Estes Park is a beautiful tourist location that will ultimately find itself full of summer and year-round travelers. Additionally, residents in nearby local communities may be looking for an Estes Park 'stay-cation,' where they don't travel far, but they do get to unwind in the local natural mountain beauty. Traveling for a COVID-19 getaway with these safety measures in mind will ensure a more enjoyable and problem free vacation!

If you are planning a trip to Estes Park, whether you're coming from afar or nearby, make sure you are prepared to get the most out of your vacation, whether it be for a day or for a week.

Plan Out Your Route: While Rocky Mountain National Park is open you may run into some other closures on your journey, even if you have taken the same route every year. Several states may have different travel advisories. Make sure you check your potential route and prepare for the possible need to change that route. Coming into Estes Park via HWY 34, HWY 36 or HWY 7 offers a dramatic trip if coming from the East. Of the 3 routes HWY 7 is the most picturesque with sweeping views and less winding roads, although a slightly longer trip (but worth it and always less congested than 34 or 36). Coming from the West? Well there is nothing like Trailridge road ( HWY 34 ) coming out of Grand Lake! Contact the Colorado Department of Transportation for road information during your safe COVID-19 getaway or other travel plans.

Travel Alerts

Please drive slowly for your safety and for the safety of the abundant wildlife. Slow down��you'll see more!

Access and Safety in Rocky Mountain National Park: While the Park is now open there are restrictions in place to limit traffic. To check on the status of Park restrictions/regulations please visit NPS.gov This site is updated frequently and provides valuable information.

Rocky Mountain National Park is presently offering visitation by reservation. The reservation system, now in place, will serve to get you into the park when you wish and will keep lines to a minimum. There are no limits on how long you may stay. Please visit the site here and make your reservation today: Park Reservations

There is no restriction or reservations for entrance after 5pm. Reservations are not required after 5:00pm, a wonderful time to be in the park.

Visitors are asked to practice social distancing while in the park. During times when park visitation is limited visitors benefit from reduced crowds, lines and parking congestion. 2020 is an excellent time to visit Estes Park as a safe COVID-19 vacation option! Front Desk staff at the Blue Door Inn can direct you to the many secrets and popular sites of Rocky Mountain National park whether by car or on foot. There is much to see and do.

Packing and Sanitization: It will be important to make sure you have all your essentials, which can include bottled water, a first-aid kit, and non-perishable food, but also take the time to include hand sanitizer, gloves, face masks, plastic bags, sunscreen and sani-wipes on that list. Always practice good hygiene, especially when you are filling up at gas stations, stopping at bathrooms, getting takeout from restaurants, or shopping at grocery stores. Also, make sure to adhere to mask requirements while in public stores and areas in proximity of others. Oh, and don't forget to bring binoculars! And if you do you can sign them out for free at the front desk of the Blue Door Inn.

Temperatures at altitude can be 10 to 30 degrees cooler than the plains in the summer! The top of Trail Ridge Road can get quite cold in the middle of summer. Please visit this valuable web site on all things pertaining to Rocky Mountain Weather. Plan Ahead Bottom line���come with the necessary warm and wet wear.

Dining and Sleeping: Estes Park hotels and motels have come a long way towards addressing the growing concerns regarding safe places to stay, sanitized rooms and providing safe-cations. The Blue Door Inn however stands alone in providing excellent safety for our guests. Please read more on our extraordinary measures to ensure you have a safe and comfortable place to stay while visiting here.

In Estes Park and through the rest of your journey, make sure you plan ahead to allow you to find the safest places to dine and sleep. We recommend www.TripAdvisor.com to help you find just the right place for you needs. (Check out our reviews when you visit Tripadvisor. We are proud of our 2nd place position for the highest ranked hotels in Estes Park based on customer satisfaction.) If you need to make overnight accommodations while staying in Estes Park we certainly hope you will stay with us here at the Blue Door Inn. We are proud to tell everyone that we consider our hotel as one of the safest places to stay in Estes Park. We stand behind that!

At this point in time (June 2020), the State of Colorado has limited restaurants to 50% capacity for dine-in options and al fresco seating; all tables are required to be 6 feet apart. More freedoms are anticipated very soon. Stay at the Blue Door Inn and we can help you find all of the local restaurants which are open, available for reservations, take-out and/or delivery.

Did you know that Bears can open car doors? It's true! We want you to be safe during all of your interactions with the incredible wildlife Estes Park and Rocky Mountain Park have to offer. Keep your distance! Elk and in particular Moose are very dangerous, particularly if they have calves in proximity.

Don't feed the wild life��.ever.

And please, don't leave food in your car overnight or you might have a visitor!