Estes Park, a picturesque hamlet, encircled by the Rocky Mountains and the Big Thompson River, is best known as the entry point to the surrounding Roosevelt National Forest and Rocky Mountain National Park.
The Stanley Hotel and The Baldpate Inn are two famous landmarks in the calm village of Estes Park. Estes Park’s background, the famed buttresses of Lumpy Ridge, which are well known for MacGregor Ranch and outstanding rock climbing, add to its reputation as a gateway to adventure.
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Climate and Geography of Estes Park
In the northern region of the US State of Colorado, in Larimer County, lies a small statutory town called Estes Park. The city, which is 2,293 meters above sea level, has a total area of 17.862 square kilometers, of which 17.668 square kilometers are covered by land and 0.194 square kilometers is water.
The Front Range Urban Corridor, a populated region on the southern slope of the Rocky Mountains that runs from Colorado to Wyoming, is where Estes Park is located.
The Big Thompson River, which has a length of 123 km and originates in Forest Canyon, Colorado, and flows into Lake Estes, is where Estes Park is located. In addition, the town’s main water supply, Lake Estes Reservoir, is fed by the Olympus Dam, which is situated on the Big Thompson River.
Estes Park has a humid continental climate, with clearly snowy winters and pleasant summers. Estes Park records 114.2 days of snow, sleet, and rain in a year.
Total precipitation is 464.82 mm of rain and 2085.34 mm of snow. The year’s hottest month, July, averages a high of 25.3 °C, while the coldest month, January, averages a low of -8.5 °C.
Estes Park’s Population and Economy
The Arapahoe Native Americans owned the area that would become Estes Park as part of their summer grounds. Bighorn sheep hunting took place there, leading to a confrontation with nearby Ute hunters who also exploited the same area.
The first fur trappers entered the region in the 1850s. The little town of Estes Park was founded in 1859 and was given Joel Estes’ name. The Estes family didn’t remain long, though; they moved out of the Estes Park region in 1866 in pursuit of better land for their cattle.
Other settlers did come to Estes Park due to the Homestead Act; the MacGregors established a ranch below Lumpy Ridge. Abner Sprague mapped out the community in 1905.
Despite having arrived in Estes Parks intending to improve his health, F.O. Stanley was one of the first settlers and was responsible for building the town’s original infrastructure. But his desire to make the community self-sufficient gave rise to the first auto stage line.
As a result, three five-seat Stanley Steamers started running between Loveland and Estes Park in 1907, making it simpler to reach the region.
The Stanley Hotel, an Edwardian-style 140-room hotel, debuted in 1909 on the outskirts of Estes Park. The Stanley Hotel would act as a wellness resort for those with pulmonary TB because it is within 8 kilometers of Rocky Mountain National Park.
The Stanley Hotel is recognized as part of the National Register of Historic Places. Enos Mills, a naturalist a,nd conservationist, fought to preserve thousands of acres of Colorado mountains and forests in 1909.
President Woodrow Wilson of the United States dedicated Rocky Mountain National Park in 1915.
The Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, the Colorado River, Grand Lake, and several other smaller alpine lakes would be preserved along the east and west sides of the American continent’s continental divide.
Rocky Mountain National Park was designated as a World Biosphere Reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1976.
Five thousand nine hundred four people call Estes Park home, with a density of 334 persons per square kilometer. The average household makes $74,144 annually, equating to $835 in gross rent each month.
A resident’s age is 61.3 years on average. Estes Park scores 127.3 on the cost of living index, while Colorado scores 121.1. However, 8.33 percent of people are below the poverty level.
Things to Do in Estes Park
The unemployment rate in the country is 5.8%, compared to 6.0% in the US. Retail commerce, with 17.2% percent of the total, healthcare, and social support, with 15.2% percent, and food and lodging services, with 12.0%, make up the top three industries.
The two economic sectors that offer the highest salaries are banking and insurance ($105,952) and real estate and rental properties ($79,219).
At the base of Hallett Peak and Flattop Mountain in Estes Park, Colorado, a group of hikers walks across a tree trunk bridge across Tyndall Creek on the Emerald Lake Trail.
Inn at Baldpate
The former Baldpate Inn, now known as the Seven Keys Lodge, is home to the most extensive collection of keys. The title is taken from Earl Derr Biggers’ mystery book Seven Keys to Baldpate. The Baldpate Inn sold keys as curiosities; there are 20,000 keys in the collection today.
The American History Savers preserve the significant group, and different curators take turns giving talks and writing blogs.
The Seven Keys Lodge will provide accommodations and items from their mercantile when the renovations are finished in 2020, including the book by Earl Derr Biggers that earned the place its original moniker.
MacGregor Ranch
Built-in 1873, MacGregor Ranch remains a functioning ranch and a protected historical monument. The farm, open to visitors for ten years, features a gift store, a smokehouse, a blacksmith, and individual items from the three MacGregor families who resided there.
The main home and ranch are open for guided tours and self-directed tours. Additionally, grass-fed MacGregor’s Ranch cattle requests for meat can be made.
Estes Park has long served as a base camp for the generations of tourists who have graced the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, including the Arapahoe people, fur trappers, pioneers, and homesteaders, as well as tourists looking for an outdoor experience.
Today, this picture-perfect village invites everyone to visit and experience its great historical sites and natural beauties for themselves.