Top Colorado Outdoor Activities - page 6

The Retractable Glass Top Tour (by Purple Points Tour Company in downtown Estes Park) has an excellent half-day bus tour through the eastern portions of Rocky Mountain National Park. I booked my tour on a particularly clear & warm day (some recent rain also kept the dust on the dirt roads down), so the glass top on our van remained open our entire tour. That made photography and observation of the passing scenery (including a herd of elk) much easier. Our tour Guide (Chris) was very knowledgeable on the Park's history and how that's reflected in the scenery we were seeing (such as where recent fire burns & floods occurred). We also rode up the the Park's Alpine Visitor's Center via the original one-way dirt road; an experience as we travelled through switchback curves & narrow roads without guardrails but with steep drop-offs to the canyon floors. A much more pleasant way to visit this Park versus trying to drive those roads by yourself. We were here during the (short) peak visitor times, so the lines on the narrow roads, scenic outlooks & Visitor Center were long. Our guide knew a few of the less crowded stops, so that's where we tended to stop. I'd suggest the early morning tour, as that gets through much of the Park before the larger crowds arrive. A nice touch from the tour company was beverage & snack service inside the van. Nothing fancy, but you get dehydrated very quickly at these high altitudes. Also one less thing to be carrying around. This is a great way to tour this National Park.