Estes Park

Last weekend my fiancé and I went on a mini adventure to Estes Park in Colorado. It's hard to describe just how beautiful this place is. It's lush and green with all the spring rains we've been having here, but there are parts that are still covered in snow and ice. And those mountains!

Our first stop was The Stanley Hotel, where Stephen King dreamt up The Shining. We had morning tea and looked around. It's a beautiful historic hotel, I definitely recommend a visit. And if you're really lucky you might even see Jack wandering around with his axe! (Seriously).

Next stop on our mini adventure was Bear Lake. I'd only seen it in photos and was dying to check it out for myself.

On the way we saw some elk by a river along the side of the road, so we crept up to take a few photos. (Check out the little video below). You'll certainly see plenty of wildlife in Estes Park, elk, deer, chipmunks, etc.

When we finally got to Bear Lake we were surprised to find it still mostly frozen over! It's a stunningly beautiful place, with the mountains rising in the background. My photos don't do it justice.

You can walk the whole way around the lake, although be warned that there is a lot of banked up snow and ice at this time of year still, and you'll want sturdy hiking boots!

All the snow on the ground didn't bode well for me, I got smacked by several icy snowballs when I was least suspecting. ;)

The chipmunks in Estes Park are a friendly bunch, they kept popping out from between tress and rocks to pose for our photos, and eat peanuts out of our hands!

After Bear Lake we stopped and had a picnic lunch by a gorgeous stream, just as the sun came out from behind the clouds.

Then we drove back to town and rode the Aerial Tram up to the top of Prospect Mountain, which has some of the most spectacular views in the Park. There are more friendly chipmunks up the top, and you can buy peanuts for a dollar to give them a little treat.

Can you spot the chipmunks? They're in almost every photo. ;)

It was one of the most fun days we've had in a long time. Estes Park is a truly beautiful place, and I can't wait to get back up there as soon as possible!

Do you have a favorite mountain getaway?