Donica & Patrick
Things To Do
Rocky Mountain National Park
INCREDIBLE National Park. We compiled a list of our favorite hikes to share our adventures with you! All hikes are on the East side of the park. Contact us if you are traveling to the West side and would like recommendations. Easy (1-2 miles round trip, minimal elevation gain) -Bear Lake -Spague Lake -Moraine Park Trail- 3.3 miles but flat. - Alluvial Fan Trail Moderate: (2-3 miles, up to 700 ft elevation gain) -Emerald Lake (views of Bear, Nymph, and Dream Lake on the way) -Alberta Falls -Bierstadt Lake -Alpine Ridge Trail (Alpine Visitor Center) Strenuous (1,000s of ft of elevation gain, alpine hikes, some scrambling required): -Sky Pond via Glacier Gorge Trail- 9.2 miles. -Flattop Mountain- 8.5 miles. Continue on another 0.6 miles to Hallet Peak -Any hike near the Alpine Visitor Center (shorter/high elevation) Please view the FAQ page for important information regarding the logistics of entering/navigating Rocky Mountain National Park along with some safety information.
KMAC Guides (Kent Mountain Adventure Center)
For all you people wanting to get extra adventurous, we've hired adventure guides from KMAC to take us out climbing in the Estes Park area twice and can't recommend them highly enough! Dibs on Brad. Never climbed before? No problem! They cater to every skill level.
Mustang Mountain Coaster
Super cute, super fun mountain coaster minutes from the main streets of Estes Park. We recommend not using your brakes on the way down.
Coffee on the Rocks
Great coffee shop in Estes Park with breakfast sandwiches and wraps! The view speaks for itself. This is where Patrick and I sat down after many wedding venue tours and wrote down all our thoughts and notes. Wedding planning started here!
SereniTea's tea room and cafe’
Estes Park has a beautiful river walk that runs behind many shops and restaurants. You cannot go wrong here. We love tea, so grabbing a cup to go and walking down the river is a must- do activity for us.
Rock Cut Brewing Company
After spending hours out in the wilderness, climbing a mountain, or sleeping on the ground, Rock Cut has been a fun go-to brewery stop for us after a long day outside. They often have food trucks outside and some great stouts and sours!
Hogback Distillery Store & Tasting Room
Scottish style whiskey made in Boulder, CO. If you're booking an experience with them, make sure you're booking at the tasting room in Estes Park - not the distillery in Boulder. The tasting room is relatively new to the area, we stumbled upon it by accident after a wedding venue tour, glad we did. Definitely the best distillery in Estes Park! Very unique with the Scottish flare.
The Sundae Saloon
We love ice cream. It is our go to when one of us is sick, injured, or just had a bad day. We have so many found memories of stopping in various National Park visitor centers or nearby stores for an ice cream cone, especially if they have Huckleberry or a Mountain Berry flavor! This ice cream store not only had Huckleberry ice cream, but their ice cream is shaped into squares.
SEASONED - An American Bistro
If you want a fancy meal during your trip, this should be on the list. Small, chef owned, with a seasonal menu. Our first meal here was right after our longest camping trip (at the time) and we got freshly showered for the first time in a week or so. Felt fancy, had a fancy time. The food, service, and views were absolutely incredible. It books up quickly! We recommend making reservations in advance.
Stanley Hotel
We don't dig spooky stuff, but if you do, they have some ghost tours that are worth checking out. They vary in price and duration based on the specific tour and can book up quickly. They do have a nice restaurant with a large whiskey selection and a very nice day spa. We've stopped at the spa for showers after a long stretch of camping and it was MAGICAL. You can also stay here...if you want.
Spirit Hound Distillers
We have so many fun memories here! We have stopped here every time on our way in (and out!) of our trips to Rocky Mountain National Park. Many years ago, the distillery was small and seemed like a random building next to a gas station, the only buildings on the road for miles. We stopped in out of curiousity and loved the single-barrel system they use. Years later, Spirit Hound has flourished and expanded! It has been so fun getting to watch this small business grow. Getting to see the same staff every year has been special as well. Noteworthy information: If you make a stop in and see a woman named Sarah with blonde curly hair, tell her you are here for our wedding!
MainStage Brewing
This is always our sad stop. Sad because we typically stop of our way out of Rocky Mountain National Park back to the airport. There's a reason we always take last flight out. Great beer if you are an IPA/Stout fan. They also have a standard bar food menu that hits the spot with cute outdoor seating.
Oskar Blues Grill & Brew - Lyons
This is a more well-known brewery that has multiple locations throughout Colorado. There is something here for everyone! Big beer menu and a lot of food options. They often have live music in the evenings.