2017 Shuttle Bus Schedule
NOTE: All shuttle routes start May 27.
 
​Hiker Express Route

Daily service: May 27 to September 10
Weekends only: September 16 to October 9
Hourly 7:30 am to 11 am
Every 30 minutes from 11 am to 6 pm
Hourly 6 pm to 8 pm
Makes stops only at

• the Estes Park Visitor Center
• Beaver Meadows Visitor Center
• Park & Ride

Bear Lake Route

Daily service: May 27 to October 9
Every 10–15 minutes from 7 am to 7:30 pm
Makes stops at

• Park & Ride
• Bierstadt Lake Trailhead
• Glacier Gorge Trailhead
• Bear Lake

Moraine Park Route

Daily service: May 27 to October 9
Every 30 minutes from 7 am to 7:30 pm
Makes stops at

• Park & Ride
• Sprague Lake/Glacier Creek Stables
• Hollowell Park
• Tuxedo Park
• Moraine Park Campground (C Loop)
• Cub Lake Trailhead
• Fern Lake Bus Stop

 Why Should You Take the Free Park Shuttle Bus?

• Access many destination and loop hikes along the Bear Lake Road corridor.
• Cut down on vehicle emissions in the park.
• Enjoy the beautiful scenery without the distraction and hassle of traffic congestion and limited parking.
• Parking areas along the Bear Lake Road fill most days during the summer and the buses provide the only access during those peak hours each day.
• Most buses are accessible and can accommodate wheelchairs.

 Notes and Tips

• There are no shuttle bus services on the west side of the park or across Trail Ridge Road. There are several commercial shuttle tours in the Estes area. Contact the Estes Park Visitor Center for information.
• There are no bike racks on shuttle buses.
• Most shuttle buses are accessible and can accommodate wheelchairs. Contact shuttle staff or rangers if accommodation is needed.
• Pets are not allowed on shuttle buses except service animals that have been individually trained to perform specific tasks for the benefit of persons with disabilities. (Emotional support and service-animals-in-training are not service animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act.)

These are pictures taken the first weekend in May.  You can see all the snow still covering Longs Peak.  This is the time of year when there are lots of Elk searching for food.  Most are just starting to grow their velvet antlers. It seems kinda late this year for this annual event.  They also look rather ragged as they lose their winter coats. Most of the snow is gone from the lower elevations.  At Bear Lake, a popular place to hike and snow shoe, most of the trails are still covered with snow.  In some cases, over five feet of snow.  I stopped by Bear Lake on Sunday evening an there was no parking!  Lots of people were show shoeing or cross country skiing in the back country.  Also, lots of tourists are just stopping and walking the few hundred feet to the lake.  It can be very slippery.  If you go hiking, be sure to wear those traction things that clip to your shoes.  I witnessed lots of people falling on their bottoms trying to hike in tennis shoes and sliding out of control.  Yikes!

This is a picture of the valley directly in front of the Overlook from early May.  The days are suddenly much longer at the Overlook since the sun now makes its appearance several hours earlier in the morning.  In the winter, the sun stays behind this mountain and rises up and to the right but never appears until it reaches the far side of the mountain.  This is after 9:00 a.m. in April making the days (in terms of sunlight) much shorter. As the sun breaks above this mountain (Giant Track),it projects a golden color on the trees on Eagle Cliff Mountain.  It is truly a magical moment that only last a couple minutes.  I always encourage our guests to get up before sunrise and grab a cup of coffee and get ready for a few minutes of breathtaking color.  I hope you get this opportunity.

All of our bookings go through HomeAway/VRBO.  They handle all of the payments and billing notices.  In the past, you had to click on a "Reserve" button on any of our pages to switch between this site and the HomeAway/VRBO site.  Most of these buttons still exist.  However, I've added a "RESERVE" tab at the top of this website where you can now see our calendar and book the Overlook. This is still done through HomeAway/VRBO but it should make it much easier to see if we have openings on the dates you are considering without switching to another website.  If you have any problems with this link, please let me know.

We did have about 6" of snow last weekend but very little stayed on the ground.  The roads are clear all in and around Estes.  In fact, the road to Bear Lake is completely clear (as of now.)  Of course Trail Ridge Road is still closed.  It usually opens by Memorial Day (the end of May).  There is still plenty of snow on the mountains.  This is the perfect time to visit...no snow on the roads...only on the mountains!  We could still get snow this month.  However, if we do, it should melt relatively quickly.

I'm not a betting man, but if I were, now would be a good time to bet there will be no snow this weekend.  Why? Because my plow is installed and ready to go.  I think it will scare away any possibility of snow.  Seriously, there is suppose to be 12 inches of snow tonight.  When they predict 12 inches it usually means either we won't get any or we will get two foot!  Stay tuned!

Did you know that there have been numerous sightings of Big Foot in and around Estes?  No Really.  If you do a search, you will be shocked to read how much Big Foot activity centers on Estes Park.  There are videos and still pictures online.  If you are "believer," you don't want to miss this presentation on May 20th.