Courtney Dauwalter, Athlete in Residence from Visit Estes Park on Vimeo.

Estes Park is only 80 minutes from my home in Golden, CO. Yet, pulling into town, it felt like we were worlds away. My husband and I had the opportunity to train and play in Estes Park for a few days this summer and were blown away by the variety of terrain for running and the accessibility of everything from high alpine peaks to homemade taffy shops.


The training in and around Estes Park is incredible! One of our days in town we set our alarms early and headed out from our hotel to make a 30 mile trail loop. We got to cruise on buttery single track, rock-hop across boulder fields and bomb down through meadows as we soaked in the massive views of Longs Peak and eyed town from surrounding mountains. Loops like this are easy to find in Estes Park and getting to explore with just our feet was a huge highlight of the trip.


Playing in Estes Park is just as great as the training! Often our runs would end in town and we would find ourselves at a brewery, on an outdoor patio for a salty snack, or bouncing between ice cream shops getting our sweet treat fix. No better way to end a run than in a friendly town full of great food and drink options! We feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to explore some of what Estes Park has to offer and will definitely be back. When there are so many options to train and play, having enough hours in the day becomes the biggest challenge!