Interested in seeing Estes Park by foot?  The Town offers several distinctly beautiful and enjoyable walking areas.

Just steps from downtown there’s a hidden historical treasure known as the Knoll. Below a rocky outcropping and near a meandering stream sits the Birch cabin, built in 1908. Above it linger the ruins of another cabin built in 1907 by Albert Birch, city editor for the Denver Post.

With a stunning view of Longs Peak atop an approximately 75-foot-high rock outcropping, the stone bungalow with a massive fireplace, wrap-around porch, and large windows must have been a showcase jewel of turn-of-the-century rustic stonemasonry craftsmanship. Unfortunately, on the bitterly cold night of December 21, 1907, the stone bungalow burned to the ground when the floor joists under the fireplace ignited. The stone ruins remain and are a cherished, romantic part of the Estes Park skyline.

Not letting misfortune preside, Birch immediately constructed a new cabin below the rock outcropping, which he and his family enjoyed as a summer retreat until the 1980s. The 3-room cabin remains in excellent condition and was placed on the State Register of Historic Places in 2001.

Another popular walking area is the Lake Trail Loop, a 3.83-mile around Lake Estes. On the South side of Lake Estes is the Matthews-Reeser Bird Sanctuary where spring migrating birds are first spotted in the area.  Beginning in early April, the sanctuary becomes increasingly active with a wide range of songbirds moving through: flycatchers, vireos, swallows, wrens, thrushes, warblers and sparrows are the dominant migrants.

From the Estes Park Visitors Center, a walk through the center of downtown Estes Park is one of those “best kept secrets” of the area. With Fall River at its edge, the Riverwalk is known for its peaceful characteristics as it travels less than a mile from one end to the other at Performance Park.

Near Performance Park is another walking oasis: Mrs. Walsh’s Garden. Here, at the West end of the downtown area, you can stroll through a mountain garden to enjoy the flora of life zones from the foothills to the alpine tundra.