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Photo Credit: © 2019 James Frank

Day Trips from Estes Park

During your visit to Estes Park, take a short day trip or overnight sightseeing trip to experience more of the Rockies.

  • Drive up Trail Ridge Road, sample the air at 12,000 feet elevation, see the delicate alpine wildflowers in summer.
  • Continue on to Grand Lake, Colorado’s largest natural lake, and visit the west side of the Park.
  • Get off the beaten path and explore the high country on Old Fall River Road.  Make it a loop and return to Estes Park via Trail Ridge Road.
  • Take a loop drive from Estes Park past Lumpy Ridge to the tiny town of Glen Haven, then back up Hwy 34 through Drake along the Big Thompson River.
  • Enjoy the scenic Peak to Peak Highway that leads past Longs Peak to Central City gaming or Eldora downhill skiing in winter.
  • Watch for bighorn sheep in the narrows of the Big Thompson canyon as you head down the hill for rafting on the Poudre River, or a visit to Fort Collins to see the Budweiser Clydesdales and a stop at Fort Collins breweries.
  • Visit a nearby Hot Springs at Hot Sulphur Springs or Steamboat Springs for a relaxing soak.