Knoll-Willows Open Space
Managed by Town of Estes Park
22 acres0.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Frank Schulenburg · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Estes Park
Estes Park has 13 miles of mapped trails, 2.0 for every square mile of land
20% of Estes Park’s land is conserved, about 879 acres. 552 acres are parks and preserves, 94 per 1,000 residents. 98% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns · #17 of 159 in Colorado. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
879 acres · of 6.7 sq mi of land
Trails
13 mi
2.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
552 ac
94 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.1 mi
6.1 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
5
What kind of outdoors town is Estes Park?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Estes Park have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Estes Park is ahead of 98% of U.S. towns, #17 of 159 in Colorado. All four inputs put Estes Park near the top nationally; trail miles rank highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Estes Park’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical CO town 7% · U.S. 4%ATrails2.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (13 mi) · CO 1.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land94 acres of park per 1,000 residents (552 acres) · CO 14 · U.S. 13AParks close to home98% of residents within a half mile of a park · CO 97% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 98%
LessMore
Colorado towns of 2,500+ (159)Ahead of 90%
Colorado towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 7%; the U.S., 4%), so Estes Park’s 20% is ahead of 84% of Colorado towns, while its trails per square mile lead 69% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Knoll-Willows Open Space, with 0.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Rocky Mountain National Park
Managed by National Park Service
40 acres
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Rocky Mountain Wilderness
Managed by National Park Service
1 acres
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lot
Who protects it
879 conserved acres
20% of Estes Park’s land. Who manages Estes Park’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city659 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits300 ac
Regional agency118 ac
National Park Service37 ac
County2 ac
Other or Unknown Federal Land1 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 442 acUnknown Easement · 222 acOther Easement · 176 acLocal Park · 133 acConservation Easement · 58 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 305 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 65 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Town of Estes Park City Land - Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 410 | Open |
| Lake Estes Local Park | Regional agency | 86 | Open |
| Rocky Mountain National Park National Park | National Park Service | 37 | Open |
| Park R-3 School District School District Land - General Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 30 | Unknown |
| Scott's Ponds Local Park | Town or city | 24 | Open |
| Unknown Open Space Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Community Center Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Marys Lake Local Park | Regional agency | 3 | Open |
| Dog & Agility Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Riverwalk Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
10 places to go in Estes Park
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Estes Park
6 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Estes Park
2 dog parks without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Estes Park
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Trails & water
2 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 4.2 mi
Saint Vrain Avenue Trail1.7 mi
Tawney Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.1 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
6Tennis
3Baseball
2Basketball
2Football
1Soccer
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →16 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 3 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
★
Rocky Mountain National Park Administration BuildingNational Historic Landmark · Building · listed 2001
About itStanley HotelBuilding · listed 1977
About itElkhorn LodgeDistrict · listed 1978
About itRocky Mountain National Park Utility Area Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1982
About itPark TheatreBuilding · listed 1984
About itStanley Hotel DistrictDistrict · listed 1985
About itMacGregor RanchDistrict · listed 1989
About itStanley Hotel District (Stanley Power Plant Boundary Increase)District · listed 1998
About itCrags LodgeBuilding · listed 1998
About itEdgemontBuilding · listed 1998
About itWind RidgeBuilding · listed 2002
About itClatworthy PlaceBuilding · listed 2004
About it4 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Estes Park: June to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.2 | 14.4 | 15.0 | 14.8 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.9 | 9.3 |
| High (°F) | 37 | 38 | 45 | 51 | 61 | 72 | 79 | 76 | 69 | 57 | 45 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.7 |
December is the driest month (0.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 79 °F). 2.7 inches fall in May, the wettest month. The climate in Estes Park →
Questions about parks and trails in Estes Park
Where can I hike in Estes Park?
The longest trail networks: Knoll-Willows Open Space, 0.8 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Estes Park is conserved land?
20% of its land, against a typical 7% for a Colorado town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Estes Park’s trails?
Knoll-Willows Open Space and Rocky Mountain National Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Estes Park?
6.1 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Estes Park?
59,751 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Estes Park or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 611 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Estes Park have?
Ahead of 98% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #17 of 159 in Colorado. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Estes Park neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →