Exploring Estes Park

In this episode we’re going to explore Estes Park’s indigenous history. The town as we know it may have been founded in the 1800s by Joel Estes, Griff Evans and others, but its roots go back far longer. For thousands of years the Ute, Arapaho, Cheyenne and other Native American tribes traversed this valley and the high country of Rocky Mountain National Park for seasonal hunting and plant gathering. For them, this land is more than just beautiful views, it is part of who they are.

In 1914, while lobbying for the formation of Rocky Mountain National Park, a group of Arapaho elders joined a very special pack trip in order to record the indigenous names of local landmarks – the mountains, rivers and valleys. 

Now, more than 100 years later, the spirit of that trip is being expanded with a new project, called indigenous connections, which seeks to improve visitor education about native history and present day uses of the area. And that project has far reaching implications for tribal peoples across the country as we reshape our understanding of what national parks are and should be.

Estes Park was founded more than 100 years ago, and of course it was inhabited for thousands of years before then by the Ute and Arapaho Native American tribes. You don’t get that kind of history without a few tall tales building up along the way; legends and ghost stories retold through generations. 

But myths are more than just tales. They are a part of living history, part of the fabric of a place passed from campfire to campfire, woven through the land in the invisible threads of our imagination. And by following those threads, we’ll not only have some fun, but we’ll also see a side to these Rocky Mountains that most people don’t even know exists. Let's explore the myths and mysteries of Estes Park.

This episode we are going to get our boots on and do some hiking. There are 124 named peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park with 118 over 10,000-feet. When you stand on the summit of one and look out, a sea of peaks surrounds you on all sides. There are few things more exhilarating in life. And for many of us, it’s why we come here.

But it hasn’t always been that way. For thousands of years mountains were the abode of Gods and monsters, places to be feared and avoided. They became challenges, a piece of indomitable nature that the bravest of us would dare to tame. Now, perhaps, they are transforming again, from something to subdue to somewhere to escape from the confines of our modern world. 

Today, we’re going to climb a mountain that very few visitors ever do. It’s called Estes Cone. It’s 11,006 feet tall. But this story is about more than just getting our boots in the dirt. It’s about learning to see these Rocky summits with fresh eyes, whether you’re climbing to the top or enjoying the view from afar. John Muir famously said “The Mountains are calling and I must go.” We’re going to heed those words, reach for that summit, and listen for the Call of the Mountains.

This episode we'll discover a side to Rocky Mountain National Park that most people don’t even know exists. Beyond the beautiful trails and mountains, the park is a Living Laboratory of science. There are about a hundred individual scientific research projects going on in the park at any one time, some of the most cutting edge ecology, biology and conservation in the world is done right here. That work is helping to protect the Estes Park region today and into the future.

Rocky Mountain National Park may feel isolated from the cities and industry of the plains, but it’s not. It’s part of a complex interconnected system in which every piece is dependent on one another. And to understand how that works, and why it’s important, we’re going to hike up to more than 10,000-ft to one of the most remote research stations in the country to find out about an experiment that has been going on in the park for the last 38 years. It’s one of the longest running ecological research studies in the world and it’s changing the way we understand the park, the plains and even our own relationship to the wild spaces we love. Welcome to Rocky Mountain National Park’s Living Laboratory.

This episode we’re looking above Estes Park’s peaks to the dark skies above. Rocky Mountain National Park isn’t just a haven for beautiful landscapes and wildlife, it’s also an oasis of stars.

Light pollution is a problem all over the world. Many of us who live in cities have never seen the true magnitude of the Milky Way. That’s what we’re going to look for and it’s going to take us to meet Mike Connolly, the owner Estes Park’s biggest telescope, and to also to meet one Estes Park's most celebrated residents, astronaut Loren Shriver, who commanded the shuttle mission that deployed the Hubble Space Telescope. 

Our first episode chronicles the Colorado adventures of Isabella Bird, a British explorer who famously ascended Longs Peak in 1873 with her guide and companion Jim Nugent. 

The story of Bird and Jim illuminates the early history and character of Estes Park, as her writings helped establish the town as a tourist destination, and parallels with the broader historic myth of the frontier and the American west.

Bird remains an inspiration to the locals of Estes Park, including restaurateur Melissa Strong. We visit her new restaurant Bird & Jim to hear of her near-death experience and learn how Isabella’s determination to break the conventions of the time was an inspiration for Melissa’s subsequent recovery. 

Welcome to Estes Park, Colorado’s Original Playground and the Basecamp to the Rocky Mountains.

Hosted by travel writer Aaron Millar, this series will traverse mountains, alpine lakes and the dark skies above. You'll hear from the region's original inhabitants, the Ute and Arapaho Native American tribes, and the stories of the people who helped found this town. We are Exploring Estes Park.

Episode 1 will be released on June 7th, 2021. We'll hear the story of Isabella Bird, an early explorer of the region that summited Longs Peak in 1873, and of restaurateur Melissa Strong, the owner of Bird & Jim.