Community Forums

baraff · 08-30-2016, 07:52 PM

Heading west on I-80 to I-76. Want to head to Rocky Mountain National Park, and I'm wondering what the traffic will be like on Rt 34 to Estes Park. It would probably be mid day before we arrive at Greeley. Does anyone have any experience with this route?

Randyman1 · 08-30-2016, 08:01 PM

As I understand it highway 34 from Loveland up to Estes is under road construction and is one lane where the construction is. Expect serious delays if you go that way. The highway from Lyons to Estes would probably be your better bet, I forget what number that is but you can look on a map. Check with CDOT to confirm and save you some headaches.

KarenS144 · 08-30-2016, 08:10 PM

34 is pretty but narrow and very curvy. We had to share the narrow lanes with orange cones and bicycles when we went last year... nail biter for sure. 36 is an easier road to drive. There is a big festival in Estes sometime in early Sept and everything gets booked solid so if you don't have reservations, you may want to make some ASAP.

RMNP is wonderful! You should see quite a few elk in the park and Old Fall River Road is a great drive.

baraff · 08-31-2016, 06:13 AM

Thank you both, RT 36 seems like the better option.
The festival appears to be the Scottish/Irish Fest which runs over the weekend 9/9 - 9/11. We should be out of that area by then since we are planning on an early to mid week visit.

janniemac · 09-09-2016, 08:53 PM

Hwy 34 to Estes will be completely closed from Oct thru May due to road reconstruction from the 2013 flood. We were up there a couple of weeks ago with just a slight delay.

Take Hwy 66 exit off of I25 (south of Loveland) through Lyons and head to Estes via Hwy 36. Nice road, should be no issues.

Estes is beautiful in the fall. The amazing elk rut and the fall color change make it a perfect destination. We have a cabin in Estes Park and lived there for a few years. Have a great trip!