Location is just one reason why Estes Park is the most popular RMNP gateway (both the Beaver Meadow and Fall River entrances are 4 miles away). The town is also very family oriented, with lots of stores selling Western-theme trinkets and sweets. Many of the mom-and-pop businesses lining its streets have been passed down through several generations.
Estes Park’s smaller cousin, Grand Lake, 1½ miles outside the park’s west entrance, gets busy in summer, but has a low-key, quintessentially Western graciousness. Even with its wooden boardwalks and Old West–style storefronts, Grand Lake seems less spoiled than many other resorts.
At the park's southwestern entrance are the Arapaho and Roosevelt national forests, the Arapaho National Recreation Area, and the small town of Granby, the place to go for golf, mountain biking, and skiing.
