Lori Smith Estes Park Real Estate - LiveInEstesPark.com

I promise soon I will post about Estes Park real estate again. People keep asking me how sales are here. The market is picking up here again. So far, the sold numbers are up from last year in volume and number of units sold. I haven’t analyzed it further than that, but I will. Now onto hiking, it’s why I moved here. I saw a sign the other day, it read “Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life”. Very well said!!

I was worried about missing the aspens so I played hooky on October 1st. It was incredibly windy that day so I decided to hike in Wild Basin of Rocky Mountain National Park near Estes Park, Colorado. Wanting a long hike I decided on Bluebird Lake, it is 6.3 miles to the lake. It really is a summer hike, but I didn’t realize that until I was underway. The aspens as you follow the trail were spectacular. I even was lucky enough to wear short sleeves for a while. I was trying to keep a good pace because I didn’t get to the TH until 10:50. I needed to be back by 5pm. There was light snow in the shady areas past Ouzel Falls, but I didn’t expect it as I went higher. I loved this hike except for the burn area, after the trail splits to Bluebird it seems to go on forever. I personally think it is depressing, but the grasses were flourishing in fall colors. I am sure the flowers are plentiful in the summer. The last 1.5 miles seemed like 3 or 4 miles. I loved the dense forest, but it was kind of creepy. I really expected the lake around every corner. I had to scramble on wet snowy rock towards the end too. Most of my concern was hiking alone and this far out. I never saw another hiker past where the trail splits to Ouzel Lake or Bluebird Lake. When I finally crested the hill and saw the lake I couldn’t stand up straight because the wind would push me over. I walked kind of bent-over to a large boulder to snap some photos and eat my lunch. It was 2:00 and I was starving. Freezing cold winds weren’t conducive to a relaxing meal so I just started back with my PB&J. I hustled back jogging when I could. As the sun dips in Wild Basin in gets cold quick. I stopped and talked to a few hikers on my way back and spotted a couple of deer. Which is really surprising because the joke is that we see more wildlife in our backyard than in RMNP. By the last mile I was limping terribly and couldn’t wait to get to my car. As I entered the Estes Valley my phone starting buzzing. Apparently, Alan and the girls were the only people I told that I was hiking. My office was about to report me missing. Always tell someone where you are going. I leave a note in my car where it’s easily read through the window. Here are some photos of the Ouzel Fire burn area, some really pretty aspens, and a blustery Bluebird Lake. More photos here. Have a great week!

Lori

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!