Trip Reports - 6/18/00 - A Few Days in Estes Park

by Wayne Busch

See larger photo of view from Lumpy Ridge

Estes Park, Colorado, calls itself the Gateway to the Rockies, and it truly is. The growing town lies just east of Rocky Mountain National Park. Canyon roads converge from the eastern cities of Fort Collins, Boulder, Golden, and Denver, climbing to elevations over 7500 feet. The town's western horizon is dominated by the tallest peaks of the Front Range with the park gates only 5 minutes drive to the west from touristy downtown.

Jackie and I rented a room at the Swift Current Lodge on the outskirts of town. We had five days to spend on this first visit to the area. The room was vintage but well kept and affordable. With a small kitchen, sofa, bathroom and a couple queen beds, it had all we needed. The Big Thompson River rushed by only a few feet from our door filling the space with it's soothing sound. Following it upstream 300 yards takes you across to the boundary into Rocky Mountain National Park passing by Eagle Cliffs, a walk we took daily. I'd stay here again.

See larger view of Jimmy's stone

A cancelled flight brought us in to Denver on the red eye. Our first day was passed driving to the park, and getting settled in. Along the way, we passed through Golden Colorado, home the the American Mountaineering Center. We stopped here to see a memorial to our friend Jimmy Franco. When the Mountaineering Center was expanding it's facilities, they sought contributions to fund the project. Many of Jimmy's good climbing friends contributed to placing a stone in his memory.

See larger photo of Jackie and Wayne

It was the middle of the day when we arrived in Estes Park. Recovering from our all night travels, we took it easy with a cursory driving tour of the park, napping, reading, and orienting to the local area. Sleeping to the roar of the river was wonderful.

I'd hoped we'd get a chance to climb Long's Peak, the tallest of the Rockies and the most prominent feature of the local horizon. Over 14,000 feet high, it is a challenging alpine hike. Through the night, the winds had grown strong and gusty as a cold front moved in. By morning, the temperature had dropped considerably and the wind was gusting to 60 mph. This was not the day to run up Long's.

Enlarge image of falls

Instead, we spent the day on a long hike, walking upriver from our cabin door to the maze of trails that run through Rocky Mountain National Park. We followed the trails up into the mountains eventually turning about at alpine Fern Lake, some 9 miles from our doorstep. On the return trail we passed by beautiful Cub Lake, seeing many elk along the way. One horizon was darkened with billowing black smoke from several wildfires burning in the state. It was a long walk, celebrated with a hearty dinner that evening.

See larger photo of June snow

The next days forecast called for rain in the afternoon, and decreasing temperatures as a cold front continued to slide into the area. I awoke to the morning brightness at 5 AM, to find a heavy snow fall. A few inches had already piled up on the cars outside, and the trees were weighed heavy with accumulations of it. We hopped in the car and drove into the park. What a treat. It had been in the 90's here a week ago. The mountains were beautiful. By the middle of the day, most of the snow was melted.

View larger photo of Lumpy Ridge

We paid a visit to the wool festival in town, then spent the afternoon on a very enjoyable hike outside the park. Estes Park is bordered on the north by the granite spires of Lumpy Ridge. This area is a favorite among climbers, myself included. We hiked 2 miles up the ridge to Gem Lake. The town of Estes Park spread out across the valley below, the peaks of the Front Range formed the distant horizon. I highly recommend this hike, the rock formations are unusual and entertaining, the views are phenomenal, and Gem Lake is a jewel in the rough.

Enlarge photo of Wayne

We returned to Lumpy Ridge the next morning, this time to climb. Our friends Dede and Guy Humphrey from Ft. Collins met us in the McDonalds parking lot downtown at 7:30 on Sunday morning. This promised to be the warmest day yet, with a prediction for afternoon thunderstorms. This dissuaded us from  climbs that would be a full days commitment. The early start gave us the opportunity to hop on White Whale 5.7, three enjoyable pitches of crack and face climbing. We moved over to Lens Rock afterwards, but abandoned the climb (name unknown) we started when the first few drops of rain came down. It was all the excuse we needed to escape into town for a late lunch and margaritas.

See larger view of Kathleen

We drove back to Denver the next morning, returning to the home of Jackie's brother Ashley. Ahley's wife Kathleen and daughter Rachel would treat us to a mountain bike ride up Waterton Canyon. It was a nice day, sunny, breezy. We rode along the river to a large dam, and stopped here for lunch.

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