Planning a visit to Estes Park, Colorado? Estes Park is the gateway to the fourth most visited National Park in the United States, the Rocky Mountain National Park and it’s a beautiful place to visit year-round! Planning a visit to this small mountain town can be so exciting, until you realize that transportation options are extremely limited. Thankfully, we have you covered! In this post, we’ll discuss the different transportation options available so you’ll know exactly how to get around Estes Park without a vehicle!

SKIP TO SECTION

• How to get to Estes Park from the Denver International Airport
• How to get to Estes Park from surrounding cities
• How to get around Estes Park
• How to get to the Rocky Mountain National Park from Estes Park

How to get to Estes Park from the Denver International Airport without a vehicle

Renting a vehicle can get extremely expensive, especially now with the rental car shortage, so we understand the worry of being able to travel between Estes Park and the Denver International Airport on your own schedule. Here are some options on how to get from DIA (or more officially, DEN) to Estes Park and visa versa.

Rideshare with Uber or Lyft

Uber and Lyft are both readily available at the Denver International Airport to take you to Estes Park. However, be advised, Uber and Lyft are not readily available within Estes Park to take you back to the airport. Be sure to secure another transportation service back to the Denver Airport so you are not left stranded.

Take a Taxi

There are multiple taxi companies that are readily available at the Denver International Airport to get you to Estes Park after your flight. However, be advised, there is not a licensed taxi service in Estes Park to take you back to the airport. So again, you need to be sure to secure another transportation service back to DIA.

Estes Park Shuttle

Estes Park Shuttle offers large shuttle vans that operate on a scheduled service to take passengers to and from the Denver International Airport and Estes Park. Just note that these rides are not private and you will be sitting with other parties on your ride with several other stops.

Alternate option: Explore Estes

While Explore Estes is unable to operate directly to / from the Denver International Airport, we can get you to Boulder as a last option if Estes Park Shuttle is unavailable to get you back out of town. Take a private 1-hour ride with us to a general location in Boulder, where you can then catch a ride with Uber or Lyft for the remainder of the 30-minute ride to DIA.

Click here to schedule a pickup with Explore Estes.

How to get to Estes Park from surrounding cities without a vehicle

Below are some transportation options for those staying outside of Estes Park in the surrounding areas (like Boulder, Longmont, Fort Collins, etc…) who want to make a day trip to enjoy the beauty of this little mountain town!

Rideshare with Uber or Lyft

Uber and Lyft are usually available for transportation in more popular cities surrounding Estes Park. However, be advised, Uber and Lyft are not readily available within Estes Park to take you back to outside cities. Be sure to secure another transportation service back to your origin city beforehand, otherwise, you may have to spend a spontaneous night in Estes Park.

Take a Taxi to Estes Park

Cities outside of Estes Park may have their own taxi companies that are available to take you to Estes Park for your day trip. However, be advised, there is not a licensed taxi cab service in Estes Park to take you back to the surrounding areas. So again, you need to be sure to secure another transportation service back to your origin city before you head to Estes.

Bustang

The Bustang is a low cost travel option available to travelers on the weekends during the peak tourist season. The Bustang is available to pick up passengers on a limited schedule in Denver, Westminster, Boulder, and Lyons and transport them to and from Estes Park.

Check the Bustang schedule here.

Alternate option: Explore Estes

While Explore Estes is unable to offer pickup outside of Estes Park, we’re proud to be the only private ride service that is licensed to offer rides from Estes Park to surrounding cities in a 30-mile radius! So if you take an Uber or Lyft from the surrounding areas and get stranded in town, we can get you back down the mountain safely. We are able to offer private rides from Estes Park to areas like Boulder, Longmont, Drake, Loveland, Lyons, Allenspark, Fort Collins, or Glen Haven.

Click here to schedule a pickup with Explore Estes.

How to get around Estes Park without a vehicle

Getting to Estes Park is one of the easier tasks, but depending on what time of year you visit, getting around town without a vehicle can be much more difficult. Here are some of the best options for getting around the town of Estes Park.

Explore Estes

You guessed it, Explore Estes also offers safe in-town transportation services to get you from point A to B in Estes Park, Colorado! Since there is not an “official” Estes Park taxi service available in town, we offer uber-like services that are regulated by the state to still provide you with a private and clean ride so you don’t have to worry about how you’ll be getting back to your hotel. The more notice you can give us, the better, especially during peak season!

Click here to schedule a ride with Explore Estes.

The Peak

Formerly, Estes Transit, The Peak is the free shuttle available within Estes Park. They offer scheduled transportation services on various routes in town that operate seasonally from May through October. They also just started offering a winter route from November to May on their “fully electric trolley.“

Check the Estes Transit schedule here.

How to get to the Rocky Mountain National Park from Estes Park without a vehicle

Rocky Mountain National Park is the biggest attraction near Estes Park. If you don’t have a vehicle, getting to the National Park can be a hassle, so below are some options to help you get into the park without an issue.

Explore Estes

Last, but certainly not least, Explore Estes is the only licensed business to offer private transportation services from Estes Park to various trailheads and destinations within the east side Rocky Mountain National Park! Just let us know ahead of time when you would like to explore the park on your own and we’ll be happy to help. (We also offer private tours if you’d like to explore with a guide!)

Click here to schedule a trailhead drop-off with Explore Estes.

Rocky Mountain National Park Hiker Shuttle

The Rocky Mountain National Park offers a seasonal shuttle that picks passengers up at the Estes Park Visitor Center and drops off at the Bear Lake Road Park & Ride in the Rocky Mountain National Park. This Hiker Shuttle will begins operating from late-May until October with various pickup times from the Estes Park Visitor Center.

To ride the Hiker Shuttle, you must show a valid entrance pass into the Rocky Mountain National Park, and also make a reservation to ride the Hiker Shuttle ($2 per reservation, 4 person or “ticket” max per reservation). Reservations go on sale a month in advance and at 7pm the evening before your visit.

Just note that you must return to Estes Park on any of the Hiker Shuttles throughout the day, and leave by the final Shuttle at 5:15pm.

Make your Hiker Shuttle reservations here.

Bustang

The Bustang is available to pick up passengers on a schedule in Denver, Westminster, Boulder, and Lyons and transport them to and from Estes Park. You are also able to continue onto the Bear Lake Road Park & Ride in Rocky Mountain National Park early-July until October. The Bustang will pickup from the Estes Park Visitor Center at various morning times and pickup for your return at the Bear Lake Road Park & Ride in the afternoon. You will need to have a Bustang ticket and show proof of your Rocky Mountain National Park entrance pass to ride the Bustang into the National Park.

Check the Bustang schedule here.

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With the lack of transportation in town, we hope we have provided some helpful options of how to get around Estes Park without a vehicle! Have you traveled to, from, or within Estes Park with any of the options we listed above? Or are there any options we forgot to mention? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!