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Your insider’s guide to the best of Estes Park—brought to you by the Estes Park Resort Guide.
The final week of January brings subtle magic—fresh snow, longer light, and signs of wildlife returning to the open.
🌟 Where to Spot Winter Wildlife in Estes Right Now
Sprague Lake
Moraine Park
Late January is one of the most overlookedand most rewarding — times to watch wildlife in Estes Park.
The crowds thin out. The snow tells stories. And the valley moves at a slower, more honest pace.
Fresh tracks lace the meadows each morning. Sound carries farther.
And if you’re patient, you’ll notice how animals begin shifting into late-winter rhythms — conserving energy, traveling familiar paths, and revealing themselves in moments that feel almost private.
🦌 Best Places to Watch Right Now
Moraine Park - Wide, open meadows make this a winter classic. Elk and mule deer often gather here in the early morning and late afternoon, moving slowly through the snow near the river bends where food and shelter are close together.
Horseshoe Park - This valley feels especially alive in winter. Elk trails crisscross the snow, and coyotes are frequently spotted trotting across the flats. On quiet mornings, you may hear them long before you see them.
Sprague Lake - Don’t overlook this peaceful loop in winter. Bald eagles and other raptors often perch in the surrounding trees, scanning the frozen edges. The stillness here makes even brief sightings feel intimate.
📸 Quiet Watching Tip: Bring binoculars. Move slowly. Dress warmer than you think you need to. And don’t rush the moment, winter wildlife rewards patience. Sometimes the waiting is the whole experience.
Winter doesn’t make Estes quieter, it makes it more honest.
📰 This Week’s Top 5 Picks
🥾 1. Trails with Tracks: Snow Hikes That Tell a Story
After a fresh snowfall, the trails turn into a living journal.
Every print. Every pause. Every crossing.
Each one tells you who passed through — and when.
This week is one of the best so far this winter for reading the snow.
Fewer human footprints, fresh powder settling overnight, and calm mornings make animal tracks easier to spot and easier to follow.
🦊 What to Watch For
Delicate fox and rabbit tracks weaving along the Lily Ridge Loop
Purposeful coyote paths — and occasional bobcat signs — near Deer Mountain Trail
Feathered wing drags and soft hop patterns from birds feeding along Cub Lake Trail
❄️ Quiet Trail Tip: Head out shortly after sunrise. Low-angle light adds depth to the snow, making tracks stand out — and the morning stillness often means you’ll notice more than just prints.
In winter, the trails don’t just lead somewhere.
They tell you who’s been there.
🧩 Trail Notes Riddle of the Week
Q: I don’t speak, but I can reply. I don’t have lungs, but I can sigh. I vanish in heat, but I come with the cold.
What am I?
(Scroll to the bottom for the answer 👇)
🫖 2. Where to Wind Down with Winter Teas & Treats
Mountain Home Café
Not every winter drink needs caffeine.
Some mornings and most snowy afternoons, call for something slower.
As the season settles in, Estes Park’s cafés are leaning into herbal blends, gentle warmth, and places where you can sit a little longer without being rushed.
These are the spots where winter feels softer.
🌿 Cozy Tea Stops to Try
Kind Coffee - Bright, calm, and quietly welcoming. Their chamomile–lavender blend is lightly floral and deeply soothing, especially with a drizzle of local honey. It’s the kind of cup you order when you want the noise to fade for a while.
Inkwell & Brew - A true winter hideaway. Sink into a chair by the fireplace with a London Fog or peppermint rooibos while the snow falls outside the window. This spot invites lingering — bring a book, or just watch the steam rise.
Mountain Home Café - Classic comfort, done right. Pair a hearty breakfast with bottomless black tea and ease into the morning at a mountain pace. It’s warm, familiar, and perfect after a cold walk or early start.
🥧 Bonus Cozy Bite: Kind Coffee is now offering locally baked vegan ginger cookies — softly spiced, just sweet enough, and ideal for dunking on a cold day.
Winter in Estes doesn’t always ask you to explore. Sometimes, it asks you to sit still and sip slowly.
🖼️ 3. Art Inspired by Ice: Estes Artists Go Cool-Toned
The Old Gallery
Winter changes the way the mountains hold light — softer shadows, quieter colors, sharper contrasts.
And this week, local artists are reflecting that shift in work that feels calm, intentional, and deeply seasonal.
Cool blues, muted grays, and snow-washed whites are showing up across galleries, capturing the stillness that only winter brings.
🎨 Where to See It
The Art Center of Estes Park - Now featuring Winterlight, a new exhibit that explores how snow reshapes familiar landscapes. Expect layered textures, subtle color shifts, and pieces that reward a slower look.
The Old Gallery - A short, scenic drive leads to local landscape work rendered in cool palettes — quiet forests, frozen meadows, and skies that feel wide and still. Winter through a local lens.
Aspen and Evergreen Gallery - Snow isn’t just painted here — it’s felt. Browse snow-inspired ceramics and jewelry where frost-like glazes and organic forms echo the season’s calm.
🖌️ Gallery Tip: Don’t just browse — linger. Winter is one of the best times to talk with artists. The pace is slower, the galleries are quieter, and many are happy to share the stories behind their work.
In Estes, winter doesn’t mute creativity. It refines it.
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📷 4. Midwinter Photo Challenges to Try This Week
Winter is one of the best teachers for photographers. Light is softer. Colors are simpler. And timing matters more.
If you shoot with a DSLR or a phone, this is a great week to slow down, experiment, and notice details you might normally walk past.
🎯 This Week’s Photo Challenge Ideas
Freeze the Motion - Try capturing falling snow in motion around Moraine Park, especially near midday when the light is bright enough to catch individual flakes.
Wildlife in Context - Instead of zooming tight, frame an animal within its environment. The east trail at Lake Estes is a great place to practice storytelling shots.
Ice Reflections - After a freeze–thaw cycle, head to Sprague Lake and look for mirrored mountains, trees, or sky trapped in thin ice along the shoreline.
📸 Share What You See: Tag your shots with #EstesParkResortGuide for a chance to be featured in February’s community photo round-up.
Winter doesn’t rush the shot. It rewards the ones who wait.
🧊 5. Hidden Icy Gems: Frozen Spots Locals Love
Some places don’t need a big viewpoint or a famous name to feel special.
In midwinter, it’s often the small, tucked-away corners that feel the most magical.
This week, these lesser-known spots are transforming into icy wonderlands—quiet, shimmering, and easy to miss if you’re rushing.
❄️ Hidden Highlights to Explore
Tuxedo Park Creek - Soft water movement meets heavy frost here. Look for ice feathers along the banks and delicate formations forming overnight in the colder shade.
Fish Creek Trailhead - A local favorite for subtle winter beauty. Small footbridges often collect icicles, and the creek edges freeze into layered, glassy textures after cold nights.
Lake Irene (when road access allows) - When conditions line up, this area feels straight out of a snow globe—snow-laden trees, frozen shorelines, and a stillness that invites you to linger longer than planned.
🚫 Winter Reminder: Always check road and weather conditions before heading into higher elevations. Winter beauty is best enjoyed slowly—and safely.
Sometimes the most memorable winter moments aren’t marked on a map. They’re found by wandering just a little off the main path.
💡 Trail Notes Pro Tip of the Week
Don’t race the snow—read it.
Snow tells stories—if you let it.
Slow your pace and you’ll start to see them: where deer crossed at dawn, where the wind shifted in the night, where the last flurry dusted the rim of your thermos.
In deep winter, time on the trail isn’t about miles or minutes.
It’s about softness. Stillness. Paying attention.
Pack something warm to sip. Choose insulated gloves over thin ones. Let the light guide you instead of the clock.
Estes Park doesn’t rush. The mountains don’t either.
And winter has a way of reminding us that we don’t have to—at least not today.
📸 Featured Photo of the Week
Winter Light on Hallett Peak — Captured by Jen Allen
Captured by: Jen Allen
This winter view feels like a pause you didn’t know you needed.
Hallett Peak rises quietly above the dark pines, its ridgeline catching the light while the forest below remains hushed and still. Snow clings to the granite just enough to soften the lines, while the sky stretches wide and clear—unrushed, uncomplicated.
There’s no drama here. No movement demanding attention.
Just a mountain standing steady, letting the season speak for itself.
It’s the kind of scene that doesn’t ask you to do anything—only to notice. To breathe a little deeper. To let your thoughts settle into the same calm rhythm as the winter air.
Moments like this are why winter in the Rockies feels so grounding.
Not loud. Not flashy. Just quietly powerful.
📍 Location: Bear Lake Road corridor, Rocky Mountain National Park
❄️ Conditions: Light snow, gusty winds, crisp winter light
📷 Photographer: Jen Allen
Thank you Jen for spending a little time with this one—it’s a reminder that sometimes stillness is the whole point.
Have a winter photo you’d love to see featured in Trail Notes? We’d love to share the quiet moments you’re noticing out there.
🎵 A Little Note About My Music
Over time, I’ve been creating simple instrumental music inspired by Estes Park—the seasons, the quiet moments, and the calm that lives between the mountains. It started as something personal, just for those peaceful pauses in the day.
I’ve just released a new instrumental piece called Where the Mountains Breathe —inspired by the quiet moments, shifting seasons, and stillness that define Estes Park.
I never expected anyone else to want it… but people kept asking.
So I gathered it all in one place, for anyone who wants to bring a little of Estes Park’s stillness with them. 🎧 estesparkresortguide.bandcamp.com
Thank you for listening. It truly means a lot. ❤️
📸 Want to Be Featured in Trail Notes?
Did you capture a magical holiday moment in Estes Park? We’d love to see it—and share it with our community of mountain lovers.
✨ Maybe it was:
🎄 A snow-covered porch glowing with holiday lights
🥾 A quiet, peaceful moment on the trail
🦌 Wildlife caught in soft winter light
❄️ Or a scene that simply felt like Estes
📬 Submit your photo here: Estes Park Resort Guide – Photo & Video Submission Form
📅 Deadline: Friday, January 30 at 5 PM MT
Selected photos may be featured in an upcoming Trail Notes newsletter and on Estes Park Resort Guide—with credit to you.
📷 Have a story behind the shot? We’d love that too.
📣 Kick Off the New Year in the Spotlight
New month. New stories. New chances to be seen.
We’re now booking February feature spots for:
🏪 Local businesses doing something cool
🛍️ Downtown shops with seasonal finds
🎨 Artists, makers & musicians with winter magic
📅 Community events that deserve the spotlight
Whether you're hosting a workshop, launching something new, or just want people to know your story—we’re here to help share it.
📧 Send us a note: [email protected]
📱 Or message us on Facebook: facebook.com/EstesParkResortGuide
Let’s make February about more than cold days—let’s make it about connection.
We’d love to feature you. ✨
The season of slow still has something to show.
The last stretch of January is easy to overlook—but it carries its own quiet magic.
The light lingers a little longer. The snow softens. The skies open up.
This is the season of small, meaningful moments:
Hot drinks that fog your glasses.
Boot prints leading where no one else has been.
A flash of blue as a bird lands on a snow-covered branch and makes the forest feel awake.
Estes Park isn’t sleeping. It’s listening.
So slow your steps. Look a little closer.
And let winter whisper what it’s been holding all month.
✅ Riddle Answer:
A: An echo.