Estes Park in October

Estes Park (Colorado) is one of my favorite places and it's especially beautiful in October. This post provides a brief summary and some photographs from our day trip to Estes Park in October 2020 (October 9).

The blog post "6 Reasons Why Fall is the Best Time to Visit Estes Park" lists the first reason as "It's Easy to See Wildlife." The article states, "Chances are high that you’ll see deer, elk, or even moose just about any time you visit Estes Park, but during the fall seasons, it’s practically a guarantee." This has been true in our experience; we see wildlife anytime we visit Estes Park, but it's particularly easy to see wildlife in the fall.

The photographs above and below this sentence were taken in Estes Park near its Visitors Center.

Elk and other wildlife reguarly walk through the downtown and the cause of the one type of traffic jam that most people don't seem to mind.

Fall in Estes Park is fabulous, but October is especially beautiful with the changing leaves' colors.

"Fall Colors are Everywhere" is the #3 reason listed in the previously mentioned blog post to visit Estes Park in the fall.

The combination of easy wildlife viewing and falls colors is a spectacular combination.

Arguably Estes Park's most recognized landmarks is the historic Stanley Hotel.

We typically go into the highly popular Rocky Mountain National Park whenever we visit Estes Park, but did not this time because there was (at that time) a requirement to register in advance for a 2-hour window of time in which to enter the park. Because it was just a day trip and because one didn't need to leave the town of Estes Park to see fantastic views, we spent our day in town. The downtown area was busier than I expected in October during COVID-19, but there were parking spots easily found, which means it wasn't as busy as some summer days can get. We ordered some take-out appetizers from local restaurant Penelope's Old Time Burgers.

Although anytime is a good time to visit Estes Park, October is an especially good time to visit this great town.