Estes Park travel guide

The Town of Estes Park is a Statutory Town located in Larimer County, Colorado (USA) on the Big Thompson River. The population was 5,413 at the 2000 census. As of a 2006 census estimate, the population has risen to 6,006. The town is named after Missouri native Joel Estes, who founded Estes Park in 1859. The town is a popular summer resort and headquarters for Rocky Mountain National Park.
The town's outskirts include The Stanley Hotel. Once a fine example of Edwardian opulence, the 1906 building had Stephen King as a guest, inspiring him to change the locale for his novel The Shining from an amusement park to the Stanley's fictional stand-in the Overlook Hotel. Estes Park is also recognized as the birthplace of the American credit union movement.
Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous highway in the United States, runs from Estes Park westward through Rocky Mountain National Park, reaching Grand Lake over the continental divide.
The town suffered severe damage in July 1982 from flooding caused by the failure of Lawn Lake Dam.
Estes Park was home to a number of now defunct ski areas.http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/lost/index_nfr.html (...) more....