Thanks Catbert sounds great.... a little leary about Independance pass, sounds a scarey. Are there really no guard rails?
Almost set, now just have to get lodging for Aspen & Estes... Denver were all set... If you have any ideas in either Aspen or Estes, let me know...

It's not all cliffs an edges. It's worth the trepidation you might have. I've done it by myself several times.

Think about it: when you drive on curvy roads with guard rails, how many times have you bounced off the guard rails? :-)

This is true! Any suggestions on the lodging in the Aspen or Estes area?

I found http://www.aspenmountainlodge.com/ to be a good value. The garden level rooms don't have balconies but they are comfortable and large. You will have plenty of views without a balcony.

I've only stayed at the Holiday Inn in Estes. Not much charm there, just standard Holiday Inn. On the Trip Advisor Forums, there is a local expert who gives great Estes Park advice.

lenleigh,
your pictures were great
Where did you spot the Moose?
Also, where were the falls you had the pictures of.
We will be traveling there in about 4 weeks

Thanks Debbie,

I've actually spotted Moose in the same area on two different trips. Keep an eye out in the area between the Coyote Valley Trailhead and the Grand Lake RMNP entrance. We saw the Elk (males) up close at the Coyote Valley Trailhead which a really easy nice little walk. When we headed from there towards the park exit we saw people pulled over (which is almost always the clue that something is around). I have photos from a male Moose from our trip 3 years ago on there too.

The waterfall was Alberta Falls which you can hike to from the Bear Lake Trailhead. They actually have a bunch of hikes you can take in this area. We walked around the lake which is a very easy walk and then we hiked to the falls which wasn't very difficult but definitly take water and go slow. It's not the distance so much (less than 2 miles) but the elevation gain can wind you a little. They'll give you a good map of the park at the entrances. The Alluvial fan is also worth checking out which is by Sheep Lakes (where we also see lots of wildlife) and the fan is on the way to Old Fall River Road. Excellent picnic site called Endovalley where you can have a pit fire(best site is the one right across from the restroom next to the river).

There's so much to see and do, you'll have a great time!

lenleigh,
Thanks for the moose info, I love moose. Saw them up in Arcadia Park in Maine....
May stay at Antlers Pointe on your recommendation, will finalize tonight. Unit # 8 is available... The inside of your unit looked very nice...
A little pricey @ 215.00 a night but I don't think I want to stay in town....

thanks for the info - we are staying at Aspenwinds for 3 nightes in Estes Park - Does anyone have any info on that?

lenleigh
Is there any places to see the wildlife that is a drive to and not a hike?

Thanks again for the info

Debbie - You will see elk just about anywhere, including walking around in Estes Park. It's about impossible to drive thru RMNP and NOT see elk. No need to hike for that. The Sheep Lakes area is the easiest place to see bighorn sheep, generally between 9am and 3pm. They're visible from the road, so again, no hiking is necessary, although there are restrictions against parking in the immediate vicinity of them. There will be rangers on hand and barricades in place to prevent illegal parking.

Bear and mountain lion sightings are rare. You may see a coyote, maybe not. Moose are occasionally sighted on the east side, but are primarily found along the Colorado River on the west side. The trail at Coyote Valley is a possibility, as well as the Beaver Ponds area. I wouldn't classify either of those locations as a hike - just a short, level walk.

Our family stayed in Estes Park at Glacier Lodge - a few minutes from the entrance to RMNP - incredibly beautiful. This Lodge is truly a great place for families, couples, anyone. They have cabins just a few feet from a river that runs right through the property. You can fish right there. Also, stables on the property for trail rides up into the mountains. Ice Cream Parlor, General Store, pool - their web site is www.glacierlodge.com. I can not say enough about it and the town. It was not congested at all when we went in July and we saw Elk all over the roadways, esp. early morning. A great place. gg

Debbie -

We didn't have to hike or really even walk anywhere to see the Elk and Moose. It's true that you'll probably see Elk even in town and around Estes. They walked right across the road and into the little park on Main Street one night. We almost always see Elk at Sheep Lakes (you just pull over and they have parking in this area). They say you can see Bighorn but we have yet to catch them at the right time. We heard they came down around 8pm the night we were in the park, we left around 7 or 7:30pm. There was a coyote Den in the sheep lakes area (take binoculars!) and we saw an adult coyote catch a meal. The Rangers said they sheep usually aren't around much when the coyotes are. Usually you just pull over when you see Moose, We've always spotted them along the river. However the Coyote Valley trailhead is a very level, extremly easy walk. It would be like walking around a small park. On our last trip we actually saw the biggest herd of Elk above treeline near the Alpine visitor center. They were just hanging out on the side of the mountain.

lenleigh-
Which side of the park is Coyote Valley Trailhead? Also where do I find Bear Head Trail to get to the Falls?
Thanks.....
PS I booked Antlers Pointe, your pictures were great, we can't wait!!

"lenleigh-
Which side of the park is Coyote Valley Trailhead? Also where do I find Bear Head Trail to get to the Falls? "

I could answer those questions, but since you asked lenleigh, I'll let her do it. :;

That was supposed to have one of these at the end:
;-)

Coyote Valley Trailhead is on the western side. Not too far into the park from the visitor's center and entrance. You can get a free map to show you exactly where it is. We just got back yesterday and we saw moose at Beaver Creek ponds. That is just up the road, a bit further into the park, from Coyote Valley.

Bear Lake Trailhead is on the other side of the park (east). You turn in the direction of the Morraine Park visitor center and follow the road all the way to the end. Sometimes the Bear Lake Trailhead parking is full and you have to take a shuttle from one of the parking lots on the way. This year they even had to start a shuttle running all the way from Estes Park to handle the crowded parking situation.

Donna -

Coyote Valley is going to be just after you enter or exit the Kawuneeche Visitor Center (which was closed due to construction). This entrance to the park is on the Grand Lake side. We generally exit the park this way because we usually enter through Estes Park (I like the Fall River Entrance which is just up the road from Antlers Pointe) and once we see what we want to see we head up and over Trail Ridge Road and then out through the Grand Lake area. You might end up going the other way if your coming from Aspen though. The Rangers will give you an excellent map at each entrance (just ask if they don't hand you one). Bear Lake will be a little closer to the Estes Park side. There's a fairly good parking lot but there will be tons of cars at Bear Lake. Make sure you drive all the way up the end where the trail is. People were parking all down the road and looked like you had to but there were plenty of spots available close to the trailhead, lots of people in and out. Take water with you too!

P.S. Since your staying at Antlers Pointe:

-Each unit has a private Hot Tub which was somewhat private.
-There are propane grills in front which you can wheel up to your patio and use. If you need groceries their is a Safeway just down the road closer to town. They also have plates, silverwear, cooking utensils, oven, stove, microwave and fridge.
-You can check out fishing poles from the front desk for free although you'll have more luck in a calmer area (along the river of their other properties across the road) than the river in front of your room.
-If you want a nice morning/afternoon picnic try Endovalley picnic site in the park. They have wood burning firepits and picnic tables. The very best site is mid way through next to the river and the parking is directly across from the restroom. You can't even see the picnic table because of a rock but it's there.

I heard that the Baldpate Inn is worth driving to for dinner or lunch. It's closer to Ward but really not that far of a drive. The Aerial Tram gives you a great view of Estes and the mountains.

Thanks for all the great info. We will be entering the park via Grand Lake, staying there a night. Then heading down trail ridge to estes for a night...

Donna

Look at this basic map to get an idea of where everything is: http://tinyurl.com/p8286 .

It's going to take you at least 1.5 hours to drive from the west side entrance to Bear Lake, without any major stops, assuming traffic is OK.

Just so you know, the Bear Lake trailhead is really not the best way to get to Alberta Falls. Park (or take the shuttle) to the Glacier Gorge Junction trailhead and hike to the falls from there. It's closer to the falls and has less total elevation gain (in other words, you won't have to hike up and down as much). If you do want to go to Bear Lake, take the shuttle up there (they run every 10-15 minutes). The main shuttle parking lot (Park 'n' Ride) is on Bear Lake road across from Glacier Basin campground. Other than Bear Lake and Glacier Gorge Junction, the only other trailhead it stops at is Bierstadt, so if you park at Storm Pass or Sprague Lake expecting to catch the shuttle, you'll be out of luck. For complete shuttle info, look here: http://tinyurl.com/luxp and for a more detailed park map that will be similar to the one handed out at the entrances (showing all trailheads and official trails), look here and click on "Detailed map": http://tinyurl.com/cnrqq

Coyote Valley is about 6 miles from the Grand Lake entrance station. Kawunechee Visitor Center is now open, although construction takes up a bit of the parking lot. Another waterfall that is very easy to get to is Adams Falls on the west side: the trailhead access is at the East Inlet. It's only 0.3 miles to the waterfall.

Thanks so much for the info!

Dont bother with Estes or RMNP unless you want to be with a ton of people fighting crowds standing inline and looking for parking places. Big mistake. For a real taste of Colorado drive to Leadville and over Independence Pass to Aspen. You can make a loop and stop at Glenwood Spgs Hot Springs on your way back.

We are already booked at Romantic River Song Inn for Aug. 12-15 in a B&B suite from which they say even in Aug. because of this years snow we will see snow capted mountains and the remains of a few glaciers. Are we getting a "sales-pitch" or is it likely to be true.

Also, how bad will the traffic be on a Sunday afternoon and all day Monday 8/14 to travel through RMNP? I am from the NY area and hate 30mph traffic.

There are some permanent snowfields and glaciers in RMNP, although the glaciers are pretty small compared to other places (such as Alaska). So, you will see snow in places, and I suppose snow-capped mountains of a sort. It certainly won't look like the classic snow-capped mountains.

I doubt you'll like the traffic. The roads are fairly winding, and you're lucky to get above 45-50 for any length of time. The road (Trail Ridge Road) through the park will average about 30 mph probably - you're going around some tight curves, lots of people drive slow because sections are on the edge of a steep drop-off, and of course with all the scenery, everyone's looking around. There are a few sections where you can go faster, but the slow spots average it out. Slower drivers are supposed to pull over and let faster ones go by, but lots of them don't, so if you get stuck behind a long line, just enjoy the scenery, and pull over yourself if it gets too annoying.

Are there guard rails on these steep drop offs on Trail Ridge? :0)
Were taking Independence pass from Aspen to Grand Lake and I hear in some spots there aren't guard rails there.

Not usually. I think the only place you can count on guardrails is on the curves, and even then some of them are no more than low stone walls (and I mean maybe a foot or so high in some spots). But, as others have said, if you're driving around a curve on a normal road, it's not like you're bumping into the guardrails, so it's really not an issue, except for the fear factor.

There are places with steep drop offs and nothing to catch you but maybe a few trees. That's part of the reason the speed limit is low.

Were going to try and get onto Trail Ridge Rd around 8:00am from Grand Lake, hopefully we won't hit that much traffic. We want to go to Bear Lake on the way to Estes, is that doable in the one day?

Absolutely. I'd give yourself at least until noon to get to Bear Lake. Even though the drive won't take that long, for your first trip over TRR you're going to want to stop along the way at various points. Plus, that's still relatively early in the morning, so it might be a good time to look for moose on the west side (Coyote Valley, Beaver Ponds, etc.).

Traffic won't be much until you get to the Alpine Visitor Center. After that, I would expect more traffic, but really, the majority of traffic is in the afternoon all over. I would guess though that by the time you get to the Bear Lake area most trailhead lots may be full or nearly so, so consider parking in the Park 'n' Ride lot and using the shuttle to get up there.

We were there on a Sat/Sun and while there is traffic, I don't think it is as bad as people are saying it is. There was about two times when someone wanted to go faster than us and we were doing the limit. I never understand why someone wants to speed through the park though. We pulled over in a parking lot to watch some elk cross the road. Two cars stopped to let them pass and some jerk in a truck comes up and honks (which made the elk run away) and then he drives past the other two cars on the wrong side of the road.

And yes, there are no guard rails towards the top on Trail Ridge. I hate it when I'm not the one driving but the worst parts you'll get through somewhat quickly. There are also parts up at the top where there is quite a large amount of land and it's relatively level. That's where we spotted more Elk.

Where is the best place to get driving directions? Mapquest doesn't go thru Independence Pass on the way back from Aspen to Grand Lake?

A map?

Have you tried the different options on Mapquest, such as "shortest distance" or "avoid highways"?

Yeah, did all that... I'll see if I can go to AAA of NY and see if they have any Maps.....
Whats the weather like in July? Is there alot of rain?

July will be pleasant in the mountains. You'll probably experience the typical afternoon thunder shower. But those clear up.

Try breaking up your request on mapquest into smaler sections, For instance, get directions from Aspen to Leadvile first, then ask for directions from Leadvile to Silverthorne, then Silverthorne to Kremmling, then Kremling to Grand Lake, etc.

furledleader, that's the exact route Mapquest comes up with when you choose the "shortest distance" option.

That's why I can't understand why the OP is having so much trouble with this.

Got it, Thanks!

Lots of helpful information on Estes Park and Aspen! We will be going this year the last week in September. What is the weather like that time of year? How cold will it get at night? Is it still possible to go rafting that late in the year or is it too cold? We have a place to stay in Aspen but thought we'd spend the last 2 nights in Estes Park to see some of RMNP and be closer to fly out of Denver. How long will it take to get to the Denver airport for an 11 a.m. flight? Any suggestions for places to stay near Estes Park, there are 2 couples. We would like to play golf in both places. Any recommendations? Thanks so much, personal advice is so much better than the guidebooks.

<<What is the weather like that time of year? How cold will it get at night?>> Weather can range from sunny and warm to snow, but at that time of year is usually excellent, clear fall weather. Be prepared for both warm and cold - temps could be below freezing at night or in 70s in the day.

<<Is it still possible to go rafting that late in the year or is it too cold?>> No rafting - rivers are too low and staff have gone on to their winter jobs.

<<How long will it take to get to the Denver airport for an 11 a.m. flight?>> 90 minute drive without traffic, but allow two hours minimum esp. if you're returning a rental car

>>Any suggestions for places to stay near Estes Park, there are 2 couples.>> Romantic Riversong is a upscale, romantic B&B if you want to impress the wives. If you want a 2-BR place w/kitchen, fireplace, deck, best place is Woodlands on Fall River, or Boulder Brook next door. Anyplace on Fall River Road is generally a good bet.

<<We would like to play golf in both places.>> Estes has a public course by Estes Lake. Elk wandering on the course is a normal hazard.