Route to Estes Park

[basehorhawk]

The family is taking a trip out to Jellystone at Estes Park the middle of June (from Kansas City) and we are mapping everything out. From a towing perspective is the route from Loveland to Estes Park on Highway 34 better or is the route from Lyons to Estes Park on Highway 36 better.

If anyone has any experience with Jellystone in Estes Park or with family vacations (kids age 8 and 5) in RMNP I'd love to hear those as well.

Thanks!

[campingcpl]

The family is taking a trip out to Jellystone at Estes Park the middle of June (from Kansas City) and we are mapping everything out. From a towing perspective is the route from Loveland to Estes Park on Highway 34 better or is the route from Lyons to Estes Park on Highway 36 better.

If anyone has any experience with Jellystone in Estes Park or with family vacations (kids age 8 and 5) in RMNP I'd love to hear those as well.

Thanks!

HWY 36 is going to be a pretty easy drive with only one or two big climbs and nothing crazy for curves. HWY 34 goes through Big Thompson Canyon which is a pretty drive but is really curvy and has more climbs. Both are passable with a trailer but if you are looking for an easy route I would take HWY 36. If you don't mind the slow going and dealing with the switch backs then HWY 34 would be the one for the scenery. The last time I stayed at Jellystone was when I was little (that was a long time ago), so I couldn't tell you what it's like now. The last time I was in the area, we drove there from Denver where my family lives.

One thing we always used to do when we vacationed there as kids is we used to love to do the horse back riding. There is a lot to see in RMNP and there used to be stuff for families to do in Estes Park. Like I said it has been several years since I have been there so not sure what has changed over the years. A great drive and still one of my favorite ones is Trail Ridge Road, it's one of the highest auto roads in the world climbing to 12,000 ft. and the scenery is incredible. Just make sure you do it on a day that is pretty clear. At those elevations it can get really foggy if there is a lot of cloud cover.

Hope this helps and hope you have fun on your trip!

[Jim W]

We were out in Estes Park last year, visiting RMNP. I towed my 5er up RT34, the road is very twisty, narrow and slow going in some locations. When leaving the camp ground in Estes Park, I asked one of the camp workers what road they used. He informed me that most people that work in these camps for the summer use RT36. This is a little longer in distance but is not very narrow and has room for other vehicles to pass RV easily. I used RT 36 when leaving and I felt this was a better road for RV's to use.

We drove by the Jellystone Park and were not very impressed with this campground. Very narrow sites and I think I could not even get my 5er into the camp ground very easily. We stayed at Elk Meadow Lodge and RV Park; this had a swimming pool and was laid out with enough room between the campers, so you could extend the awning on a camper. Elk Meadow was $45.70 a night tax included for full hook ups including 50 AMP’s service last year.
Jim W.

[Klosequarters]

We live south of Denver and go to RMNP (Estes) quite a bit. We usually plan ahead and stay in the park at either Glacier (closed for 2012 and 2013 due to park road construction) or Moraine Park campgrounds. Jellystone is about 20 minutes from the park entrance, it looks nice but seems tight as mentioned by Jim W.

Regardless, I would take Rt. 36 in to Estes and if you have an additional 30-45 minutes when you leave I would go out on Rt. 34 as it is a beautiful canyon, road same width as Rt 36, has numerous pull off opportunities, and is just an easier pull going downhill. Keep a lookout about halfway down Rt. 34 on the left there are often big horn sheep there.

Have a great trip, RMNP is one of the GREAT National Parks!

[basehorhawk]

Thanks for all of the replies.

We've been out to Colorado several times - I love it out there - and have spent some time in RMNP and Estes Park but this will be the first time we've taken the camper out there so the planning is a lot different. This winter we traded in our 35 year old Prowler and got a 27SAB Cougar x-Lite and we are looking forward to spending a week in it near the mountains.

Jim - Do you know if you can have campfires at Elk Meadow?

Thanks.

[Badboy]

You will love the park,I have not been there since I was a kid but i remember it being very nice.Have a safe trip and have fun. :bdance: :thumbsup:

[Whitejack]

Stayed there 6 nights last year. Loved the campground. Yeah the sites are a little tight but we researched and reserved the very back site(can't think of the site #) and it was fine. After Mem. weekend crowd, we basically had the campground to ourselves. There is a nice hiking trail out the back of the campground that the family loved.
The owners were very nice and helpful.
You will have a great time!!!!

[basehorhawk]

We are in site #60 the last site on the full hookup road. Hopefully that's the one you were in that had a decent amount of room. Looking forward to getting out there.

[Whitejack]

#60 sounds right. It's at the top of the hill, behind and to the left of the pavillion.
As for the route out there, We left from Missouri and let our GPS guide us.
The only thing I would do differently would be to avoid the toll road that travels north off I-70, to hwy 34. Nice road and all, but, got a nice charge $$ in the mail about a month after we returned home. They take a picture of your vehicle/trailer, calculate what you owe and bill you :(.
Otherwise, it was a good route.
Good luck and have a safe trip!!