Trip information

Updated 2/10/08

Driving

Map of the route we are taking

Estimated miles one way - 979 mi
Estimated time driving (according to Google) - 14 hours, 18 mins

Just south of Denver, there is an outlet mall with a Coach store, Banana Republic outlet, etc. We will likely stop on the way if we are making good time. Outlets at Castle Rock’s website

If you factor in about three hours worth of stops:

  • 2-3 gas stops,
  • Breakfast, lunch, dinner
  • Outlet mall

It will take us approximately 17 hours to get to Estes Park. I would like to get to Estes before dark so we don’t have to drive through the mountains at night, but I do not think it will be possible.

To arrive by 9 pm on Saturday night, we will have to leave Phoenix at around 4 am Saturday morning, so be prepared.

Where we are going

We are staying at the YMCA of the Rockies @ the Estes Park Center.

It is similar to Glorietta, but much higher up in the mountains.

On the grounds there is:

  • Indoor swimming pool
  • Miniature golf course
  • Tennis courts
  • Basketball courts
  • Game room w/ lots of board games to check out, ping pong, pool table, etc
  • Skate park
  • Horseback riding (not sure if it will be open in March)
  • LOTS of hiking trails
  • Mountain biking trails
  • Mountain streams

The campground is about 2 miles outside of Estes Park.Estes Park is a small touristy town with a lot of quaint shops. The town has numerous features that you will want to see including a large lake downtown, the famous Stanley Hotel (featured in The Shining and Dumb and Dumber), and most importantly, direct access to Rocky Mountain National Park.

The entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park is about 3 miles from downtown Estes. RMNP on Wikipedia.

I encourage you all to read up on it before we go. Places we will visit or see (if the roads aren’t iced over) include:

Where we are staying

A little back story:

I’ve been going to Estes Park almost every year for the past ten years.

Natalie came with us last July when we went.

My grandma and grandpa have donated some money about ten years ago to the YMCA of the Rockies so they could have a cabin designated as their own. Other people can stay there when they are at home in Kansas and my grandparents are still required to pay nightly when they come out, but they got the privilege of being able to reserve that cabin before anyone else. We would be staying there this spring break but they are renovating the cabin, so we will be staying in something comparable, not sure exactly which one yet.

The cabin we typically stay in looks similar to this one.

It’s two stories. The upstairs has:

  • Living room
  • Full kitchen (w/oven, stove, dishes, refrigerator, pantry)
  • Two bedrooms (a total of three twin beds and one queen)
  • Two bathrooms

Downstairs has:

  • Living room
  • Washer and dryer
  • Bedroom (with two twins)
  • Bathroom

Every bathroom has a shower. All linens are provided. Some cabins have a TV, some don’t. Some have internet, some don’t. Cell phone service at the cabin is sparse, but there is a land line so bring calling cards.

What we are doing

Costs

Gas - $80 a person
Food - $20 a person

Before we leave, Natalie will collect $100 in cash from each person to pay for gas and communal breakfast/lunches for the whole trip. If there is extra money, she will refund everyone equally.

Other costs include:

  • Dinners out (or more groceries if you don’t like Mexican, Italian, Seafood, etc, there will be no Chipotle, Paradise Bakery, or Red Robin, only local joints and a few fast food places in Estes)
  • Optional skiing ($59 for one day pass, $44 for ski’s, boots and poles, so total of around $110, some of us will go, some probably won’t)
  • Shopping (5 girls + shopping = bring some Benjamin’s)
  • Cash deposits for checking out stuff at the YMCA: snowshoes, board games, mini golf, tennis, basketballs, etc.

Please bring at least $60 extra in cash, believe me, you will need it, ATM’s are not easy to find. If we do anything on the grounds, like horseback riding, it IS expensive and you probably can’t pay with a debit or credit card.

What to bring

  • $100 in cash, give to Natalie before the trip
  • Extra cash for other things
  • Swim suit (indoor swimming pool)
  • Tennis rackets
  • Extra pillows, blankets (for the car)
  • VERY warm clothes, temp will likely range from 0 degrees at night to 50 degrees during the day
  • Snacks, popcorn, chips, hot chocolate
  • Any board games that you want to play
  • Laptops (can get wifi down at the administration building for sure)
  • Wii, guitar hero
  • Cameras (lots of things to photograph)
  • Extra changes of clothes, if we hike we will get wet because of the snow, but there IS a washer and dryer, so girls please pack light
  • iPod’s (to get some solitude in the car)
  • Portable DVD player & DVD’s
  • Ski clothes
  • More to be added later…e-mail me things I’m missing

Some final thoughts

Pictures I have taken there

Natalie’s Colorado pictures

There will be a lot of wildlife, deer, elk, etc

It will be very cold compared to Phoenix, so be prepared

It will likely rain/snow every afternoon for about an hour

Bear Lake