Wildlife watching in Estes Park

In the winter the town of Estes Park has three times as many elk as the whole of Rocky Mountain National Park! And you can see Bighorn Sheep along the roadside rather than having to hike to find them.
Sometimes wildlife watching in Estes doesn't entail going anywhere — just looking out your window. And with Estes Park Central find the perfect Rocky Mountain vacation rental to experience the wildlife in Colorado.

Rent a house at the foot of the Rockies: Get Away to Estes Park

Come to Estes Park and escape. Experience the joys of nature, excellent food and wonderful shopping in the quaint town of Estes Park.
This newly remodeled home is the perfect place to renew your spirit. With vaulted ceilings and a gourmet kitchen, you will begin to unwind and relax. You can easily walk to the downtown for shopping and great food or just relax in your private hot tub or hammock underneath the majestic rustling pines.
This charming Estes Park home can sleep 4 to 6 people. The sleeping loft has 1 queen bed and a day bed. In the cozy first floor private bedroom there is a full bed. The living room has a comfortable queen sleeper sofa. Some of the features of this beautiful home include a ½ acre yard with trees and privacy, wireless internet, cable TV, vaulted ceilings, tasteful new furnishings, new country kitchen, new bathroom, washer & dryer, backyard patio with gas grill, private hot tub in the trees, fire pit, front porch with snow-capped mountain views and a hammock to enjoy the cool mountain breezes. Elk are common visitors here.
It's a short walk to town and all of the fun activities offered. The Aerial Tram and Fun City (Go Karts, an 18-hole Mini Golf Course, a Giant Slide, Bumper Cars) are footsteps away. We think you’ll agree that this delightful home provides the ideal getaway to Estes Park!

Find more information about the Get Away House, The Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park with Estes Park Central

Nature association offers youth classes in Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain Nature Association continues its series of seminars for youth with two half-day seminars on July 19 and one on Aug. 7. Supported by the Next Generation Fund, these youth seminars are affordable (only $15 each) and designed to help young people connect with nature in a variety of ways — through discovery, detective work, observation and writing.
Mary Taylor Young will be teaching two seminars for youth in Rocky Mountain National Park on July 19. Animal Tracks Detectives (for children ages 7-10) is scheduled for the morning from 9 a.m. to noon and Rhymin’ and Rappin’ in the Rockies (for children ages 7-14) in the afternoon from 1 to 4 p.m. Dr. Mary Jean Currier will teach Cougar Clues and How to Read Them on Aug. 7 from 9 a.m. to noon. All three seminars will to help children and adolescents observe and make personal connections to nature.
Animal Tracts Detectives begins in Hollowell Park where children will begin their search for animal tracks. Animal-track detectives will learn to sort out the mystery of who left tracks, which way they were going and what they might have been up to. Kids will learn to recognize and understand the various tracks they may come across in Colorado and then, be encouraged to measure and draw what they see. According to Young, “We need to slow down, look closely, and try to deduce the ‘story” told by the tracks.’”
During the afternoon class, Rhymin’ and Rappin’ in the Rockies, kids will record their experiences of nature and the outdoors in words. They will explore the woodlands and meadows of Rocky Mountain National Park, and then write about it. Kids will incorporate the day’s discoveries and experiences in their writing. A notebook, pencil or pen, a willingness to look and the desire to write about are all that’s required.
On August 7, Cougar Clues and How to Read Them will help kids discover amazing facts about mountain lion, lynxes and other members of the cat family. They will learn and practice what to do if they encounter a mountain lion and how to look for lion signs in nature. Currier and class will go an expedition to look for lion signs behind the Rocky Mountain Field Seminars Conference Center.
Rocky Mountain Nature Association Field Seminars is also offering a free opportunity for families to get outside and explore Estes Park and nature while learning about geo-caching. Each Wednesday afternoon at 2 p.m. at Rocky Mountain Kids Co. on the River Walk, families can get a brief how-to session on how to use a basic GPS unit, geo-caching, and geo-caching ethics on public lands. Families can then check out a GPS unit and explore various geo-caches around Estes Park.

Estes Park Central provides lodging and information on Estes Park and the Rocky Mountain National Park.

Foothills and high country bursting with colors

By Sara Havig, For the Camera
Friday, July 4, 2008

Forget-me-nots are one of many varieties of wildflowers blooming in Rocky Mountain National Park. As the last of the winter snows melt away, fragile tundra regions burst with color, and lush alpine meadows provide a perfect place for hikers to beat the heat.July is peak wildflower season in the high country, and a short drive from Boulder can lead to a variety of colorful hikes. “Right around the second week of July is when our diversity and the blooming is at its peak,” said Kathy Brown, district naturalist for the Rocky Mountain National Park.

After a wet and snowy spring, alpine flowers are coming up just a bit later than usual, but they are abundant, Brown said. “They really like this moisture,” she said. Tundra blooms include pink fairy primrose and phlox and the blue alpine forget-me-not.“They’re highly fragrant,” Brown said. “You’ll want to get down and sniff them.”

Park rangers offer a guided tundra walk every day at 10 a.m. starting at the Alpine Visitor Center at the top of Trail Ridge Road. “It’s really the best way to get to know the tundra area,” Brown said of the two-hour walk.

For a self-guided tundra experience, trails can be found at the Lake Irene, Medicine Bow and Rock Cut areas along Trail Ridge Road. Hikers should protect the fragile tundra plants by staying on marked trails or walking on exposed rocks, Brown said. At lower elevations in the park, visitors might recognize versions of familiar garden plants, such as wild geraniums and daisies and a relative of the pea family called golden banner, Brown said. Her recommended trails for lower-altitude flower viewing include the trail between Bear Lake and Dream Lake, the Cub Lake trail and Upper Beaver Meadows. Grasses also flower at this time of year, especially on the west side of the park along the Colorado River, Brown said. “You’ll see huge open meadows full of flowering grasses,” she said.

Hogan recommended some nature guides for anyone who wants to learn more about Colorado’s wildflowers. One of the simplest, and most affordable, is a small picture book called “Southern Rocky Mountain Wildflowers,” by Falcon Guide. But, he said, the best technical local guide remains “Rocky Mountain Flora,” a field guide written by retired CU professor William Weber.

And Hogan had one final reminder for anyone planning a wildflower hike: Don’t pick the flowers“Leave them for the others to enjoy,” he said.

Free, guided wildflower walks - Rocky Mountain National Park

Tundra Nature Walk, 10 a.m. daily at the Alpine Visitor Center, through Aug. 16

Lily Lake Wildflower Walk, 3 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, through Sept. 1

To get to Rocky Mountain National Park, take U.S. 36 north to Estes Park. The Alpine Visitor Center is at the top of Trail Ridge Road, U.S. 34. Visitors must pay the park entrance fee, which is $20 per vehicle and good for seven days. Lily Lake is along Colo. 7 about six miles south of Estes Park and does not require an entrance fee.

take full advantage of the wild flower season in the Rocky Mountain National Park, by finding the perfect vacation rental in Estes Park.

Fish a wild river, a gentle stream, a tranquil lake or a private pond.

The town of Estes Park is at the confluence of two rivers that flow from Rocky Mountain National Park — Big Thompson and Fall River. Two lakes and a marina (Lake Estes, Marys Lake and the Lake Estes Marina) also provide good fishing opportunities. The Colorado Department of Wildlife stocks some of the waters so a fishing license is required for those 16 and older. One day licenses are available.

Licenses aren't required at the private trout ponds where you pay by the inch for the fish you catch — a sure thing — and they clean them for you.

Rocky Mountain National Park offers a variety of rivers and alpine lakes for fishing. Fall River in Horseshoe and the Big Thompson in Moraine Park are easy-access favorites. There are a few catch and release fishing areas in the Park, so be sure to check with Park Information for these locations before starting your fishing expedition. Fishing licenses are required in the Park.

For the ultimate convenience, stay at a lodging property located on a river or lake.

Find you perfect Rocky Mountain Gateway at Estes Park Central.