Map of bike paths / walking paths in the Estes Park area

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Recreational trails for walking, running and cycling in Estes Park, Colorado

Estes Park is located in 30 miles to the west of Loveland in Northern Colorado. The city can be reached from Longmont along Highway 36 or from Loveland along Highway 34 through the dramatic Big Thomson Canyon. Estes Park is the east entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park. The town has shops, restaurants, hotels and other activities for the visitors to the park. The elevation of Downtown Estes Park is around 7560 feet (2300 meters).

Rocky Mountain National Park has numerous hiking trails and is located just west of Estes Park.

Estes Park Riverwalk

The Riverwalk is a paved pathway that follows alongside the Big Thompson River and Fall River behind the shops along Elkhorn Avenue. The trail crosses Elkhorn Avenue and continues to the west of the downtown area going past the hotels in this area.

Estes Lake Loop Trail

The Estes Lake Loop Trail is a paved pathway that follows the shoreline of Estes Lake to the east of the Downtown Estes Park area. There are paved pathways that lead from the Riverwalk going under N. St. Vrain Avenue and lead to the Visitor Center. The Visitor Center is located on the west end of the reservoir. The 4-mile long loop trail travels past the golf course, rocky cliffs, several hotels and goes past the dam at the east end of the lake. The trail then wraps back traveling alongside St. Vrain Avenue on the south side of the reservoir. In this area, trail users can connect to paved pathways that head south to Estes Park High School. The Estes Lake Loop Trail then goes past picnic areas and then wraps back up to the Visitor Center with a bridge over the Big Thompson River.

The Estes Lake Loop Trail has lovely views of the peaks of Rocky Mountain National Park and allows bikes and pedestrians.

Fish Creek Trail

The Fish Creek Trail was severely damaged during the Front Range Flood in September 2013. A large portion of the trail still exists just south of Estes Lake around Estes Park High School. Another portion exists adjacent to Lakeshore Drive. Constrution of the trail along Fish Creek Road has been started and should continue through 2017.

St. Vrain Avenue Multi-Use Path

St. Vrain Avenue has a 2.7-mile long paved pathway that runs along the west side of the road from Elkhorn Avenue to  Graves Avenue and on the east side of the road from Graves Avenue to Carriage Drive. At its north end, the multi-use path connects to the Riverwalk that follows the Big Thompson River behind the shops along Elkhorn Avenue. It also connects to the pathway leading to the Estes Lake Loop Trail. At its south end, the St. Vrain Multi-Use Path connects to the Fish Creek Trail at Carriage Drive.

The St. Vrain Avenue Multi-Use Path has a 194-foot elevation change from the north end to the south. It also has numerous road crossings and crosses many driveways leading into the many motels along the route.

Highway 34 Multi-Use Path

Highway 34 is located on the north side of the Estes Park area. The highway comes up from Loveland and the Big Thompson Canyon. There is a 1.5-mile long paved pathway that follows alongside the south side of the highway. The pathway goes past numerous hotels and past the Estes Park Visitor Center. Close to the downtown area, the pathway allows a connection to the Estes Park Lake Loop Trail, the Riverwalk and the St. Vrain Avenue Multi-Use path.

Elkhorn Avenue Multi-Use Path and Fall River Road Multi-Use Path

Elkhorn Avenue heads to the west from the shops in the Downtown Estes Park area and joins Fall River Road. A paved multi-use path follows alongside these tow roads going past several hotels.

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Resources

Following are links to official off-site resources to find out more details about the recreational trails located in Estes Park, Colorado.