Lori Smith Estes Park Real Estate - LiveInEstesPark.com

I was lucky enough to take the day off a week or so ago. Great weather-Sunny, mid 70’s and NO wind. I decided to go to Sky Pond. I stupidly took the summer trail and had to deal with the crowds by Alberta Falls. I love the trail after you split off toward the Loch. It was intoxicating the pine and vanilla smell in the trees. The smells of the forest are almost better than the sights. The trail past the Loch is so interesting and the trail crews have been working hard moving boulders and making walk ways. It seemed very steep at times. Right before I got to Timberline falls I passed a group of women twice my age. They were moving delicately down the rock steps before the falls. I knew I couldn’t chicken out now. Alan had told me a little about what to expect, but I was nervous getting up the trail by the falls. I worn my Keen sandals and soaked my socks immediately. I am just not real sure-footed so my big fear was doing something clumsy. My theme from this point on was “This is the trail?” I had to repeat this later between Lake of Glass and Sky Pond on this skinny rock ledge. My Lamaze training came back to me real quick. Deep breathing and talking to yourself works pretty good. I was taunted by the picas who would not sit still for any photos. I loved Lake of Glass. The beautiful green and blue colors of the water are amazing. Occasionally the wind would blow slightly and it looked like diamonds floating on the water. I could have stayed all day, but I was on a time limit. I was anxious about getting back down the falls. Also my phone kept ringing-the kids missed the bus and work, etc. Back to reality. I love the winter trail from where the trail splits to the Glacier Gorge Trailhead. I never see anyone on it. I stupidly parked at Bear Lake and thought I was going to croak that last half mile up to my car. It was a fantastic day besides that last part.

For a small mountain town, the resources we have compare to that of a much larger city. We have many recreation opportunities that are great for families and retirees alike. I want to brag about our Aquatic Center. I took my three daughters to the Estes Park Aquatic Center on Wednesday evening for family night. For $2 per person, swimming is offered from 7-8:30 p.m. When you think about what it costs to go to a movie or concert, this is cheap entertainment. The physical benefits are great too. They had inflatable toys, noodles, and you could shoot hoops in the shallow end. In the 10′ area there is a rope where you can swing and drop off into the water and a diving board. For little ones there is a shallow play area. Also a few lanes were roped off for lap swimming. The girls enjoyed playing with each other and saw some of their friends too. My kids were sooo wiped out when we got home. I think this is a new Wednesday tradition for us. It will be great for my sanity this winter when it is too cold to play outside.

For those of you concerned with Estes Park getting overrun with condos you can attend the upcoming meeting of the Estes Valley Planning Commission in the Board Room of the Town Hall on Tuesday, October 16th at 1:30 p.m. Topic of discussion will be the application for the planned 42 condominium units on S. St. Vrain (HWY 7) and Lexington Ln on an almost 6 acre parcel that is a grassy meadow where elk herds are seen often and other wildlife too. We have 167 condos on the market right now. Honestly do we need more. Prices are falling to 2005/2006 values. This would depreciate the values even more. Anyway, come and voice your opinion.

The hottest real estate deal of the summer is happening. One of the most talked about listings in Estes Park is now under contract.

This is the highest priced single family home ever listed on our MLS. Listed for $7,500,000 this beautiful mountain home in Windcliff Estates has views that are unsurpassed and a heated driveway. This spectacular structure boasts 7500 sq. ft., 7 bedrooms, 8 baths and a custom built circular log stairway to each of the four levels. With views like you might find in Switzerland, you do need a Swiss Bank account to afford it. This price might not seem like much for a ski resort town, like Vail or Aspen, but until now the highest priced sale on our Northern Colorado MLS was just under $3,000,000. Not that we don’t have property valued in this range, it’s just that nothing this expensive has been listed in the MLS before now. Currently 18 single family homes are listed for over a million dollars, compared to only 4 homes five years ago. We have to wait to see what it sells for, but one thing is for sure. Estes Park is moving up!