We may be heading for warmer months, but in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park, winter isn't even close to over.
The season isn't just an impossibly beautiful time for adventures like snowshoeing, skiing, wildlife spotting, and good ol’ fashioned sledding and tubing. It’s the only time of year when Rocky Mountain National Park—one of the most popular national parks in the U.S.---is free of its usual crowds.
In the gateway mountain community of Estes Park, you’ll find everything you need for your visit, from outdoor equipment to food to stays. Unless you love salt water taffy and fake Native American jewelry, their downtown high street leaves a little something to be desired (with the exception, perhaps, of the historic but only occasionally open movie theater). Better options scattered around town, including close to the park entrance.
From an adorable, ultra-affordable off-season stay to how to spend your snow-filled days, here’s how to take advantage of Rocky Mountain National Park’s best kept secret.
Where to Stay in Estes Park, Colorado
(Courtesy of Trailborn Rocky Mountains)
If Autocamp renovated old school motorlodges instead of vintage airstreams, they’d probably look something like Trailborn Rocky Mountains. The freshly redone hotel at the heart of Estes Park has modern mid-century style, cozy alpine touches, and delightful plant-powered bath products. With its roaring fireplace, in winter the main lobby delivers ski lodge vibes complete with complimentary snowman-making kits. A small market stocks necessities and Casa Colina, the cafe-bar, makes coffee and breakfast burritos first thing in the morning and slings tacos and margaritas, often to the tune of live music, in the evening. The pool, outdoor patio, and firepit won’t do you much good in the snow but if you’re in town in warmer months, the view of the surrounding mountains is worth sticking around for. You can rent essential gear here, including snowshoes and microspikes, and they’ve got a whole host of guided activities in the park including cross-country skiing. Affordable even in summer, this spot’s a steal in snowy months with rates that regularly drop under $100/night.
// 130 Stanley Ave., trailborn.com
What to Do in Winter in Rocky Mountain National Park + Estes Park, Colorado
(Courtesy of @rockynps)
Snowshoeing + Cross-country Skiing
In the Rocky Mountains, cold temperatures mean frozen lakes and frozen lakes mean epic snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. The park has more than enough of them to explore, as well as frozen waterfalls and forests so quiet you can literally hear the snow fall. Bear Lake is one of the most popular winter trailheads, from which you can trek the four miles out-and-back to spectacular Emerald Lake or do a shorter excursion to Nymph or Dream Lakes. The nearby Glacier Gorge trailhead also has several lakes within a few miles of trail. Down in the park’s Wild Basin section, it's even quieter and from its trailhead you can reach both Ouzel and Hidden Falls. There’s nowhere to get gear in the park so stop by Estes Park Mountain Shop (2050 Big Thompson Ave.) before starting your day. // nps.gov/romo
Wildlife Spotting + Tracking
Home to elk, moose, fox, mountain lion, and more than a dozen other animal species, it’s not so much a question of if you’ll see wildlife in the park as it is a question of when. And with the snow comes an added bonus for animal lovers: fresh hoof and paw prints. You’ll spot wildlife easily just cruising around in the car but you’ll need to get out on the trails to see how absolutely teeming with life these forests are. Learn more about how to spot and identify tracks at a ranger-led workshop held every Saturday through March. // nps.gov/romo
Sledding + Tubing
Feel like a kid again in Hidden Valley, the only place in the park for sledding and tubing. The hill stays open through late April, and they even allow skiers and snowboarders to take turns on the slope. There’s a warming hut at the bottom but no place for equipment rental. Stop at Estes Park Mountain Shop (2050 Big Thompson Ave.) to pick up one of several options before heading into the park. // nps.gov/romo
Frozen Dead Guy Days + International Cryonics Museum
Close to 30 years ago, a family in nearby Nederland, Colorado packed their dead grandfather in dry ice and stored him in a Tuff Shed. By 2002, local legend Bredo Morstoel had spawned one of the country’s most off-beat festivals, Frozen Dead Guy Days, three days of coffin races, polar plunges, and entertainment. The cryopreservation pioneer is celebrated in mid-March (this year it’s March 14th to 16th) but even those who can’t join the party can learn more about the man and the bizarre history of cryogenics. In December, The Stanley Hotel turned its original 1909 ice house into the International Cryonics Museum, the first in the world to be dedicated to the subject. The appropriately named, 40-minute “Frozen Dead Guy Tour” takes place every afternoon. // 333 Wonderview Ave., stanleyhotel.comWhere to Eat + Drink in Estes Park, Colorado
(Courtesy of @birdsnest_estespark)
The Bird’s Nest
Positioned just a stone’s throw from the park’s entrance, the two-story rustic-modern Bird’s Nest frames the iconic peaks outside in a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. It’s a great stop for coffee and pastries in the morning, or for a midday break of pizza and sandwiches. Pair your meal with the view from the upstairs seating area or take it, picnic-style, to go. // 1221 High Dr., thebirds-nest.com
Notchtop Cafe
If you need a full breakfast to fuel up for the day ahead, try Notchtop Cafe. This modern diner does it all: omelettes, hash and eggs, benedicts, french toast, waffles, you name it. There’s a full bar replete with bloodies and mimosas to go along with more outdoor activity-friendly morning beverages like fruit smoothies and specialty lattes made with organic coffee. House baked goodies come courtesy of the glass to go case at the front. // 459 E. Wonderview Ave., thenotchtop.com
Bird & Jim
Named for an unlikely romance between a Scottish traveler and a grisly mountain guide in the late 19th century, Bird & Jim is one of the few in town to specialize in true Colorado cuisine. The restaurant and bar, which is located close to the park’s entrance, takes pride in sourcing their food sustainably from farms and ranches in the nearby foothills of the Rockies. From those seasonal ingredients, Bird & Jim crafts hearty cast iron-cooked dishes like apple-bourbon roasted chicken and meatloaf made with buffalo and elk and serves them up with belly-warming cocktails, mocktails, and biodynamic wines. // 915 Moraine Ave., birdandjim.com
The Rock Inn
The Rock Inn has been an Estes Park staple since the 1930s. A former dance hall the restaurant is still as high-spirited as ever, with live, local music almost every night to the tune of Americana, country, and jazz (if Sarah Minto-Sparks is on the calendar, don’t miss her). Warmed by wood-burning stoves in winter, The Rock Inn delivers huge, comforting plates from bison meatballs and elk sausage to buffalo wings and a badass spicy corn dip. (If you’d prefer something lighter, there are salads and bowls, too). Cocktails and mocktails are generously sized and sweetened—when sweetening is required—with house-crafted pine (tree) syrup. // 1675 CO-66, rockinnestes.com
The Stanley Hotel
Besides the national park itself, Estes Park’s biggest claim to fame is, without a doubt, The Stanley Hotel. The 116-year-old mountain resort wedged against the rocky hills was the inspiration for Stephen King’s The Shining, the story of a writer who succumbs to his darkest desires while caring for a mountain lodge that’s closed for the winter season. The original 1980 movie wasn’t filmed here (although the 1997 miniseries remake was, along with a few memorable scenes from Dumb & Dumber) but it’s not hard to picture the story taking place inside its Victorian-era walls. There are various kitschy activities and tours offered at The Stanley—and they let you explore a little on your own, too—but the reason it’s in this list, among Estes Park’s eats and drinks, is its Whiskey Bar, a tin-ceilinged spot with more bottles than you can count, and a drink called Redrum Punch (IYKYK). There’s food here too, but if you’re really feeling peckish, cross the property to the hotel’s former carriage house, The Post, where they serve up some mean fried chicken and brew their own beer. // 333 Wonderview Ave., stanleyhotel.com
