a solution that enhanced our experience! I have only good things to say about dickie and this company! This was our first time and we will be back

Had a wonderful experience last year with AIARE training. Would highly recommend taking a class…read morewith them!

We held another family reunion here to commemorate the one we had 20 years ago. I'm going to share…read moremy experience and both positive and negative in hopes it's helpful info for other families planning a similar event. BOOKING AND RESERVATION PROCESS: 2 stars My brother booked and placed a substantial deposit over 2 years ago on a large reunion cabin and the adjacent large cabin. As the event neared, we met virtually with camp hosts who informed us that they can't guarantee we get the cabins we reserved. They'll "try," they said, but can't guarantee we'll get those adjacent cabins. Our only theory is the Y reserves the right to bump outsiders should an esteemed member want what we reserved. It all started off on a wrong foot, and combined with the impossible act of reserving additional cabins or rooms on April 1, when reservations open to the general public, it started to feel risky and like we made a bad choice. To me, it seems a reasonable add-on to the reunion booking process to allow us to book additional cabins in advance so we can find rooms for all family. Within minutes at 8:00 am on April 1, small cabins and most lodge rooms were snagged up. They also said we couldn't access the cabins until after 6 pm on arrival day. That meant we had to figure out a way to keep all of our food we purchased chilled until we could put it in our cabin's refrigerator. As it turned out, we did get the cabins we reserved/requested AND they were ready far earlier than our 5 pm arrival time. Total experience? Nerve-wracking. CABINS/ACCOMMODATIONS - 2 stars I get it - lots of large groups use this place. All the more reason to maintain them in a manner that is safe & comfortable for all. We had two sofas, one of which was unusable and a number of small issues that were eventually addressed. THE GOOD/POSITIVE: So much for youngsters to do, but be prepared to spend a lot of time driving kids back and forth to each activity. My "sense" was kids got to try a few new things, like horseback riding and archery, for an add-on fee. Good hiking trails. Downtown Estes (and an additional amusement park), are a short drive away in downtown Estes. Snack shop and little store on campus. All in all, maybe it's my age getting the best of me but I didn't find the accommodations very comfortable- just the 2 aforementioned couches, 1 of which was broken. All other chairs are wooden. So there's a point, as an adult, when the beauty of the mountains starts to wear thin when you're not as comfortable as you'd like to be. Bottom line? Go into it prepared. Try out a smaller cabin before opting to book for a huge reunion to make sure it will fit your family's needs. I wish they were a bit more accommodating and generous with furniture, etc., in their lodging. If you like Rustic, you'll love it here.

Give yourself a day or two to acclimate to the 8,500 ft altitude. I promise you your first night…read moreof sleep will not give you any rest. The staff here is wonderful and there is even the Rustic Cafe inside the registration building to grab a quick bite all day. The YMCA backs up to Rocky Mountain National Park and the entire place is easy to navigate. If you want something out of the ordinary but in-line with history, check out the Lula W Dorsey museum which is also on campus and see all the history the Y has had to offer over the last 100+ years! This is a great place to unwind and really connect with nature. If you have ever heard of shrinyoku (forest bathing), this is a place to do it. Wildlife will hang around here at all times of the morning and later in the evening too. Most of all experience it all and make memories!