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*inspired by the belief that "the earth never goes out of style," we blend modern, organic design and intentional living where form and function coexist seamlessly.
ICONIC Portfolio
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About
*inspired by the belief that "the earth never goes out of style," we blend modern, organic design and intentional living where form and function coexist seamlessly.
Marble or Dirt
Trailborn Rocky Mountain
04
There aren't a ton of great accommodations or restaurant options, so finding Trailborn was a gem. They took an old motor lodge and renovated it into a mountain meets mid-century boutique hotel. I always appreciate the work it takes to remodel a building and reinvent it into something that feels fresh and inspiring, while staying true to the original architecture. I feel that Trailborn did just that with their property. The iconic mid-century architecture catches your eye when you first spot the building driving down the main road in town. Once you walk in, the organic flagstone floors give you that rustic feel you want in the Colorado mountains. From there, the natural wood, soft lighting, bookshelves and comfortable seating around the fire immediately relax you.
While staying at Trailborn, we became friends with the staff, heard live music in the evenings, ate at their Mexican restaurant (Casa Colina, shout out to Chef Jason) multiple times, and enjoyed s'mores at night with other hotel guests. Our room was quaint and had everything you hope for - a nice big, comfortable bed, bistro table for working, separate bathroom sink from the shower, a wardrobe and mini refrigerator. We had several elk spottings at the hotel which was a good introduction to what we would see inside of the park.
The entrance of the national park was about a 15 minute drive from the hotel, which was convenient for us as our permit entrance tickets were early each morning. The national park requires you to purchase entrance tickets ahead of time in order for them to control the amount of visitors in the park at once. The Birds Nest is an excellent breakfast and coffee stop on your way into the park. While we did many hikes and overlooks throughout the park, our favorite hikes were Mount Ida (9.4mi), Bear Lake Loop and Nymph, Dream, Emerald and Haiyaha Lakes (5.7mi), Chasm Lake (8mi) and Sky Pond via Glacier Gorge Trail (8.6mi). We saw some epic wildlife throughout the park, including moose in the lakes, big horn sheep at the top of mountains, countless marmots and picas, and more.
If you love Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture, I highly recommend checking out the Beaver Meadows Vistor Center. This small building was designed by an understudyof Frank Lloyd Wright and is in the national register of historic buildings. We also drove to a nearby town, Lyons, for dinner one evening at Farro, which we thoroughly enjoyed. In addition, some of our friends who were near Colorado Springs drove up to Estes Park to meet us for our last full day and we did the Cloud Ladder Via Ferrata together. The Via Ferrata can be coordinated through Trailborn. We're definitely inspired to try more Via Ferratas in the world.
In total, our full trip was about 9 days (in July), between our stops in Colorado Springs on the way in and Denver on the way back, we spent about 6 of the days in Estes Park total and felt it was the perfect amount of time to enjoy the town, relax at Trailborn and explore Rocky Mountain National Park.
Trailborn Rocky Mountain - BOOK NOW
Estes Park, CO - 40.3°N, 105.5°W
Use code KAITLYN20 for 20% off of your stay
Kaitlyn Wolfe