Estes Park, Colorado

Before Europeans came to the Estes Park valley, the Arapaho Native Americans lived there in the summertime and called the valley "the Circle." When three elderly Arapahoes visited Estes Park in 1914, they pointed out sites they remembered from their younger days. A photograph at the Estes Park Museum identified the touring party as Shep Husted, guide; Gun Griswold, a 73-year-old judge; Sherman Sage, a 63-year-old chief of police; Tom Crispin, 38-year-old reservation resident and interpreter; Oliver W. Toll, recorder; and David Robert Hawkins, a Princeton student.{{cite web |title=Shep Husted, Arapaho Tour |url=http://shephusted.net/page8/page10/page10.html |access-date=March 29, 2013 |archive-date=July 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703205558/http://shephusted.net/page8/page10/page10.html |url-status=live }}

In the 1850s, the Arapaho had spent summers camped around Mary's Lake, where their rock fireplaces, tipi sites, and dance rings were still visible. They also recalled building eagle traps atop Longs Peak to get the war feathers coveted by all tribes. They remembered their routes to and from the valley in detail, naming trails and landmarks. They pointed out the site of their buffalo trap, and described the use of dogs to pack meat out of the valley. Their recollections included a battle with Apaches in the 1850s, and fights with Utes who came to the area to hunt bighorn sheep, so all three of those tribes used the valley's resources.Clement Yore, "Estes Park Region was Formerly the Playground of the Arapaho Indians," Estes Park Trail, January 27, 1922, p. 7 and February 3, 1922, pp. 7-8. An account of unidentified Indians raiding white ranches for horses is given in Abner Sprague, "Roads and Trails," Estes Park Trail, December 8, 1922, p. 3.

Whites probably came into the Estes Park valley before the 1850s as trappers, but did not stay long. The town is named after Missouri native Joel Estes,{{cite web|url=http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=9460|title=Profile for Estes Park, Colorado, CO|publisher=ePodunk|access-date=October 7, 2012|archive-date=May 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515061300/http://epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=9460|url-status=dead}} who founded the community in 1859.{{cite web|url=http://www.estesparkcvb.com/about_us.cfm|title=Estes Park Colorado|publisher=Estes Park Colorado|access-date=October 7, 2012|archive-date=September 19, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120919192311/http://www.estesparkcvb.com/about_us.cfm|url-status=live}} Estes moved his family there in 1863. One of Estes' early visitors was William Byers, a newspaper editor who wrote of his attempted ascent of Longs Peak in 1864, publicizing the area as a pristine wilderness.William Byers, "Ascent of Longs Peak," Rocky Mountain News, September 23, 1864, p. 2, quoted in James H. Pickering, "This Blue Hollow": Estes Park, the Early Years, 1859–1915 (Boulder, Colo: University Press of Colorado, 1999), chapter 1.

Griff Evans and his family came to Estes Park in 1867 to act as caretakers for the former Estes ranch. Recognizing the potential for tourism, he began building cabins to accommodate travelers. It became a dude ranch in Estes Park, with guides for hunting, fishing, and mountaineering;Betty D. Freudenburg, Facing the Frontier: The Story of the MacGregor Ranch(Estes Park, Colo.: Rocky Mountain Nature Association, 2005), p. 61. when Isabella Bird arrived in 1873, Evans already had nine men and women as guests.{{Cite magazine |last=Sprague |first=Marshall |date=February 1967 |title=Love In The Park |url=https://www.americanheritage.com/love-park |magazine=American Heritage |language=en |volume=18 |issue=2 |access-date=September 28, 2023}}

File:4thEarlOfDunraven.jpg (1841–1926), the famous Irish nobleman, politician and journalist, in later life. His ancestral seat was Adare Manor in County Limerick.]]

The 4th Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl, a young Anglo-Irish peer, arrived in late December 1872 under the guidance of Texas Jack Omohundro, subsequently made numerous visits, and decided to take over the valley for his own private hunting preserve.Jane Rawlings, June 2023, "He Tried to Own Estes Park,"p. 2 of The Senior Voice Vol. 43, No. 7. Lord Dunraven's 'land grab' didn't work, but he controlled 6,000 acres before he changed tactics and opened the area's first resort, the Estes Park Hotel, which was destroyed by fire in 1911.Freudenburg pp. 61-67.

Bird, the daughter of an Anglican minister, came overland to Colorado, where she borrowed a horse and set out to explore the Rocky Mountains with a guide, the notorious James Nugent, aka 'Rocky Mountain Jim'. She wrote A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains, a memoir of their travels, including the breathtaking ascent of Longs Peak, where she was literally hauled up the steep pitches "like a bale of goods."Isabella Bird, A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains (Sausalito, Calif.: Comstock, 1980), Letter 7, p. 87.

On June 19, 1874, Rocky Mountain Jim and neighbor Griff Evans (see above) had an argument. Having had bitter history with each other, Nugent and Evans hated each other and were deep personal rivals when it came to tour guiding tourists. The argument escalated until Evans blasted Jim in the head with his rifle shotgun. Evans then traveled to Fort Collins to file an assault charge against Nugent, but he was arrested and tried for first degree murder when Jim Nugent died on September 9, 1874, of the bullet wound. Evans was put on trial, but the case was soon dismissed due to the lack of witnesses to the shooting. On August 9, 1875, the Loveland court-house acquitted Evans of any charges in the case.

William Henry Jackson photographed Estes Park in 1873.USGS photo in Freudenburg, p. 56.

File:Albert Bierstadt, Estes Park and Longs Peak, circa 1876.jpg was commissioned by The 4th Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl to make a painting of the Estes Park and Longs Peak area in 1876 for $15,000. The painting, originally displayed in Dunraven Castle in Glamorgan, is now in the collection of the Denver Art Museum.]]

Alex and Clara (Heeney) MacGregor arrived soon after and homesteaded at the foot of Lumpy Ridge. The MacGregor Ranch has been preserved as a historic site. In 1874, MacGregor incorporated a company to build a new toll road from Lyons, Colorado, to Estes Park. The road became what is today U.S. Highway 36. Before that time, however, the "road" was only a trail fit for pack horses. The improved road brought more visitors into Estes Park; some of them became full-time residents and built new hotels to accommodate the growing number of travelers.Freudenburg, chapter 7.

In 1884, Enos Mills (1870–1922) left Kansas and came to Estes Park, where his relative Elkanah Lamb lived. That move proved significant for Estes Park because Mills became a naturalist and conservationist who devoted his life after 1909 to preserving nearly a thousand square miles of Colorado as Rocky Mountain National Park. He succeeded and the park was dedicated in 1915.Pickering, "This Blue Hollow": Estes Park, the Early Years, 1859–1915, pp. 220-235.

Enos Mills' younger brother Joe Mills (1880–1935) came to Estes Park in 1889. He wrote a series of articles about his youthful experiences for Boys Life which were later published as a book. After some years as a college athletics coach, he and his wife returned to Estes Park and built a hotel called The Crags on the north side of Prospect Mountain, overlooking the village. They ran that business in the summer while he continued his coaching career in winters at University of Colorado in Boulder.A Mountain Boyhood (New York: J.H. Sears, 1926, republished 1988 by University of Nebraska Press), introduction.

Many early visitors came to Estes Park in search of better health. The Rocky Mountain West especially attracted those with pulmonary diseases, and in Estes Park some resorts catered to them, providing staff physicians for their care.Pickering, This Blue Hollow, 127–128.

File:Estes Park CO 1912.jpg

In 1903, a new road was opened from Loveland through the Big Thompson River canyon to Estes Park, increasing access to the valley. In 1907, three Loveland men established the first auto stage line from Loveland to Estes Park with three five-passenger touring Stanley Steamers. The following year, Mr. Stanley built nine-passenger steam busses and opened a bus line between Lyons and Estes Park."First Auto Stage Line to Estes Park Established Spring of 1907," Estes Park Trail, January 5, 1923, p. 1.

By 1912, Estes Park had its own seasonal newspaper, the Estes Park Trail, which provided advertising for the local hotels and other businesses. It was a year-round weekly by 1921.Colorado Historic Newspapers, http://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/Default/Skins/Colorado/Client.asp?skin=Colorado&AW=1364318345023&AppName=2 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822124102/https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/? |date=August 22, 2023 }}

In 1949, Olympus Dam was finished, creating Lake Estes, giving the town its main source of drinking water.

Land was still being homesteaded in the area in 1914, when Katherine Garetson (1877–1963) filed on land near the base of Longs Peak. She built a cabin and started a business known as the Big Owl Tea Place. She proved up on her homestead claim in 1915, and left a memoir of her years there.Katherine Garetson, Homesteading Big Owl, 2d ed. (Allenspark, Colo.: Allenspark Wind, 2001).

In 1916 the Estes Valley Library was founded by the Estes Park Women's Club. It originally formed part of the old schoolhouse and contained only 262 printed works.{{Cite web |url=http://estesvalleylibrary.org/about/ |title=Estes Valley Library |access-date=March 12, 2017 |archive-date=March 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312194847/http://estesvalleylibrary.org/about/ |url-status=live }}

Estes Park was also the site of the organization of the Credit Union National Association, an important milestone in the history of American credit unions.[http://www.creditunion.coop/history/create.html Creating CUNA] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080310003038/http://www.creditunion.coop/history/create.html |date=March 10, 2008 }}) In 1992, members of the modern American militia movement attended the three-day Rocky Mountain Rendezvous in Estes Park, which focused on "guns, resisting the federal government, and white supremacy".{{Cite journal |last=Markham-Cameron |first=Julia |date=June 2019 |title=Firearm Stockpiling as a Symptom of the White Patriot Identity, or: How Whites Learned to Start Worrying and Love The Gun |url=https://willamette.edu/law/resources/journals/sjelj/publications/pdf/2-2/markham-cameron-note.pdf |journal=Social Justice & Equity Law Journal |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=178–80 |access-date=June 28, 2023 |archive-date=November 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105022702/https://www.willamette.edu/law/resources/journals/sjelj/publications/pdf/2-2/markham-cameron-note.pdf |url-status=live }}

{{main|Lawn Lake Dam}}

The town suffered severe damage in July 1982 from flooding caused by the failure of Lawn Lake Dam, "after years of disrepair and neglect."{{cite news |author=Ann Depperschmidt |date=July 12, 2009 |title=Path of destruction:Flood of 1982 still evident in hike to Lawn Lake |work=Reporter-Herald |url=http://www.reporterherald.com/special/story.asp?sp=149&st=5 |url-status=dead |access-date=December 23, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927151630/http://www.reporterherald.com/special/story.asp?sp=149&st=5 |archive-date=September 27, 2007}} The flood's alluvial fan can still be seen on Fall River Road. The downtown area was extensively renovated after the flood, and a river walk was added between the main street, Elkhorn Avenue, and the Big Thompson River.

{{Main|2013 Colorado floods}}

Both U.S. Highway 36 and U.S. Highway 34, the major routes into town, were severely damaged. Hundreds of Estes Park residents were also isolated by the destruction of sections of Fish Creek Road and all nine crossings across Fish Creek. Damaged sewer lines dumped raw sewage down the creek and into the Big Thompson River.{{cite web |title=Estes Park vows to rebound from ravages of flood |url=http://www.9news.com/rss/story.aspx?storyid=355602 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130918155959/http://www.9news.com/rss/story.aspx?storyid=355602 |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 18, 2013 |date=September 17, 2013 |access-date=September 18, 2013 |publisher=9news.com |author=Fort Collins Coloradoan }}

File:Estes park golfcourse.jpg

Estes Park sits at an elevation of {{convert|7522|ft}} on the front range of the Rocky Mountains at the eastern entrance of the Rocky Mountain National Park.{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990|archive-date=August 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190824085937/https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|url-status=live}} Its north, south and east extremities border the Roosevelt National Forest. Lumpy Ridge lies immediately north of Estes Park.

At the 2020 United States census, the town had a total area of {{convert|17.862|km2|acre|order=flip}} including {{convert|0.194|km2|acre|order=flip}} of water.

Estes Park was home to a number of now defunct ski areas:{{cite web |author=TCSP |url=http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/lost/index_nfr.html |title="Northern Front Range Resorts" |publisher=Colorado Ski History |access-date=December 23, 2009 |archive-date=January 9, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080109231254/http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/lost/index_nfr.html |url-status=live }}

• Davis Hill{{cite web |author=TCSP |url=http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/lost/davishill.html |title="Davis Hill" |publisher=Colorado Ski History |access-date=December 23, 2009 |archive-date=October 9, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009211823/http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/lost/davishill.html |url-status=live }}
• Hidden Valley[http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/lost/skiestespark.html Colorado Ski History: Hidden Valley] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080108090138/http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/lost/skiestespark.html |date=January 8, 2008 }} (Ski Estes Park)
• Leydman Hill Jump{{cite web |author=TCSP |url=http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/lost/leydmanjump.html |title="Leydman Hill Jump" |publisher=Colorado Ski History |access-date=December 23, 2009 |archive-date=October 9, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009211932/http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/lost/leydmanjump.html |url-status=live }}
• Old Man Mountain{{cite web |author=TCSP |url=http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/lost/oldmanmountain.html |title="Old Man Mountain" |publisher=Colorado Ski History |access-date=December 23, 2009 |archive-date=October 9, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009223154/http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/lost/oldmanmountain.html |url-status=live }}

Estes Park vicinity was also the home of other resorts and tourist attractions.

Estes Park has a humid continental climate (Koppen: Dfb). Summers are typically warm, sometimes hot, while winters are usually cold, with lows dropping into the teens and sometimes the single digits.

{{Weather box|width=auto

|location = Estes Park 3 SSE, Colorado, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 2001–2021

|single line = Yes

|Jan record high F = 60

|Feb record high F = 57

|Mar record high F = 69

|Apr record high F = 74

|May record high F = 85

|Jun record high F = 93

|Jul record high F = 94

|Aug record high F = 91

|Sep record high F = 89

|Oct record high F = 79

|Nov record high F = 66

|Dec record high F = 59

|year record high F =

|Jan avg record high F = 50.6

|Feb avg record high F = 51.4

|Mar avg record high F = 61.1

|Apr avg record high F = 68.0

|May avg record high F = 76.1

|Jun avg record high F = 87.1

|Jul avg record high F = 88.3

|Aug avg record high F = 85.6

|Sep avg record high F = 82.0

|Oct avg record high F = 71.5

|Nov avg record high F = 60.4

|Dec avg record high F = 51.5

|year avg record high F = 89.4

|Jan high F = 37.1

|Feb high F = 37.5

|Mar high F = 45.0

|Apr high F = 51.5

|May high F = 61.2

|Jun high F = 73.9

|Jul high F = 80.2

|Aug high F = 77.7

|Sep high F = 69.6

|Oct high F = 56.6

|Nov high F = 44.1

|Dec high F = 36.2

|year high F =

|Jan mean F = 26.6

|Feb mean F = 26.6

|Mar mean F = 33.1

|Apr mean F = 38.8

|May mean F = 47.9

|Jun mean F = 58.3

|Jul mean F = 64.2

|Aug mean F = 62.0

|Sep mean F = 54.4

|Oct mean F = 43.4

|Nov mean F = 33.8

|Dec mean F = 26.3

|year mean F =

|Jan low F = 16.1

|Feb low F = 15.8

|Mar low F = 21.2

|Apr low F = 26.1

|May low F = 34.7

|Jun low F = 42.6

|Jul low F = 48.2

|Aug low F = 46.4

|Sep low F = 39.2

|Oct low F = 30.2

|Nov low F = 23.5

|Dec low F = 16.4

|year low F =

|Jan avg record low F = -7.5

|Feb avg record low F = -7.2

|Mar avg record low F = 3.3

|Apr avg record low F = 12.6

|May avg record low F = 21.1

|Jun avg record low F = 35.5

|Jul avg record low F = 42.6

|Aug avg record low F = 39.1

|Sep avg record low F = 28.9

|Oct avg record low F = 13.1

|Nov avg record low F = 3.1

|Dec avg record low F = -7.1

|year avg record low F = -13.1

|Jan record low F = -19

|Feb record low F = -27

|Mar record low F = -18

|Apr record low F = -3

|May record low F = 6

|Jun record low F = 28

|Jul record low F = 36

|Aug record low F = 31

|Sep record low F = 20

|Oct record low F = -10

|Nov record low F = -20

|Dec record low F = -22

|year record low F =

|precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation inch = 0.82

| Feb precipitation inch = 0.68

| Mar precipitation inch = 1.58

| Apr precipitation inch = 2.26

| May precipitation inch = 2.27

| Jun precipitation inch = 1.37

| Jul precipitation inch = 2.55

| Aug precipitation inch = 1.71

| Sep precipitation inch = 1.65

| Oct precipitation inch = 1.12

| Nov precipitation inch = 0.74

| Dec precipitation inch = 0.67

|year precipitation inch = 17.42

| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in

| Jan precipitation days = 6.3

| Feb precipitation days = 9.3

| Mar precipitation days = 8.9

| Apr precipitation days = 10.1

| May precipitation days = 12.4

| Jun precipitation days = 9.4

| Jul precipitation days = 14.1

| Aug precipitation days = 13.4

| Sep precipitation days = 8.8

| Oct precipitation days = 7.3

| Nov precipitation days = 6.0

| Dec precipitation days = 6.9

| year precipitation days = 112.9

|Jan snow inch = 9.8

|Feb snow inch = 13.3

|Mar snow inch = 18.8

|Apr snow inch = 19.3

|May snow inch = 9.5

|Jun snow inch = 0.0

|Jul snow inch = 0.0

|Aug snow inch = 0.0

|Sep snow inch = 0.5

|Oct snow inch = 9.1

|Nov snow inch = 11.0

|Dec snow inch = 12.7

|year snow inch = 104.0

|unit snow days = 0.1 in

|Jan snow days = 7.4

|Feb snow days = 10.3

|Mar snow days = 9.5

|Apr snow days = 8.0

|May snow days = 3.7

|Jun snow days = 0.1

|Jul snow days = 0.0

|Aug snow days = 0.0

|Sep snow days = 0.3

|Oct snow days = 3.8

|Nov snow days = 5.8

|Dec snow days = 8.6

|year snow days = 57.5

|source 1 = NOAA (mean maxima and minima 2006–2020){{cite web

| url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=bou

| title = NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| accessdate = June 8, 2021

| archive-date = May 8, 2021

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210508060530/https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=bou

| url-status = live

}}{{cite web

| url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00052761&format=pdf

| title = Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020

| publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

| accessdate = June 8, 2021

| archive-date = August 22, 2023

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230822124047/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00052761&format=pdf

| url-status = live

}} }}

{{US Census population

| align = left

| 1930 = 417

| 1940 = 994

| 1950 = 1617

| 1960 = 1175

| 1970 = 1616

| 1980 = 2703

| 1990 = 3184

| 2000 = 5413

| 2010 = 5858

| 2020 = 5904

| estyear = 2023

| estimate = 5824

| estref = {{Cite web |title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023 |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html |access-date=March 24, 2024 |publisher=United States Census Bureau}}

| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census

}}

File:Estes Park City Centre.JPG

In August 1900, Estes Park{{cite web|title=Does The Estes Park Real Estate Market Need More Regulations?|url=http://www.estesparkhomesearch.com/do-we-need-more-regulations-for-the-real-estate-rental-market-in-estes-park/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402095449/http://estesparkhomesearch.com/do-we-need-more-regulations-for-the-real-estate-rental-market-in-estes-park/|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 2, 2015|publisher=Estes Park Home Search|access-date=March 31, 2015}} had a population of 218 in 63 households. Many (73) were born in Colorado. Eighteen were born in other countries: Canada (4), England (4), Germany (4), Finland (3), and one each from the Netherlands, Scotland, and Ireland. Eighty had been born in midwestern states, and thirty from states in the northeast.U.S. census, Estes Park precinct, Larimer County, Colorado, August 1900.

As of the census{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/ |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website |archive-date=December 27, 1996 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961227012639/https://www.census.gov/ |url-status=live }} of 2010, 5,858 people, 2,796 households, and 1,565 families resided in the town of Estes Park. The population density was {{convert|929.5|PD/sqmi}}. There were 4,107 housing units at an average density of {{convert|570.6|/sqmi}}. The racial makeup of the town was 91.0% White, 0.3% African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 2% Pacific Islander, 5.5% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14% of the population.

There were 2,541 households, out of which 20.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.61.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 17.6% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 20.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $43,262, and the median income for a family was $55,667. Males had a median income of $31,573 versus $20,767 for females. The per capita income for the town was $30,499. About 3.2% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 0.8% of those age 65 or over.

File:Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado.jpg, which opened in 1909.]]

File:Elk Meadow Lodge & RV Resort around sundown, Estes Park, 2009.jpg.]]

Estes Park's outskirts include The Stanley Hotel, built in 1909. An example of Edwardian opulence, the hotel continues to provide overnight accommodation to guests to this day, offering a broad range of activities and events including daily history and ghost tours of the hotel & the Cascades Restaurant and Whiskey Bar.{{Cite web |title=Estes Park Activities - Colorado |url=https://www.stanleyhotel.com/activities.html |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=The Stanley Hotel |language=en}}

On May 21, 2021 the Mustang Mountain Coaster opened in Estes Park on the Sombrero Ranch. Built and operated by the Walker family the coaster demonstrates a diversification of outdoor adventures provided by the ranch whilst ensuring the protection of the natural landscape and is touted as the only mountain coaster located in relatively close proximity to the Denver, Boulder and Fort Collins area.{{Cite web |title=About the Mustang Mountain Coaster: the Most Fun in Estes |url=https://www.mustangmountaincoaster.com/about/ |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=Mustang Mountain Coaster |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Annie |title=Colorado's Newest Mountain Coaster Is Opening This Summer And You Don't Want To Miss It |url=https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/experiences/colorado/newest-mountain-coaster-co |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=www.onlyinyourstate.com |language=en}}

Opening to the public in July, 1955 the Estes Park Aerial Tramway carries passengers from the outskirts of Estes Park to the summit of Prospect Mountain, boasting a ridership of over 3 million. The Tramway was built and operated by the Heron family until March 21, 2024. Controlling interest in the Tramway was sold to Gondola Ventures who reopened and have been operating the Tramway since May 25, 2024.{{Cite web |title=Estes Park Aerial Tram - Soar to the Summit! |url=https://estestram.com/history |access-date=2024-09-01 |website=estestram.com}}

Olympus Dam, on the outskirts of the town, is the dam that creates Lake Estes, a lake which is the site for boating and swimming in Estes Park. There are some hotels on the shore.{{cite web |url=https://www.theestesparkresort.com/ |access-date=March 10, 2024 |title=The Estes Park Resort}}

Roughly three to four million tourists visit Rocky Mountain National Park each year, with 2021 seeing 4.4 million tourist visits; most use Estes Park as their base.{{Cite news |title=Near-record crowds in 2021 intensified challenges for Rocky Mountain National Park rangers |url=https://www.reporterherald.com/2022/01/29/rocky-mountain-national-park-surge-searches-fatalities/}} In the spring and fall, wapiti travel through the town on their migrations to and from the national park.{{Cite news |last=Heinz |first=Mark |date=October 29, 2023 |title=Huge Elk Herds With Wyoming Roots Take Over Colorado Mountain Town |url=https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/10/29/huge-elk-herds-with-wyoming-roots-take-over-colorado-mountain-town/ |access-date=October 30, 2023 |work=Cowboy State Daily |language=en}}

Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous highway in the United States, runs from Estes Park westward through Rocky Mountain National Park, reaching Grand Lake over the continental divide.{{cite web |url=http://www.rmnp.com/RMNP-Areas-TrailRidge.HTML |title=Rocky Mountain National Park - Park Area: Trail Ridge Road |publisher=Rmnp.com |access-date=December 23, 2009 |archive-date=September 18, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090918095717/http://www.rmnp.com/RMNP-Areas-TrailRidge.HTML |url-status=live }}

The main airport serving Estes Park is Denver International Airport, located 75 miles southeast. Service between the airport and Estes Park is provided by local carriers.{{Cite web| title = DIA Airport Shuttle Schedule and Rates {{!}} Estes Park Shuttle| access-date = October 17, 2018| url = https://www.estesparkshuttle.com/DIA-airport-shuttle| archive-date = August 22, 2023| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230822124057/https://www.estesparkshuttle.com/DIA-airport-shuttle| url-status = live}}

The town of Estes Park operates Estes Transit, a free shuttle during the summer months.{{Cite web| title = Estes Transit (Free Shuttles) {{!}} Town of Estes Park| access-date = October 17, 2018| url = https://www.colorado.gov/townofestespark/shuttles| archive-date = August 22, 2023| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230822124057/https://estespark.colorado.gov/shuttles| url-status = live}}

• 25px US 34 is an east–west highway that runs from Granby, Colorado to Berwyn, Illinois. In Colorado, it connects Estes Park to Loveland, Interstate 25, Greeley and Interstate 76.
• 25px US 36 begins at the nearby Rocky Mountain National Park, running to Uhrichsville, Ohio, passing through Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. It connects Estes Park to Boulder, and Interstates 25 and 76, both near Denver.
• 25px State Highway 7 begins at the junction of US 36 and N St. Vrain Avenue in Estes Park and runs to Boulder, Lafayette and Brighton. Its northwestern segment is part of the Peak-to-Peak Scenic Byway.

==Notable people==

• Jacob M. Appel, author, wrote The Mask of Sanity while living in Estes ParkWriting Today, June 2017, P. 3
• Tommy Caldwell, rock climber
• Jim Detterline, climber, resident of the Estes Park{{Ndash}}Allenspark area at the time of his death{{Cite web |date=October 27, 2016 |title=Jim Detterline: The passing of a hero |url=https://kdvr.com/news/jim-detterline-the-passing-of-a-hero/ |access-date=June 24, 2023 |website=FOX31 Denver |language=en-US |archive-date=August 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822125125/https://kdvr.com/news/jim-detterline-the-passing-of-a-hero/ |url-status=live }}
• Tom Hornbein, mountaineer & anesthesiologist. He was part of the U.S. expedition that climbed Mt. Everest in 1963. He and Willi Unsoeld were the first climbers to reach the summit via the West Ridge route, and the first to complete a traverse of a major Himalayan peak by descending by a different route than the one used to summit. In climbing circles, his climb is considered to be among the great feats in the history of mountaineering. He also designed the oxygen masks for the climb.
• Wendy Koenig, American middle-distance runner. She competed in the 800 metres at the 1972 Summer Olympics and the 1976 Summer Olympics. She served as the mayor of Estes Park from 2020 to 2024.
• Loren Shriver, astronaut, commander on the STS mission that launched the Hubble Telescope
• Freelan Oscar Stanley, inventor of the Stanley Steamer and builder of the Stanley Hotel
• William Ellery Sweet, 23rd Governor of Colorado, built a summer home in Estes Park in 1912, now used as a residence by his descendants
• Anna Wolfrom, pioneer homesteader, first successful businesswoman in Estes Park, writer, and teacher{{Cite news |last=Jessen |first=Kenneth |date=March 15, 2022 |title=Women in Northern Colorado History: Anna Wolfrom was a pioneer Estes Park businesswoman |url=https://www.reporterherald.com/2022/03/14/women-in-northern-colorado-history-anna-wolfrom-was-a-pioneer-estes-park-businesswoman/ |access-date=March 7, 2024 |work=The Loveland Reporter-Herald |language=en-US}}

{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2024}}

• Estes Park was the setting for Nicholas Sansbury Smith's Trackers series of novels.
• The Stanley Hotel inspired Stephen King to write his novel The Shining. He checked into the hotel in 1973 for a one-night stay with his wife Tabitha. This visit inspired him to change the novel's locale for his novel from an amusement park to the Overlook Hotel, the Stanley Hotel's fictional stand-in.
• The 1997 miniseries The Shining, written and produced by Stephen King, was filmed at the Stanley Hotel, following King's dissatisfaction with Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film adaptation of the novel.
• The 1994 film Dumb and Dumber featured the Stanley Hotel as a set, representing the lavish "Danbury Hotel" at which the protagonists stay.
• Estes Park served as the setting for the Cozy Corgi Mysteries series by Mildred Abbott.
• Several scenes from the 1978 Centennial miniseries were filmed in various locations around Estes Park, particularly around Lily Lake.{{Cite web |last=Charters |first=Scott |date=2019-08-25 |title=Movies Made in Estes Park Colorado - Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park™ Camp-Resort in Estes Park, CO |url=https://www.jellystoneofestes.com/movies-made-in-estes-park-colorado/ |access-date=2024-08-29 |language=en-US}}

Estes Park's official sister city is Monteverde, Costa Rica.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

{{portal|Geography|History|United States|Colorado}}

• Colorado
• Bibliography of Colorado
• Index of Colorado-related articles
• Outline of Colorado
• List of counties in Colorado
• List of municipalities in Colorado
• List of places in Colorado
• List of statistical areas in Colorado
• Front Range Urban Corridor
• North Central Colorado Urban Area
• Fort Collins, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
• Cheley Colorado Camps
• Rocky Mountain National Park

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{{reflist}}

{{sister project links|auto=yes}}

• [https://estespark.colorado.gov/ Town of Estes Park website]
• [http://dtdapps.coloradodot.info/staticdata/Downloads/CityMaps/Estes%20Park.pdf CDOT map of the Town of Estes Park]
• [https://estespark.pastperfectonline.com/ Estes Park Museum online collections]

{{Larimer County, Colorado}}

{{Rocky Mountain National Park}}

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Category:Towns in Larimer County, Colorado

Category:Rocky Mountain National Park

Category:Tourism in Colorado

Category:Towns in Colorado