What you are about to read is an extremely condensed chronicle of my family’s trip to Estes Park, Colorado in June of 2019. The five of us took the trip up to the Rockies, and we had a great time. There was still a decent amount of ice on the trails, which made hiking an unexpected challenge that we embraced with cold hands and wet shoes. The weather was perfect-50s to 70s and sunny the whole week. I enjoyed sitting out on the deck of our VRBO and soaking in the sunshine while listening to the roar of the river and taking in the captivating mountain view.
Here we go:
Day 1:
-fly into Denver airport
-visit Beaver Meadows Vistor’s Center
-hike around Sprague Lake
-grocery shop
links:
- http://www.rockymountainhikingtrails.com/sprague-lake.htm à Sprague Lake Loop
- https://www.vrbo.com/190583?adultsCount=2&arrival=2020-03-03&departure=2020-03-05 à where we stayed
Day 2:
-went to Donut Haus (unfortunately this place is closed now)
-drove up Trail Ridge Road: saw mountain rams, panoramic mountain views, lots of cold wind and ice everywhere!
-drive to Bear Lake trailhead and hike Nymph Lake to Dream Lake to Emerald Lake, add on Bear Lake: lots and lots of ice and snow everywhere, along with lots with chipmunks
Nymph Lake 
on the way to Dream Lake 
Emerald Lake 
Emerald Lake 
Dream Lake 
Dream Lake
links:
- http://www.rockymountainhikingtrails.com/bear-lake-nature-trail.htm Bear Lake
- http://www.rockymountainhikingtrails.com/emerald-lake.htm Emerald Lake (includes Bear and Nymph)
Day 3:
–Gem Lake hike: no snow and short, but a very strenuous hike with gorgeous panoramic views of Estes Park
-ate lunch at a pretty riverside park in town
-rode the aerial tram up to the top of a mountain to enjoy more views of the Rockies and to feed chipmunks
-dinner at the Dunraven with our cousin
links:
- http://www.rockymountainhikingtrails.com/gem-lake.htm à Gem Lake
- https://dunraveninn.com/ à Dunraven Inn
- https://www.estestram.com/ à Aerial Tram
Day 4
-did a 6-mile hike from Cub Lake to The Pool: would highly recommend this hike because it was not too difficult and had the most beautiful lakes and ponds and mountains
Cub Lake 
The Pool 
The Pool
-my brother and I hiked around the river located near the vrbo; we saw a giant elk
- http://www.rockymountainhikingtrails.com/cub-lake.htm à Cub Lake
- http://www.rockymountainhikingtrails.com/the-pool.htm à The Pool
Day 5
-whitewater rafting with Wanderlust Rafting: we had tour guide Dave and he was awesome; 6 mile raft on the Poudre River
-lunch at Coopersmith’s Pub and Brewing
-mini golf
links:
- https://www.awanderlustadventure.com/ à whitewater rafting company
- https://coopersmithspub.com/ à Coopersmith Pub
- https://www.funcityofestes.com/ à Fun City mini golf
Day 6
-hiked with the family to Alberta Falls
-hiked with Connor up to Mills Lake and The Loch
Alberta Falls 
Mills Lake 
Mills Lake 
The Loch 
Mills Lake 
The Loch 
Mills Lake 
The Loch
links:
- http://www.rockymountainhikingtrails.com/mills-lake.htm à Mills Lake
- http://www.rockymountainhikingtrails.com/the-loch.htm à The Loch
- http://www.rockymountainhikingtrails.com/alberta-falls.htm à Alberta Falls
Day 7
-Beaver Meadows Loop
-Alluvial Fans
links:
- http://www.rockymountainhikingtrails.com/upper-beaver-meadows-loop.htm à Upper Beaver Meadows Loop
- https://estesvalleylibrary.org/support/esteslibraryfriendsfoundation/bookstore/ à Used Books
Our final day we drove through Boulder and had breakfast with some family who was also in Colorado.
The Flatirons in Boulder
Mountains & Valleys 
[…] Estes Park takes the cake as my favorite. I actually was blessed enough to go to Colorado twice: one week with my family in June and again with my fiancé in late September. Both times I stayed less than two miles from the park […]
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