Darn, have a bit of a cold and had to cancel our daytrip to Rocky Mountain National Park. That reminded me to put an update (a bit of a tangent…. sorry) about Estes Park, the more popular entry point at the eastern side of the park. Busy place, but I don’t really think of it as a “TT” (Tourist Trap).
Since there are no services in (except camping) in the 415 square mile mountainous park, there are lots of cabins and small hotels and restaurants in Estes Park and of course shops too. But it’s a small town, just a few blocks long. Tons of traffic in the summer, but you can bypass most traffic by using the Fall River entrance (or avoid altogether by hiking at Wild Basin area).
Here are some photos from “the main drag” Sept 2020, which had less traffic due to covid, around 8am. The first shows elk at Bond Park in the middle of town, where they often have concerts or craft fairs. The second shows elk on the street itself… there were more, but I was too shocked to capture them all on camera.
