RMNP and Estes Park

[Thu 6/16 - Sat 6/18]

After a nice stop for breakfast in Estes Park, we drove about 13 miles south on highway 7 along the eastern edge of the park, then took a 2-mile dirt/gravel road back into the park to get to Wild Basin Trailhead, arriving around noon. The parking lot was full, but we were able to snag a spot just as someone was leaving.

We packed up and hit the trail to Ouzell Falls, a 6-mile out-and-back hike with about 1,000' elevation gain. We originally intended to hike all the way to Ouzell Lake (10mi out-and-back), but the combination of tired legs and a late start made us back off that goal. It was hot under the mid-day sun as we hit the trail.

The trail follows along a creek as it slowly ascends to the falls. It was a little crowded but not bad. The creek was running strong - in a couple places, it was close to overflowing its banks.

Swollen creek

Lot's of white water

We got to the falls, then climbed a little higher to get a better view. 

Ouzell Falls (tough to give perspective... probably 40-50' from top to a pool just behind that rock)

We sat on a downed tree near the base of the falls, cooled by a gentle mist from the tumbling water, and had lunch before heading back down. Near the bottom, we took a side trail to get views of a couple more falls.

Lower Copeland Falls (I think)

We got back to the car around 3pm, hot, sweaty and tired. On the drive in, we had noticed a roadside lodge on highway 7 that offered showers, and both agreed that was a well-earned indulgence. So we stopped at the charming Meeker Park Lodge, cleaned up, grabbed a couple drumstick cones, and hopped back in the van, feeling refreshed.

Got back to camp around 5pm and invited our neighbors - a lovely retired couple from Tampa whom we'd chatted with each day/night in camp - to join us for happy hour. We ended up sitting around their campfire for a couple hours sharing travel stories - they spend 5 months every summer traveling the U.S. and Canada in their camper/trailer. We really enjoyed their company and shared contact information in the hopes of meeting again. Around 8pm, we made a quick pasta & salad dinner, cleaned up and climbed in the van around 9:45pm as an electrical storm starting to roll in.

Storm clouds to the east

We both slept well - and long - waking around 7:30am(!) Friday, moving day. We packed up the van, checked out of camp, and drove to nearby Sprague Lake, which we had heard was a good spot for wildlife viewing. We parked and enjoyed a leisurely 1 mile stroll around the lake, spotting a moose in the woods about 75 yards off the trail.

Continental Divide over Sprague Lake

Names of those peaks from handy sign-board on the trail

From Sprague, we drove back up to Moraine Park, stopped at the nearby Discovery Center, then continued up to Fall River Road in the hopes of seeing some bighorn sheep - success this time!

Bighorn sheep enjoying a lakeside breakfast of... mud (for real)

We continued out Fall River Road a couple miles to the northeast park entrance/exit, the a couple more miles to the Inn on Fall River, our home for the next 2 nights. Our room wasn't ready yet, so we got a couple restaurant recommendations from the clerk and headed into Estes Park. Had a delicious outdoor brunch at Claire's Restaurant and Bar while we watched a storm system settle in over the mountains. We walked around Estes Park, stopping in a few stores. Aside from an abundance of tacky t-shirt shops - it's a pretty cool mountain town. 

We could feel the storm system rolling into town and, since we didn't have our rain jackets, agreed that if it started raining we'd duck into the first bar we saw. Soon enough, it started to pour just as we passed The Wheel Bar - clearly a sign. We grabbed 2 seats at the bar and enjoyed a few pints while watching some of the US Open. It rained hard for nearly 2 hours, making us thankful that we weren't hiking and that our gear wasn't getting soaked around a campsite.

We headed back to the Inn around 4, checked into our room - a delightful suite on the river with it's own hot tub, fire pit and washer/dryer(!). We started a load of laundry, took a quick soak in the tub, relaxed a bit, showered, dressed and headed to the Rock Inn Mountain Tavern for dinner - an awesome spot we highly recommend. Got back to our room around 9, excited to climb into a real bed. I slept great... until 4:45am, eventually getting up around 6 and tip-toeing out to get coffee and work on this post on our riverside patio. Karri slept til 9(!) - a much-needed battery recharge, as she's been battling a mild cough (non-Covid... 2 negative tests).

We're really going to pamper ourselves today. Karri booked me for a massage and herself for a body scrub and facial. Roughing it...