Estes Park trip coming up

[mrmurph]

Hey all. We are getting prepared for our trip to Estes Park in mid-July and I have a few questions.
We rarely pull very far, usually less than three hours, so this is kind of a big deal for us that we are really looking forward to. We are in NW Missouri, near St. Joe and had planned to take 36 across Kansas, staying overnight in Atwood, KS then finishing the trip via KS 27 to NE 34 on into Colorado. I am really trying to avoid the interstates if possible as I do not enjoy traveling on them. Has anyone taken this route in the past? Are there any concerns I should be aware of in taking this particular route?
Thanks in advance for the help, I appreciate the input!

[Mountndream]

I would be very concerned that you may die of boredom during the drive across Kansas.

Let us know how your trip goes as DW and I looking to take our TT there soon

[mrmurph]

LOL, that's one of the concerns my DW has. If that's the biggest peril of the trip, I think we will be good.

[dave961]

We loved Estes Park and the national park. There is so much awesome scenery in that area to see. Food tip: I've eaten BBQ everywhere, but none as good as Dave's Famous BBQ just outside of town.

[dbarr]

Just arrived in Estes today. Didn't drive 36 but 70 was good until I jumped on the 2 lane at Oakley. My view isn't so bad.

[mrmurph]

What campground are you in dbarr? What route did you take when you got to Denver?

[dbarr]

Originally Posted by mrmurph

What campground are you in dbarr? What route did you take when you got to Denver?

I didn't come straight here. Started at the sand dunes, over to Durango up to Ridgway, then to Buena Vista. Stayed at Central City last night and came up CO 119 ( peak to peak hwy) this morning.
Parked in the Jellystone on RT36 east of town as usual. Been staying here long before Yogi and Boo Boo took over. I think '86 might've been the first year. Stayed in several others prior to that but like this one the best.

[kssportsman]

Atwood, Ks has two small campgrounds. 36 will have road construction around Atwood this summer. Lots of small towns along the way. I, too, dislike rolling down the interstate at a pace not condusive to enjoy the scenery.

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[mrmurph]

dbarr, we are also in Jellystone for our vacation. Small world!

[dbarr]

You'll like it here. Steep climb to the top but very nice. You can see part of the Mummy Range here.
Snowed on Trail Ridge today.

[dbarr]

Make sure to bring at least 25ft of sewer hose. This row I'm in had all the hook ups at the front of the site. It's a long way from the back of the trailer. Ran in to this type of setup 3 times this trip and this time I had to connect 2 to reach.

[mrmurph]

Thanks for the heads up!

[comfun1]

If you have never been to Harold Warp's Pioneer Village in Minden, Nebraska and you have the time you could spend the night there and tour the Village. They have a campground with 135 sites and you can walk from the campground to their restaurant and village. You can easily spend most of a day at the village seeing everything. Minden is probably about a halfway point on your journey depending on where in Missouri you live. Also Minden is on NE34 so you can just follow it on to Colorado. I've included a link to Pioneer Village if you are interested.

Pioneer Village

[mrmurph]

That looks like a very cool place to stay. Thanks for the heads up!

[dbarr]

Had a few locals tell me that US36 east of Estes is still pretty torn up from the flooding with long delays for blasting. Rt 7 and US 34 are in good shape. I've been on both since arriving. I was only on rt7 from 72 to 36 so I don't know what it is like to Lyons.

[Tallcotton4]

I'm a CO gal and I'm so glad you are all back up in that area. It was really flooded out and devastated. I've been wondering how they recovered up there. Glad to hear that the campgrounds are back up and running. Enjoy Estes park, it's beautiful and plenty of places to eat and explore . Really recommend the horse guided tours if you or your kids like horses. It's just a great way to see that area..


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[Tallcotton4]

Originally Posted by dbarr

Had a few locals tell me that US36 east of Estes is still pretty torn up from the flooding with long delays for blasting. Rt 7 and US 34 are in good shape. I've been on both since arriving. I was only on rt7 from 72 to 36 so I don't know what it is like to Lyons.

Lyons is like "gone"...based on my best friend whose Aunt had a home there. I am not sure if people chose to rebuild but your information is correct and it's really sad because that was one of the most beautiful and quaint little towns in my opinion. Good to avoid that area..


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[dbarr]

Was in Lyons today. Open for business! Didn't look bad at all but 36 from about 10 miles east of Estes to just about Lyons was a mess with long delays.

[Tallcotton4]

Originally Posted by dbarr

Was in Lyons today. Open for business! Didn't look bad at all but 36 from about 10 miles east of Estes to just about Lyons was a mess with long delays.

I'm super glad to hear this. I know a lot of residents didn't rebuild personal homes, but I loved that town. I'm glad it's back up and running. It's so quaint and cute to drive through from my direction. Thanks for posting this. Will probably be some time before that hwy is back to par, but that's so good to hear! We have had a rough few years with fires in my neighborhood and flooding up there due to fires all over. Glad people still want to come here!


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[dbarr]

Glen Haven and Drake another story.