Hiking and beer drinking, in and around Estes Park

Sister trip – May 2021

Traveling to Colorado

Colorado is one of those places that calls you back every so often. There’s something about the fresh air, miles and miles of mountains and untamed beauty that make you want to return again and again. I’ve been feeling the call for some time so when my sister mentioned she’d like to take a weekend trip there, it jumped to the head of the travel list for 2021.

I lived in Colorado in 2005, on the front range, so I had an idea of some of the old haunts I wanted to visit, if they fit into our schedule. It was just my sister and me, so we were able to pack in quite a bit. Traveling with another person always reminds me that I need to take more breaks. Maybe I don’t have to see EVERYTHING. For Colorado, that was certainly true since I saw quite a bit of the area we stayed when I lived in nearby Longmont.

Picking a spot for a quick weekend wasn’t tough at all. If you want to spend time outdoors and drinking good beer, both of which were on our list, it was an easy choice. Estes Park put us on the front doorstep of Rocky Mountain National Park and wasn’t far from three great beer cities: Boulder, Longmont and Fort Collins.

I tend to be an over-planner. However, I never let a schedule stop me from veering off track if something interesting comes up. The interesting thing about traveling to the mountains is that your to-do list is pretty much determined by the weather. But still, I had to have a bit of a plan – even if it was just an outline. My sister wanted to hike during the morning/early afternoon and then spend the afternoon/evenings trying different breweries. I was tasked with coming up with the plan for the hikes and she’d pick out some of the breweries she wanted to try. With a little help from my memory, the national park website and a Best Easy Day Hikes book, I plotted out a couple of hikes each day. The other must-sees for me were Nederland, a charming mountain town not far from Boulder, and the Stanley Hotel, inspiration for Stephen King’s, The Shining.

Taking the Scenic Route to Estes Park

We landed at the Denver airport early on a Thursday morning. Just in time to make it to Lucille’s in Boulder for a late breakfast. Since moving away, I’d had dreams about Lucille’s porridge. I remembered it as a sugary, soupy almost rice-pudding-like concoction. I talked it up to my sister all the way there. “Can’t wait for breakfast at Lucille’s!” Sadly, the menu changed in the nine years since I’d last visited. We both ordered the oatmeal. I thought maybe I’d just remembered the name incorrectly and it was called oatmeal not porridge. Thankfully, we also ordered beignets. The oatmeal was cold, tasted like it came out of a package and had no flavor at all. Some memories are best not re-lived, I guess.

• 

• 

• 

After stocking up on essentials at Target (a case of bottled water and snacks) we hit up our first brewery in Boulder, Oskar Blues. A charming spot right on Pearl Street, Oskar Blues is actually based in Longmont. The beer tasted wonderfully fresh at their Boulder location, though. Being in the front range of Colorado, of course the weather was amazing. Sunny 300 days a year and, fortunately, that hadn’t changed since I left! After downing a Slow Chill Helles and picking up a six-pack to-go, the sight-seeing portion of day one began.

I’m happy to say, at least by appearances, Boulder hadn’t changed much since the last time I visited (2012). The flatirons still provided a distinct backdrop to the eclectic town. When I lived in Longmont, I went to Boulder a lot. Great hiking, shopping and restaurants, all just a 15-20 minute drive away. Best of all, you can immerse yourself in nature very quickly. One minute you’re driving down a treelined street with houses on either side, the next you’re winding up the mountain looking out for climbers on the steep rocks above you.

We took the 119 Scenic Peak to Peak drive to Nederland, my nirvana. The short trip winds through beautiful pine trees and, at about the half-way point, a short hike to a roaring waterfall, Boulder Falls. It was early spring when we visited, so the rivers were full and flowing. If you’re staying in or near Denver for a day or two, I highly recommend a quick detour to Boulder to see the falls. It’s about a 40-minute drive from the Denver airport.

Nederland, my nirvana

Continuing up 119 is the idyllic town of Nederland. It was a favorite of mine when I lived there for a few reasons – it’s quirky, it’s near Indian Peaks (great hiking!) and it has Katmandu, a yummy Nepalese restaurant. At 8,240 feet, it’s high enough to “feel” the altitude but not so high that I felt sick. Throughout the trip, whenever my sister or I (mostly me) would say something silly or miss a turn or forget something we’d jokingly blame it on the altitude. It wasn’t our fault … altitude!

Nederland sits next to a giant dam and reservoir and is surrounded by snowcapped mountains (at least in May it was). There are maybe three main roads, one grocery store and several quaint restaurants. Our first stop was the Very Nice Brewery. It’s located in what could be called a strip mall, next to the grocery store. The day was still sunny and warm – but not hot – so we chose to sit outside in the parking lot. The beer I tried had a subtle mint taste to it. Very good. Across the parking lot is an attraction I hadn’t been to before and couldn’t pass up on this trip: The carousel of happiness.

• 

I’m sure there are other places in the world that have alpine carousels. But do any of them have hand-carved figures and feature an antique Wurlitzer? You can’t help but be happy when you ride it. The man and woman who sold us our $2 tickets (yes, just $2 to ride!) were about the friendliest people you’d ever meet. I could tell they had a passion for the attraction. We heard the story of the man who created it. He was in Vietnam he had a vision to build this carousel. With no prior carving skills, he took an old carousel and brought it back to life with fun, colorful carved animals.

Before heading out of Nederland to Estes Park, we stopped off for a drink at Knotted Root Brewery. Since I was driving and I’m not a big fan of sours, I didn’t partake but my sister very much enjoyed their beer. The atmosphere was much nicer than the other brewery. It was in a standalone building with cool artwork and a friendly pup greeting you at the door, but I preferred the beer at Very Nice Brewery.

The drive on 119 to Estes Park is a scenic byway. Beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. One of my favorite places to hike in Colorado is Isabelle Glacier in Indian Peaks. We drove up to the entrance, but unfortunately the road was closed, and the trail snow packed. Late May is still too early in the season for that hike.

After stopping several times to take photos along the Peak to Peak scenic route, including a great, relatively close-up view of Long’s Peak, we arrived at Lily Lake by around 5:00. Our first stop in Rocky Mountain National Park (Wild Basin Area). We were tired from a day of traveling and driving so we didn’t stay long. It’s a pretty lake though, and less than a mile’s walk around it, so I recommend it if you want a lake-hike experience without a lot of effort.

When we arrived in Estes Park, I was pleased to see it hadn’t changed much since I’d lived there. Maybe a few more restaurants, but not too big. We were pleasantly surprised to find out how close our VRBO cabin was to Rocky Mountain National Park. It sat between Estes and the park on route 36. Less than two miles!

• 

• 

• 

The cabin was very nice – particularly for the low price we paid. Traveling “off season” has its perks. I was also excited to see a notice the owner’s left that warned us of bear activity in the area. Our cabin was just a short walk from the river, so it made sense that bear would be nearby. Starving at that point, we had a quick dinner at a so-so pizza place in town and called it a day.  

First Day Hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park

After an uneventful night’s sleep – no bear sightings – we had a great breakfast at The Egg of Estes. Had to fill up on protein for the first hike of our trip. I’m not expert hiker, but I do hike a lot back home and when I travel. (See my Utah trip hikes.) My sister was just getting into hiking at the time of our trip, and I wasn’t sure how much the altitude would affect us. In the past, it had hit me at times – headaches, dizziness. So, I picked out some very easy hikes that we could knock out each morning. The first was Emerald Lake. What I hadn’t considered was the weather. It was early spring and that meant that many of the higher elevation trails were still snow packed. Our “easy” first hike turned out to be a bit more strenuous than I’d planned.

The good news was, we were well prepared for it, minus snow spikes. However, after seeing other hiker with spikes sliding around just as much as we were, I don’t think they would’ve helped much. We both had great hiking shoes. Keens are my go-to, no matter the terrain. My sister had Columbia boots that did really well in the snow. We dressed in layers. I had a moisture-wicking short-sleeve base layer, lightweight hiking pants, fleece pullover and unlined Columbia windbreaker. Though we were surrounded by snow, it wasn’t terrible cold even though the sun was in and out of the clouds.

The trail was completely snow packed. At times it was difficult to tell what was and was not the trail. Fortunately, there were many hikers out that day to guide our way. In fact, there were so many people it was a miracle we even got a parking spot at Bear Lake. (The park shuttles weren’t running yet, another factor to consider for a mid-May visit!)

This was my first snowy hike. I’ve hiked across glaciers before, but it was always at the end of the hike and not the entire hike. Hiking uphill in snow is a very unique experience. For one thing, it’s quieter. The snow insulates a lot of “hiker noise.” It’s also very slippery, so you have to take it much slower than normal. The trick I used was to hike slightly off the trail where the snow was less trampled. This worked particularly well coming down the mountain.

As we continued to climb to our first lake, Nymph Lake, I was concerned about what we’d find when we got there. Would the entire lake be frozen-over? It didn’t take long to find out. As we left the forest climb and came upon a flat, open area of the trail we found a frozen lake. I told myself it was a view of the lake a lot of summer travelers never get to see.

Circling Nymph Lake to head to the next lake was a bit difficult. The trail was almost non-existent until you reached the far end. In fact, we almost turned the wrong way and took a trail that headed back to Bear Lake by mistake! Eventually we got back on track and the more challenging part of our climb began.

In non-snowy weather, we could have hiked up to Emerald Lake and back (3.4 miles) in about an hour and a half. In snow, it took much longer. There are a few narrow passages heading up to Dream Lake, which meant we had to go single file. With some hikers coming down and others going up, this created quite a traffic jam. By the time we finally make it to Dream Lake, we had had enough of snow hiking and decided to skip the last leg to Emerald Lake.

Dream Lake was well-worth our effort, though. A gorgeous alpine lake with Flattop Mountain as a backdrop. We stopped for a while to take photos, eat a snack and just breathe in the refreshing mountain air. Though there were a lot of people there, it was still very tranquil and relaxing. It was hard not to linger there, but we knew we faced a challenging climb (slide) down the mountain.

And slide we did! My sister sat down and slid like a sled down one of the higher hills. I took little running skids to fake-ski my way down. Down was definitely much easier and faster, but also a little trickier. Slide a little too much and you might find yourself on the edge of the mountain!

My sister was a trooper. Her first alpine hike on a snow-packed trail. Not what I’d label as easy. If I’d been hiking alone and saw the trail condition, I’m not sure I’d have had the courage to continue, but so glad we did it. I now feel a lot more confident and ready the next time life offers me the opportunity to hike in snow!

We closed out our hike with a walk over to Bear Lake. It was lightly raining at that point, so we decided to call it day and clean up for an afternoon of beer tasting.

Fort Collins, Brewery Capital of Colorado?

It was hard to pick just a few breweries to visit in Fort Collins. The town is home to so many. We decided to have tastings at each, rather than a full pint. I was the designated driver, so I had just a sip of my sister’s beer at some of these spots – but that was more than enough to enjoy the diversity of beers there.

Fort Collins is about an hour’s drive from Estes Park. Driving highway 34 is an experience itself, with a winding road following a roaring river into Loveland where you turn off to head north to Fort Collins. (Loveland is a lovely town. I used to work there when I lived in Colorado.) Loveland had a few breweries on our list, too, but there just wasn’t enough time to try everything. You could spend an entire week exploring all the different spots to enjoy beer in the front range.

Here are the breweries we visited in one afternoon/evening:

New Belgium Brewery

Indoor seating was still limited, due to COVID, so we took advantage of their great outdoor space – parklike setting and food trucks. We both had their light, refreshing Old Aggie lager on tap. New Belgium is widely distributed, so I’ve had their beer a lot, but nothing compares to experiencing a fresh pour at the actual brewery. Could’ve spent the entire time just at this brewery but there were so many others to try.

Horse and Dragon Brewing Company

• 

• 

• 

A fun, off-beat brewery, the Horse and Dragon is in an industrial park in a building with a silo that features a logo that reminded me of Game of Thrones. The beer was very good, but the atmosphere wasn’t up to the level of New Belgium. We sat outside in a very narrow garden-area that felt a little claustrophobic. There were signs to a beach-like area in the back, but we didn’t explore that part of the brewery so that may have been the place to be. Out of the four we visited, this was probably my second favorite, though. The Silver Lion Czech Pilsner was very good!

Funkwerks

Funwerks wins the prize for the quirkiest and most colorful brewery we tried. Just around the corner from Horse and Dragon, it also lives in an industrial park, but its bright lime building stands out from its dingy surroundings. I’m not a fan of sours, but my sister is and enjoyed theirs very much. I enjoyed the cute logo on all their merch. It’s a small place, but worth a stop.

Equinox Brewing

Equinox was the only brewery we tried that wasn’t in an industrial park. Located in the heart of downtown Fort Collins in a beautiful brick building, it was the perfect way to wrap up our tour. We arrived just before closing, but the staff encouraged us to stay and enjoy one last drink on their gorgeous patio. The atmosphere more closely resembled a St. Louis brewery. Less quirky and more historic feeling with the brick patio, wrought iron and café lights. However, just across the street we saw a videographer shooting a costumed character dancing in an alley, so maybe just a little quirky.

Before heading back to Estes Park, we made a pitstop at Mary’s Cookies. When I see a sign that says cookies and a long line out the door, I stop! Whatever type of cookie is your favorite, they likely have it at Mary’s. One is enough to share, but with this being our first time there, my sister and I picked out a few to sample later back at the cabin. The butterfly-shaped, iced shortbread was particularly good!

Hiking Trail Ridge Road in Early Spring

The next morning, my plan was for us to hike Sprague Lake. Entering the park though, I took a right instead of left, so we ended up at Trail Ridge Road instead. If you haven’t ever driven Trail Ridge Road, it’s a must-do. Terrifying at times with sheer drop-offs on all sides, it gives you an entirely different view of the park – above the tree line. Unfortunately, the road was closed for the season. It typically opens up after Memorial Day. It actually turned out to be a blessing because when they close the road you can walk it. We arrived at the parking lot early, so we were able to grab a spot. (By the time we left there was a line of cars waiting to get in.)

We started our hike at about 12,000 miles up. The air was thin but so clear and refreshing. We took our time taking in the view of mountains that were now at eye-level. At one point a commercial airline passed over us and I swear I could almost see the people in the windows. It was that close. Though the road was closed, it was clear. Ten feet of snow lined the payment. Once again, I was amazed at how quiet and peaceful it was. I could’ve keep going, but my sister is afraid of heights, and I wanted to fit in another hike that day.

As we made our way back down the mountain, a coyote crossed the road in front of us. That was the first of many wildlife sightings of the day. We exited the park on highway 34 so we could swing by Alberta Falls. There, we saw a mamma and a baby moose off in the distance. A bit further down the road we saw two bulls. Moose was on my list of things I hoped to see during the trip, so I was pretty happy about that.

We took a break to eat lunch at Kind Coffee in Estes Park. I had a hummus/sprouts concoction on a bagel and some of their house coffee. Both were very good, and we enjoyed our lunch in their outdoor seating area by a roaring river, likely the same one that flowed past our cabin.

Dodging Craters on the Way to Copeland Falls

Not wanting a repeat of the snow hiking of the day prior, that afternoon I found a short hike to a waterfall in the Wild Basin area of Rocky Mountain National Park. When I lived in Longmont, I never visited this part of the park. Not sure why because it’s a very nice area, though the road to Copeland Falls could use some work. You could call what we drove through potholes, but that would be very kind. I liken them more to craters. Fortunately, we were upgraded to a Jeep at the car rental place (I always book economy and almost always get upgraded for free. A little trick I learned when I worked for Budget Rent-A-Car back in college.) The Jeep handled the dirt road and craters just fine. If only we were so flexible! I can only describe it as when you’re in a very fast speedboat on rough waters. That bouncy feeling that tests the springiness of your spine. That’s what it felt like.

Eventually, we made it to the small dirt parking lot and snagged one of the last spots. The trailhead was further down the road, but the road was closed past that point for the winter. I was beginning to think we should have visited after Memorial Day! It was an easy walk, though.

Copeland Falls is more of a cascading waterfall. Not a sharp, shear drop like Boulder Falls. It was still very beautiful and, best-of-all, snow-free. I assured my sister that this was what my Colorado hiking experience had been. Dusty or rocky trails through beautiful woods and ascending mountains with the sold ground beneath your feet. I think she believed me.

Afterwards, we were ready to clean up and hit the Estes Park beer scene. Our first stop for beer wasn’t a brewery, though. We began our night at the historic Stanley Hotel. The weather was just starting to turn bad when we left our cabin. By the time we made the short drive to the Stanley it was pouring rain. After a bit of difficulty finding the entrance, we parked and made our way to the bar. The hotel was packed. Some were waiting for dinner. Others were lookie-loos like us. Because it was so crowded and the pandemic was still going on, we weren’t allowed to sit at the bar, but we could walk in and order from it. It felt like stepping back in time. Beautiful wood. Delicate glass lampshades. Rows and rows of liquor. With all the noise and bodies, it was hard to feel spooked there, but I could see how such a place could inspire Stephen King to write The Shining.

We took our drinks out on the porch overlooking a giant maze, like in the movie. It was foggy then, the perfect mood-setter for a haunted hotel.

One $8 beer a piece was enough for us, so we moved on to two local breweries. The first was Estes Park Brewery. We had a bland dinner paired with decent beer. It didn’t have a brewery vibe at all. It felt like an old video arcade that had been converted into a restaurant. The beers did have fun names though, like The Shining Pale Ale and Bear Lake Blueberry Wheat.

Next stop was a place that had a more traditional brewery feel, but very small by most brewery standards, Rock Cut Brewing Company. The beer was great and the service even better.

We closed the night with a stop at The Barrell. The Barrell isn’t a brewery, but they had a lot of good beer on tap. It had started raining again and was getting a little chilly, so we ended the night early.

Ending Where We Began, in Beautiful Boulder

We woke up early our last day in Estes Park, hoping to squeeze in one more short hike before heading to Longmont, then on to Boulder. It was a beautiful, sunny Sunday and apparently everyone had the same idea. The line to get into the park stretched almost to our cabin. After waiting about 20 minutes and not moving, we abandoned that plan and said goodbye to Estes Park.

We took highway 36 to Longmont, passing through another one of my favorite little towns, Lyons. Left Hand Brewery was our first stop in Longmont. When I lived there so many years ago, I remember going to Left Hand Brewery, but I don’t remember it being as big or as much fun. The waiter was amazing. He let us sample anything we wanted and was extremely knowledgeable about the beer. It was the most hospitable brewery we visited. Plus, you just can’t beat the view of Longs Peak from their patio area. It was hard to leave but there were more breweries to see!

Next on my sister’s list was Wibby Brewery. It looked like a fun place, but when we learned that they only took cash, we left and headed to Bootstrap Brewing Company instead. I tried a fun pineapple flavor beer that I really enjoyed. The atmosphere was like that of a tropical beach bar. As we ordered our beers inside, I noticed a couple of tables of people with ukuleles on little stands. I thought it was a little odd, but we were in Colorado, and it can be odd – in a good way.

We took our beers outside to enjoy the sunshine and I watched as car after car arrived, filled with all ages of people, all entering the brewery with ukuleles in hand. I guess it was a Meet Up Group? I didn’t want to stick around to find out. Nothing against the ukulele but if I’m hearing one, I’d rather it be in Hawaii.

By that point, it time for lunch so we needed to find a brewery that sold food. We found it in Boulder at Avery Brewing Company. Once again, I learned that great beer lives in industrial/office parks. Avery had great food and even better beer – even if we did have to eat it off of a barrel. Apparently, everyone eats lunch at 2 p.m. in Boulder and they all go to Avery. The wait for a table was an hour, so we opted to stand outside and eat off of a beer barrel that served as our table – no chairs. Our stay at Avery was short – not because of the awkward eating conditions – but because a strong wind suddenly hit the town. I’d never experienced anything like it. It was sunny and beautiful but just suddenly very, very windy.

There was one last place I wanted to show my sister before we headed to Pearl Street and then the airport – Flagstaff Mountain. It was a short, scenic drive with sweeping overlooks of the city below. At the top, we took a short hike around the park. Very short, due to the wind. It was very beautiful, but after four days of seeing spectacular scenery, it just didn’t measure up.

We ended our trip on Pearl Street, killing time before our flight home. We packed a lot into a short time, and I left feeling a little nostalgic for my former life in Colorado. I wasn’t sad, though, because I knew I’d be back. Not long from now, the mountains will be calling me once again.

Final Thoughts and Tips

Colorado is a big place. If you only have four days, I recommend sticking to one area like we did (though the front range is a fairly large area). We thought about squeezing in a day in Denver or Colorado Springs, but it would’ve been a much more stressful trip with a lot more car time than either of us wanted.

Another word of caution – follow the national park rules and posted signs. Every year tourists die from falls – off trails or into the rushing water of creeks and streams. Don’t risk it.

At one point during the trip, we overheard another tourist say, “you really have to be a kid from the Midwest to appreciate this.” His point was that people who grew up around the mountains and spectacular park views probably took them for granted. It made me think about my home and the things I take for granted, like the great food, architecture and history we have in St. Louis. A good reminder to double-down on being a tourist in your own town!

Finally, if you’re traveling to Colorado in the spring, know that some trails and roads may be closed and those that are open might still be snow packed.

4-day Estes Park Itinerary