ESTES PARK — I’m sitting back on a creaky, wooden, wrap-around cabin porch, wearing a sweater and ski cap for the first time all summer and watching the rain come down. Clouds pass in front of the jagged granite horizon as I enjoy a real-time Rocky Mountain time-lapse.
The rain is steady, bringing a nip of fall to the late-summer air. Which means many things in this neck of the woods: the upcoming elk rut, changing aspen leaves, cool-weather hiking and a seasonal series of Estes Park town festivals.
You might think of summer as the peak season in Estes Park, but there are plenty of excuses to anchor a fall visit. There are also plenty of hotels in town, some wonderful B&Bs and big lodges along the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway, and then there is the place where I’m kicked back watching the rain, a cabin at the YMCA of the Rockies.
With 200 family cabins and nine massive lodges, the YMCA of the Rockies has a capacity for 5,500 guests, but you would never know it, as the sloping, forested 860-acre property easily swallows up and accommodates large groups. The Estes Park Y is adjacent to Rocky Mountain National Park. Actually, this YMCA family center was built in 1907, pre-dating the park by seven years.
Today, the center hosts conferences, gatherings, reunions and tourists from both near and far. Our cabin is a comfortable three-bedroom affair with a fireplace, full kitchen and amazing view of the mountains. It’s a perfect spot for our late-summer, long-weekend getaway to celebrate the changing of seasons. By late September, these are front-row seats as elk herds wander in to rut, bugle and rest in the trees.
For activities, it’s an easy hike from my cabin door into Rocky Mountain National Park and the surrounding wilderness, a close drive to the shops and restaurants in Estes Park, and there is plenty to do on site, including a craft center, museum, playground and pony rides for the kids.
And then, of course, there is the option of simply sitting on the porch and watching the rain.
Joshua Berman is the author of five books about travel and the AFAR Guide to Colorado. He can be found at and on Twitter @tranquilotravel.
IF YOU GO
YMCA of the Rockies will begin accepting cabin reservations for non-members at midnight on Oct. 1 (888-613-9622, ).
Seasonal rates and specials: From Sept. 28 to May 2015, cabins start at $99 per night, with an ongoing three- nights-for-the-price-of-two special throughout fall and winter.
Be sure to ask about how you can contribute to the GRACE program, an effort to help families dealing with pediatric cancer, have a vacation on the YMCA property.
