Fall is a beautiful season in Colorado, and every year my husband and I try to take a few days away to enjoy the scenery in a different part of the state. This year, we decided to go to Estes Park and stay in the YMCA of the Rockies, Estes Park, which is located just a few miles outside of Rocky Mountain National Park.
We stayed once before in a cabin in the YMCA of the Rockies in 2013, which was the first year we moved to Colorado--click here-- to see that blog post. We usually drive the Peak to Peak Scenic Highway to Estes Park, which is a two-hour drive from our house, but this year we first dropped our daughter off at Denver International Airport as she had to travel for a business trip. The drive from the airport was only one and a half hours, and it also turned out to be very scenic as we got close to Estes Park.
Situated about 90 miles northwest of Denver, at 7,522 feet (2292 Meters) above sea level, Estes Park sits in the heart of the Rocky Mountains. The town has majestic views spanning in every direction.
The YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park is bordered on three sides by Rocky Mountain National Park and nestled within 860 acres of towering ponderosa pines and awe-inspiring mountain vistas.
The YMCA of the Rockies is a wonderful place for families to stay, as there are many activities as well as on-site dining options. We like its quietness in the fall and its close proximity to the national park.
The grounds are beautiful and have wonderful hiking trails, a general store, cafes, buffet dining, sports fields, a pool, horseback riding, miniature golf, archery, fishing, crafts, and so much more!
On this visit, we stayed in the Wind River Lodge, which sleeps four, as the room had two queen-size beds. Our balcony view was of the Mummy Range
After checking into the lodge, we drove back into town. We parked at the Estes Park Visitor Center, where we took a walk along the Big Thompson River, which has its headwaters in Forest Canyon in Rocky Mountain National Park.
I captured this amazing zoom view of Longs Peak from a high point in Estes Park. Longs Peak is the tallest mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park, standing at an impressive 14,256 feet (4345.22 m). One of the most exciting experiences we had during our stay at the YMCA of the Rockies was seeing a herd of wild elk grazing on the grass outside the buffet restaurant on the grounds.
The female elk cows and calves were very hungry!
We made sure to stay a safe distance away from them, and I used my camera's zoom to take these photos.
Then our excitement rose when we saw this giant stag among the herd!
This herd was his harem, and he was very protective of them. The elk rut in Colorado usually begins in mid-September and lasts for a month.
Although the Elk buck stopped to eat at times, he mainly pranced around his harem, telling them by his actions that he was their protector and the boss.
Meanwhile, the elk cows ignored him and kept eating!
We were excited to drive into Rocky Mountain National Park to see the beginning of the fall foliage emerging, as our visit took place in the third week of September. I'll show some of those beautiful sights in my next blog post!
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