Known as "Colorado's original playground," Estes Park is a beautiful mountain town just 90 minutes outside Denver, at the eastern entrance of the Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). It is beloved for its majestic mountain beauty, free-roaming wildlife and opportunities for outdoor adventures. From here you can visit one of Colorado's most famous routes, Trail Ridge Road, which also holds the distinction of being the highest continuous paved highway in North America, reaching more than 12,000 feet in altitude. It travels through the heart of Rocky Mountain National Park from Estes Park to Grand Lake, passing breathtaking scenery that makes drivers want to pull over at every opportunity to take pictures.
Estes Park is also famous for The Stanley Hotel. One night in this hotel nestled in Colorado’s mountain wilderness inspired Stephen King’s best-selling novel turned horror film, The Shining. In 1909, Massachusetts couple F.O. and Flora Stanley opened the isolated resort—and reportedly never left. According to staff, Mrs. Stanley can be heard playing her Steinway piano in the music room at night, and Mr. Stanley occasionally shows up in photographs. There have also been reports of bags being unpacked, lights turning off and on, and echoes of children’s laughter heard in the hallways. Paranormal experts hail the Stanley Hotel as one of the nation’s most active ghost sites.
Ghost stories aside, the entire state of Colorado is in drought conditions. Amid a historic fire season and continued extreme fire conditions, there is currently an emergency alert on the Estes Park website (as of 10/17/20). Since starting Aug. 13, the Cameron Peak Fire has become the biggest wildfire in Colorado history while affecting 161,140 acres, 252-square miles and forcing evacuations. The fires are not typical for Colorado during October. Normally, Colorado sees winter weather beginning in earnest, with mountain snows and changeable conditions oscillating along the Rocky Mountain Foothills. From 1992-2015, it was unheard of for large wildfires of more than 11,000 acres to ignite in the Rocky Mountain state so late in the year. Human-caused climate change is sparking more frequent and intense wildfires in much of the West.
Update: 10/21/20 Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for Estes Park due to the rapidly growing East Troublesome Fire. All routes into Estes Park are closed. Roads are open for exit only due to the evacuation, according to Estes Valley Fire. Rocky Mountain National Park is closed. This is a rapidly evolving situation.