Wednesday, April 6, 2011

E is for Estes Park, Colorado

I wanted to write a short post about one of the "E" places I've visited, but had a lot of trouble picking one over the other. There's Everglades National Park with its elephant-sized mosquitoes. Or Eze in the South of France, with its exotic gardens and incredible scenery. I also loved Eltz Castle (Burg Eltz) in Germany, though we arrived there too late in the day to get the inside tour. Even so, the castle was spectacular enough viewed from a distance.

However, easiest and closest to home is Estes Park. This town is one of my favorite places to visit now that we live in Colorado. The gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, it's also a tourist destination in itself. The main drag is full of shops and restaurants, the headquarters for trail rides and whitewater rafting, and the event center for a long list of interesting festivals and celebrations throughout the year. My personal favorite is the Longs Peak Scottish Irish Festival held each September. When the bagpipes wail, Estes Park beckons.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pat - Oh, I've heard such nice things about Estes Park! Now that I've read your post, I really want to visit. Of course, from what I've seen of it, Colorado has such a lot of natural beauty in lots of its towns and cities....

Jenny said...

I got married in Estes Park in August (many years ago), which was lovely. But it's beautiful any time of year.

Luanne G. Smith said...

I got married in Estes Park too! My parents lived there for twelve years, so I spent a lot of time in that beautiful town. Good E choice.

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

Looks a great place to be. Hope you are ok.

Yvonne.

Bob Sanchez said...

I'd love to visit Estes Park. We discovered Colorado only in the last couple of years, and we love it.

Anonymous said...

My brother was married in Estes Park. We stayed there for a week then explored Colorado for another week. Beautiful. I'd love to make it back someday and show the kids.

エイプリル said...

Sounds like a nice place to visit!

Jeremy [Retro] said...

sounds pretty nice!
"E" is the Word...
A to Z Blog Challenge Participant
Jeremy [iZombie]
izombielover.blogspot.com

Cricket McRae said...

Great "E" post, Pat! We wander up to Estes Park for quick getaways pretty often. Just one night at our favorite little hotel on the river, a round of golf, maybe drive up to the Park for a hike and a picnic. And usually a drink on the veranda of the Stanley Hotel then to Nicky's for prime rib.

Ju Dimello said...

I am going to check out all the links about Estes Park! :) Thanks for bringing us a beautiful place....

Following you from A-Z challenge

Eric W. Trant said...

Been to Estes. We saw mooses, meese? Whatever you call them.

My E-place would be East Texas, though.

- Eric

Barbara said...

Hi, nice to meet you through the A-Z challenge :) Hope to see you around!

Jan Morrison said...

I have a vague memory of Estes Park, from when I was young. I would like to go to the bagpipe festival and cry. I love crying to bagpipe music...Jan Morrison

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I've driven through Denver a couple times, but never got to explore Colorado.

Ella said...

Sounds wonderful; I hope you are having a marvelous time~

MJ said...

I'm a Colorado native and never tire of the beauty of our state! Have you been to the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park?

-MJ fellow A to Z blogger
http://creativelyspiltink.blogspot.com/

FilmMattic said...

Such a beautiful description and endorsement. I'd love to visit there. My roommate is from Colorado. I'll have to ask him if he's ever been there.

Jemi Fraser said...

Beautiful! I'd love to visit your area one of these years - so much beauty!

Unknown said...

Hi Patricia! I'm a Coloradan and LOVE Estes Park! One of my favorite mountain towns! We love renting a cabin and tripping around downtown. Hope to visit this summer!

Thanks for the great post!

~Melissa
Reflections on Writing

Rachael Harrie said...

Ooh, sounds lovely there. Maybe one day I'll make it. Great Challenge entry!

Hugs,

Rach

kjmckendry said...

We took the kids to Estes Park 2 years ago and we loved it!