***PREVIOUS GUESTS!!! We didn't want to be closed to you in 2023 so, in celebration of our reopening, Tom & I would love to offer you 10% off your stay when you book with us again! Just post a "VRBO inquiry" & we will HAPPILY get you set up with the special rate! That would be in addition to any weekly special rate***
Mountain Time! is a Cozy Mountain cabin at 7,300 feet. BIG SKY VIEWS of Long's Peak & the Continental Divide! Quiet retreat 16.5 miles from Estes Park, 20 miles from Rocky Mountain National Park🌟https://www.nps.gov/romo/plan🌟, YMCA of the Rockies & aprox 31 miles to CSU.
The drive through the Big Thompson Canyon, along the Big Thompson River on Hwy 34 is incredibly beautiful! We never get tired of it! There are frequently small herds of Big Horn Sheep or larger herds of Elk. If someone flashes their headlights at you or you see several cars pulled over along the road, it's probably what we call an "Elk Jamb" or a "Sheep Jamb". Do safely slow down, as traffic allows, to see the critters & to avoid the folks paying more attention to the animals than to your car! There are several good places to pull off the road to watch but DO NOT APPROACH! They are WILD & may charge you.
Once you leave the highway, it is a mostly GRAVEL MOUNTAIN ROAD UP switchbacks, UP & UP through potholes & curves, UP & around for the last 3.5 miles to the cabin. It is steep with an occasional bear or mule deer in the road. There are lots of pine trees, rock faces, high meadows & wildlife to see all the way from town & at the cabin. You'll pass Combat Rock which is a rock face used by the US Military during WWII to train troops. It's currently a popular technical climbing spot & an anchor point for Slackliners (think tightrope walkers)' There is room to pull off to watch them.
Mountain Time! has a Full Kitchen, Washer & dryer, big deck with propane BBQ, picnic table, glider & chairs and a propane FIRE TABLE for evening coziness! The Star gazing is mesmerizing! There is a Jotul propane fireplace in the living room for cool season coziness & electric baseboard heat with thermostats in each room.
There is NO internet in the canyon once you leave town but there is WIFI at the cabin. We still have some intermittent issues even with WIFI during peak summer tourist season so it may not be good enough for gaming or streaming. It is RURAL/MOUNTAIN service & it does SLOW or simply go out from time to time. So does ours. There are places to sit along the river IN Estes (NO service AT ALL while IN the canyon) & there are frequently open-air musical performers along those areas too & in Bond Park in the middle of town. Good WIFI there. *Coffee on the Rocks* has a duck pond & outdoor & indoor seating with internet, good coffees & light breakfast/lunch foods. It's on the West side of town on the way to ROCKY. Bring Mountain Time's cooler & grab something there for a picnic!
Mountain Time! is a Great base camp for hiking in ROCKY, climbing 14ers, mountain biking, & multiple local ROCK CLIMBING areas & shops. There are lots of trout fishing opportunities nearby & 3 nearby lakes for other fishing experiences. *kirkflyshop.com* has a good reputation with supplies & guiding & has been local "forever". There are several fly shops as well as kayaking & river rafting outfitters. There is a great locally owned Jeep/ATV rental place in Estes too in case you want to do a little open air Jeeping in the Big T Canyon or ROCKY!
* Backbone Adventures, www.backbonecycles.com, is wonderfully equipped & owned by Mountain Time's awesome neighbor, Andy!
Loveland, 15 miles to the East on Hwy 34, has a huge Scheel's Sporting store, JAX (all things sporty & mountainy, including fishing permits, clothing), Liberty Firearms(huge, fancy indoor ranges & equipment. Bows & bow range)a Harley place, several Yarn & quilting shops *Quilter's Dream*, groceries, theatres & the usual chain restaurants & some good locals like McGraff's, Daddy O's, & Ziggy's Coffee drive-through. Lots of choices. It's best to 🌟get your food & gas in Loveland🌟as prices, taxes & CROWDS are higher in Estes.
Remember to KEEP drinking more water than usual while you're here to help prevent altitude sickness, the whole time you're here.
👉*CHECK out* www.healthline.com/health/altitude-sickness-prevention & other sites for more info.
🏕Estes Park is the gateway to Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park, has MANY tourist shops, several good restaurants including our favorite, 🐷Smokin' Dave's BBQ , The Grubstake with elk & buffalo besides regular grub, Coffee on the Rocks(for sandwiches etc & great coffee on the edge of a duckpond🦆) & recent guests tell me that the Notchtop Cafe is doing a great job. Also right in town, we like Poppy's Pizza 🍕& Grill (American food & has seating ON THE RIVER).
There is a Visitors Center where you can get great info, catch a Trolly into the park or walk across the river behind it to a multi-level parking garage(easiest parking in town.)
There are several FISHING shops, hiking shops, an Awe inspiring glass blowing shop(Patterson Glass Works), a 🐑Yarn & Quilting shop(Peak to Peak) & an indoor monitored climbing wall in Estes Park Mountain Shop. 🧗‍♀️(hiking shoes & all things mountainy sold there too. Sale shop downstairs)
Don't miss driving from Estes up Old Fall River Road (mostly gravel & seasonal with wonderful pull offs for a picnic!) or Trail Ridge Road, to the visitor center at the top of the Continental Divide! Take a picnic lunch & plan to spend the full day! Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuously paved road in the US! (Closed seasonally. Check the Rocky Park info site below.) At the top there are gift shops with the usual things, plus an Indian jewelry shop, a very special educational building, VIEWS, a (pricy & limited) cafe & restrooms. There is also a short hike from the parking lot to the very top rocks of the Divide. The hike to the *Toll Memorial* near the top is very interesting too, giving names & distances to visible peaks.
Do Please stay ON the TRAILs because the Tundra flora can take decades to regrow just from foot traffic damage. Watch for Marmots & watch & LISTEN for the adorable Pikas!
From the visitor center you can go all the way over the Divide to lovely Grand Lake for shopping, dining or hiking & moose viewing, or back down Trail Ridge for supper in Estes.
There are MILES of beautiful scenery to drive, bike or hike through. Canyons, mesas, rivers, forests & tundra with even more miles of hiking trails & their own special flora & fauna. BRING sunscreen, binoculars & STRONG sunglasses!!!
📅 Come in Spring for wild flowers & baby Elk, bouncing Mule deer. Bighorn sheep & several "festivals" in Estes Park including 🐑Wool Market in June!! See the EPNEWS.com link below for the current calendar listings.
☀️Summer has even more scheduled festivities in Estes, ROCKY Mtn Park & July 4th fireworks in Estes & Loveland.
August for MUSIC🎸 & wine festivals, September & October🎃 to enjoy the ASPENS changing color & the ELK herds returning to town & calling to each other!
September the Scottish Irish Festival in Estes Park, & ARTS festivals, Music & Brews festivals. October has more of the same plus ELK FEST🦌!
🌲 Do CHECK OUT🌲
1. 🌟epnews.com🌟 for their monthly sampling of events for the full year.
2. esteschamber.org has other Estes Park town info & events
3. Rocky Mountain National Park's website has all the park specific info you need.
4. National weather SPECIFIC for our area & ALTITUDE.
🌟https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?zoneid=COZ035🌟
5. https://theknow.denverpost.com/ Local events & info & ROCKY Park "Timed Permit" info but I would refer to the PARK'S SITE for up to the minute correct info as it changes with weather & the seasons.
6. https://www.estesvalleyfir.org/guest-resources
🌲Trail Ridge Road closes for the season sometime in late Oct or early Nov until approximately Memorial Day or later. There is no access to the Western Slope during that time unless you go South to Denver/ I-70 first or North over Cameron Pass/Hwy14 (weather dependent).
PLEASE READ ALL AMENITY descriptions carefully & don't assume. Refer to pictures & their descriptions too. This is a RURAL MOUNTAIN CABIN on gravel. Not a town hotel on a freeway. It is WONDERFUL but not everyone's cup of tea. THERE IS NO AIR CONDITIONING! We live here full time & don't have any either. Not needed here by most folks.
🚨🚧❄⛄ ❄4WD is good out here all year to help keep our access road in better shape. 4WD is only REQUIRED November 14th THROUGH March. BUT may be HIGHLY recommended the last couple weeks of October THROUGH April or even MAY.
It is an especially good Idea to KEEP AN EYE ON THE WEATHER LINK we provided above. It's the same one we use every day. Evenings can be chilly all summer & if you are hiking you NEED to know if storms are predicted for that afternoon so you can plan to be DOWN BELOW TREELINE BY NOON. (Greater Lightning issues above treeline)
🌟 Do invest in TRIP INSURANCE if you can. We can't reimburse you for cancellations of flights or snow closed roads etc.🌟
Colorado has a Chain Law too for the winter months. If you're coming May-Sept you likely will have lovely driving.
❄www.cdot.gov/travel/colorado-chain-law❄ Be sure to read the "passenger vehicle" section, not the commercial one. There is a notification APP you can sign up for from that site as well.
There is an electronic lock on the cabin that you will pick the 4 digit # for so it's easy to remember. For security, ALL previous guest numbers are deleted from the lock before the new numbers are entered.
🌲Seven days before your arrival, VRBO gives you more info that I have provided, including 🌟EXACT DIRECTIONS to the cabin. 🌟 Do NOT USE APPLE, SIRI, GOOGLE OR ANY OTHER APPS for direction! USE ONLY MY MAP & DIRECTIONS.🌟
It's exciting! We can't wait to host you!!!