Estes Park Aerial Tramway — Attraction in Estes Park

Entertaining out of state guests a few times a year I was happy to find a new thrill up in the Estes Park region (specifically since my park pass just expired). The Tramway was easy to locate (once we got through the congested downtown Estes Park - which totally surprised me on a Friday morning).

The parking was ample and I was thankful to have my sun shield (not may trees in the parking lot). We saw some fun facts posted outside the tram center and easily found our way in and to the restrooms).

The man at the ticket counter was super friendly and didn't mind breaking a large bill I happened to have in my wallet. He also gave us the great tip about purchasing peanuts at the gift shop/restaurant for the friendly squirrels that awaited us.

Both trams were running on this day and it was about a 15-20 minute wait. The tram is for up to 8 adults (noted a couple more entering when children were riding as well). People in line were in a good mood and friendly. The family ahead of us encouraged us to go on ahead of them to fill a couple of spaces in an incoming tram.

The ride up was beautiful, swift, and slightly stomach churning (it was a little windy so our tram weaved side to side a bit). Once at the top we had spectacular views of the town and National Park.

The gift shop featured lots of goodies, from postcards, to elk salt and pepper shakers, Smore's inspired pens, and other chatchkes. The cafe/restaurant had lots of sugary treats, drinks, and sandwiches. We opted for the bag of peanuts (1 scoop is 50 cents) for the squirrels.

Once outside we noted at least a half dozen children running round trying to entice the obtuse squirrels. We eventually befriended a few (both children and squirrels). We snapped some good pics and headed back down the tram.

Great day, great price, and beautiful scenery. Will definitely...

Tickets and food are pricey and not much to do at the top. No wait in line as we visited on a weekday right before Memorial Day weekend and when summer travel picks up. With military discount and parking was still over $50 for my husband and I. Once at the top there was one building that housed a small gift shop, restrooms and a small cafe. Average sandwich price was $18. My husband and I each ordered and sandwich and tried to place our order on the kiosk at the counter instead of with staff to avoid waiting in line but you could not purchase a canned, bottled or juice box drink in the kiosk, only the specialty teas, coffees and smoothies so we ended up having to order with with staff anyways. Took about 20 minutes to get one sandwich, my husbands wasn’t delivered the same time. After another 10 minutes of waiting (30 minutes from the time the order was placed) my husband approached the counter to inquire about his order and was told they were “working on it” and “having computer issues”. There were only two staff members visible during our entire visit. After a total of 45 minutes the male employee brought two sandwiches to our table and seemed confused when we said that wasn’t our order. I had already finished my sandwich and neither he brought was what my husband ordered. It actually belonged to another table in the cafe. The employee had difficulty understanding that we were still missing half of our order. We finally just asked for a refund and left. There were only two other tables of customers on the cafe when we entered and placed our order and one of those had already received their food. The views were great and you can buy peanuts in the gift shop to feed the chipmunks so kids might like that but overall was not...

I made a reservation for 11:00 AM including parking and arrived early. The ticket agent was very nice and moved the tram boarding up by 30 minutes so I didn’t have to wait.

The tram takes 10 adults at a time and one tram heads up the mountain as the other one heads down for the five minute trip. They are very efficient loading and unloading so you really don’t have to wait long to take the ride.

The ride gently zips up hill giving you an opportunity to survey the valley with Estes Park bustling below. The mountains ringing Estes Park reveal their majestic grandeur as you gain altitude with a literal birds-eye view.

Once at the top there is a well marked trail to the West Summit where the panoramic scene is fantastic. The trail is 3/4 mile long out for a total mile and a half round trip. The elevation gain is not bad and there are plenty of shady rest stops along the way for those that want to take their time.

I went on a Tuesday morning and the place was not too crowded. I had several sections of the trail to myself in both directions. The only distraction was a black bear that took one look at me and turned around disappearing into the woods. I had to chuckle as the bar seemed more concerned with me than I was with it.

The gravity assist back to the tram made for a pleasant hike. There were about 20 people ahead of me in line to return to the base but I was headed down within 10 minutes of arriving at the tram.

The Estes Park Aerial Tramway is a worthwhile stop for people of all ages. You can do as much or as little as you want heading toward the summit and the chipmunks are very...