The options for adventure and outdoor activities are boundless on this expansive property. The river frontage invites fishing enthusiasts to cast their lines and enjoy the solace that comes with the sport. Unit 20 provides excellent hunting opportunities for those seeking the thrill of the chase and a deep connection to nature.

For the avid hiker, this land is a treasure trove with numerous trails and captivating vistas, allowing you to explore and immerse yourself in the great outdoors. ATV riding, camping, and horseback riding enthusiasts will revel in the accessibility and freedom this property offers.

Region & Climate

In Estes Park, the summers are comfortable; the winters are freezing, snowy, and windy; and it is partly cloudy year round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from12Fto77Fand is rarely below-2For above85F.

History

About10,000 years ago, this popular destination attracted the Native American tribes of the Ute and Arapaho whose families summered in the Estes Park area and wintered in the Middle Park region south of Grand Lake. Remnants of the trail they used to cross the Continental Divide still are visible in Rocky Mountain National Park.

GO WEST, YOUNG MAN

In about 1800, the first of many adventurous explorers from the east arrived, including the intrepid mountain men who came in search of beaver pelts and bear skins. One of the first organized explorations to see the Rockies was led by Major Stephen H. Long in 1820. As head of the Yellowstone Expedition, his mission was to probe the secrets of what was a very new and wild part of this country. Longs Peak, the 14,000-foot centerpiece of the park, is named in his honor, eventhough he never scaled the peak.

When gold was discovered in Colorado in 1849, significant numbers of people began to make their way into the Estes Valley. Although most of the gold mining was farther south, one miner did wander into the area: Joel Estes, the man for whom the village was named.

Estes, a Kentucky-born adventurer who had struck it rich in California a decade earlier, discovered the Estes Valley in 1859. A year later, he moved his wife and 13 children to what is now the Estes Valley, where they lived from 1860 to 1866.

EARLY TOURISM: RUSTIC & CAPTIVATING

In 1864, William Byers, the owner and editor of theRocky Mountain News, visited the area and named it Estes Park in honor of his host. However, Estes found the high altitude and short growing season made farming impractical, so he sold his homestead to Griff Evans. Evans began building guest cabins, establishing the area’s first dude ranch, and welcoming historical players as guests.

One of Evans’ guests, the Earl of Dunraven, was so enamored of the area he decided to buy the entire valley for his own resort and hunting preserve. Dunraven’s questionable actions to achieve that goal eventually were thwarted by area ranchers and mountain men.

Another famous guest of Evans was the Englishwoman Isabella Bird, who traveled to Colorado solo in 1873 and was determined to make it to Estes Park. She chronicled her adventure inA Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, which included her friendship with Mountain Jim and their dangerous summit of Longs Peak.

Large cattle ranches were established in the 1870s by the likes of Alexander and Clara (Heeney) MacGregor, who brought in prized herds of Aberdeen Angus. The MacGregor Ranch and Museum occupy the site of the founder’s operation and is still a working ranch. Another settler, W. E. James, built the Elkhorn Lodge and supplemented his income with a fish ranch. James and his sons would catch 500 to 800 trout a day for restaurants in Denver.

F. O. Stanley, originally a guest at the Elkhorn Lodge, came from Massachusetts in 1903 seeking a cure for tuberculosis. Stanley is credited with developing a critical photographic process and co-inventing the Stanley Steamer automobile with his twin brother F. E. Stanley. The mountain air proved so beneficialthat he settled here and built the Stanley Hotel as a luxury travel stop.

The facility, which opened in 1909, cost more than half a million dollars to build and the publicity created a boom in the area’s resort business. In an effort to capitalize on the growing numbers of people taking vacations by train, Stanley ran regular mountain bus trips up the Big Thompson Canyon, probably one of the first shuttle services in the Rocky Mountain region.

It was during this same time that Kansas transplant, Enos Mills, was devoting his energy to preserving the surrounding wilderness. He succeeded in September of 1915, when Rocky Mountain National Park was dedicated. Enos’ younger brother, Joe, was a coach for the University of Colorado in Boulder and a seasonal resident of Estes Park. He and his wife were the proprietors of the Historic Crags Lodge, as it’s known today.

Credit to VisitEstesParkdotcom

Location

From Loveland CO W on 34 toward Estes Park CO. N on 43 for 5 miles. Closest mid size airport is in Loveland CO with Denver International being approx. 1 hour away.