Cabins at YMCA of the Rockies – Estes Park, Colorado

The YMCA of the Rockies Estes Park Center is located 10 minutes southwest of downtown Estes Park, Colorado. Activities on the property include hiking, horseback riding, birding, fishing, mountain biking, and rock climbing. Cell phone service was weak while on the property. YMCA of the Rockies has two more locations in Winter Park and Granby, Colorado. The following map highlights the Estes Park check-in building, our three bedroom cabin (Alplily), our three bedroom cabin (Magic Pines), our two bedroom cabin (Cedar Pines), and the on-site trailhead that provides access to hiking in Moraine Park.

After a four year hiatus, we made our third visit to the YMCA property. We stayed in a three bedroom cabin named Alpily. It was higher up on the ridge than our previous cabins so the views were better. Our rooms were configured with a queen size bed and second bathroom in the master, two twins in the second room, and three twins (two of which were bunked) in the last room. In addition to the recommended items listed later in this post, I recommend bringing salt, pepper, and glassware for beer and wine. Also, I recommend buying firewood when you check-in. Our cabin had soap dispensers over the bathroom sink and in the shower but I recommend bringing your own. Surprisingly, the Wi-Fi connection was strong in our cabin.

We found mid-March to be a fun time to visit because there were significantly less people around than we’ve experienced in the summer. The only downside was the weather was unpredictable and changed drastically from day to day. Our first day was blustery and cold whereas our last two days were sunny and warmer with temperatures in the 40s.

An especially fun feature of this cabin was the deck that wrapped around half of it and which had Adirondack chairs and a picnic table. Also, our six year old had fun at the Sweet Memorial building doing two sessions of origami and a session of making friendship bracelets.

On several occasions, large numbers of mule deer passed by our cabin.

What’s more, we witnessed Elk grazing outside of our kitchen window.

Staying a night in one of their cabins provides an awesome opportunity to explore and enjoy Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park without having to make a single day, round trip drive from Fort Collins, Boulder, or Denver.
On our first visit, we stayed a in three bedroom, two bath cabin with a fireplace. It included five twin beds and one full size bed.
In addition, it included a stove, refrigerator, microwave, oven, kitchen utensils, plates, bowls, hand towels, wine glasses, pots, pans, coffee maker, drinkable tap water, made-up beds with pillows, firewood, trail guide books, and furniture (indoors and outdoors). Items not provided that you may want to bring include shampoo, coffee, paper towels, food, and beverages.
Dogs are allowed in the cabins but not in the vacation homes. We had a 19 month old and a 3 1/2 year old and both did great in the cabin. What’s more, our cabin had a game closet with playing cards and puzzles.
The three bedroom cabins are nicely spaced out whereas the two bedroom cabins appear to be closer together. The subsequent pictures highlight the exterior, interior, and scenic views from the Magic Pines cabin property. Not seen in the pictures are mule deer, birds, and other wildlife that roam the property.

On a subsequent visit, we stayed in a two bedroom, single bath cabin named “Cedar Pines”, which can be seen in the following picture. We found the picnic table on the deck to be a serene place to have dinner.
All of the amenities and features were the same as a three bedroom cabin except that the common room was smaller.
The master bedroom had a queen size bed and the second bedroom had two sets of bunk beds. Thus, the two bedroom cabin is suitable for one pair of adults and four kids.
We were lucky enough to see an Elk walk by our cabin.
In addition, hummingbirds frequented our cabin’s feeder.

From easiest to most difficult, our three favorite Rocky Mountain National Park trails are Bear Lake to Emerald Lake, Deer Mountain, and Twin Sisters Peaks.