2016-12-22 03:56:22
MORNING BEAR LAKE IN ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, GLENN RANDALL One of the most popular parks in the country, Rocky Mountain welcomes 4 million visitors a year and still manages to offer quiet solitude. Take a drive on Trail Ridge Road, the highest paved through-road in North America. This roller coaster route crosses the Continental Divide and offers breathtaking photo ops as you climb past subalpine forests and windswept tundra to 12,183 feet above sea level. Or enjoy a family wildflower hike to Gem Lake or Bridal Veil Falls. For a little more challenge, try the 2.8-mile Mills Lake trek. You’ll be rewarded with grand views of 14,259-foot-tall Longs Peak and the Keyboard of the Winds, a whimsical rock formation named for its shape. Pull over at Moraine Park for prime wildlife watching. More than 3,000 elk and 800 bighorn sheep live in the park, and this U-shaped valley is a regular gathering spot for bugling elk. Inside the park, the Rocky Mountain Conservancy offers year-round seminars, guided fly-fishing, naturalist tours, hiking and photography classes. Kent Mountain Adventure Center, the first outfitter in the US to offer breathtaking (literally) cliff-camping excursions, has new activities: a kids mountaineering camp, a New Year’s Eve Longs Peak trek, backcountry ski classes/guiding, and a year-round “snowclimbing school.” RAIL RIDGE ROAD S, MILES/ANDREA BUROLLA. Or get above it all a different way at the Open Air Adventure Park (1), where rope bridges, aerial tightropes and swinging logs challenge folks 5 years old and up. AFTERNOON THE STANLEY HOTEL Estes Park is the gateway into the national park, but it’s also a destination unto itself. Stop by The Barrel (3) , a seasonal alfresco beer garden, and window-shop along Elkhorn Avenue (4), Estes Park’s bustling main thoroughfare, with one-of-a-kind stores, several restaurants and plenty of places for an afternoon snack. Stop for coffee and sit outside on the Riverwalk. ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, KENNAN HARVEY WHISKEY, ISTOCKPHOTO One block off Elkhorn, the beautifully landscaped path follows the Big Thompson River as it flows through town and hosts street performers in the summer. Take the path east for a tranquil walk around Lake Estes, or stop at the marina to rent bikes, pontoon boats, paddleboards or kayaks. Then, enjoy a tasting at Snowy Peaks Winery, the new Elkins Distilling Company tasting room or the new Rock Cut Brewing Company or Lumpy Ridge Brewing Co., a former gas station with a scenic beer garden and new brews on tap regularly. Or stop into Via Bicycle Cafe, part cycling shop and hangout, part coffee-nerd hot spot. VISIT ESTES PARK EVENING Wind down with dinner at the storied Stanley Hotel (2), an elegant 105-year-old, white-pillared landmark. Guided ghost tours reveal how Stephen King was inspired to write The Shining while staying in room 217. Stop by the beautifully crafted antique Cascades Whiskey Bar to choose from 250 different wine labels and the largest whiskey collection in the state. OPEN AIR ADVENTURE PARK. WINTER FUN From extreme sports such as ice climbing and backcountry split-boarding and skiing to more relaxed activities like snowshoeing and curling up by the fire, Estes Park also caters to winter visitors. It’s easy to get there year-round and offers an alternative to the bustling ski resorts. VISIT ESTES PARK STAY & PLAY OPTIONS Allenspark, Estes Park (page 202), Lyons QUICK TIP After a 10-year hiatus, the popular Lazy B Chuckwagon & Supper Show has returned. Check out its crowd-pleasing cowboy-style chuckwagon dinner followed by a Western musical stage show.
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