Welcome to Estes Park the "Gutsiest Little Town in Colorado".

There is so much for you to explore and discover when you come to Estes Park. The history of the famous Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park spans over thousands of years. Ancestors of our American Indians were the first to travel this land as they hunted and made the Rockies their home. In 1859, Joel Estes arrived with his family and planted his roots on this beautiful land and began a new life. Others followed to trap, hunt and prospect, but the beauty is what captivated them and they too stayed to raise their families

Soon Estes Park was growing and thriving and in 1917 the town was incorporated. Men like F. O. Stanley better known as "The Grand Old Man of Estes Park", took an invested interest in the development of Estes and was instrumental in the growth of banks, electricity, and the stately Stanley Hotel which opened in 1909 and remains open today.

Estes Park continued to flourish and gain recognition for being the center of operations for the Colorado Big Thompson Reclamation Project and later survived two major floods, hence the name "Gutsiest Little Town in Colorado."