Colorado Travel: Fun, Funky and Spooky Fests for Fall at Estes Park
Published 08/24/2012
 (Estes Park, Colorado) – Next to Rocky Mountain National Park and only 90 minutes northwest of Denver, the little tourist town of Estes Park has a lot to offer the mountain aficionado. Local travel officials are touting not just the village's scenic wonders and lack of crowds this time of year, there are a number of themed events for fall and late summer that have some very unique characteristics.
The town's visitor bureau has just a released an intriguing list of upcoming happenings, from wildlife and mountain themes to downright paranormal.
September 6-9: Longs Peak Scottish- Irish Highland Festival. As one of the largest Celtic celebrations in North America , the annual Longs Peak Scottish-Irish Highland Festival boasts a variety of family-friendly activities including jousting competitions, bag pipe performances, a parade, Irish dancing, dog shows, traditional Highland games, arts and crafts and traditional Scottish/Irish cuisine. New features this are special World War I tributes and reenactments.
September 29-30: Elk Fest. It's held during peak elk rut season to kick-off Elktober, Estes Park embraces all things elk with a weekend celebration featuring bugling contests, educational exhibits, elk-spotting bus tours, handmade elk-ivory jewelry, local elk cuisine and much more.
A variety of Halloween-themed getaways are offered for the fall season, come October.
Autumn Wagon Rides. Guests can marvel at the colorful fall foliage with Aspen Lodge’s “Fall Into Color Ride” that features Colorado aspen groves, or hop aboard the hotel’s Haunted Wagon Ride, a Halloween-themed nighttime tour.
Leaf Peeping Hikes & Drives. Boasting the highest continuous paved road in the United Sates, Trail Ridge Road (open until early October) is an idyllic autumn drive with its scenic vantage points overlooking the village of Estes Park and the vibrant fall colors of Rock Mountain National Park. Estes Park also offers a myriad of family-friendly hiking trails for optimal foliage viewing opportunities including scenic routes to Bear and Sprague lakes.
Ghostly Activities at the Stanley Hotel. Things get pretty spooky at The Stanley Hotel with ghost-themed tours and tales. The Ghost & History Tour covers the hotel’s early history and includes ghost stories and treks to the most haunted rooms. Guests can also sign up for Ghost Stories, a chilling family-friendly retelling of the spirits that still call The Stanley Hotel home.
Call 1-800-443-7837 for more information. www.estesparkcvb.com
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