Lake Estes is a reservoir in Estes Park, Colorado created by Olympus Dam. The lake has a shoreline of about 4 miles and a surface area of 185 acres. This reservoir lies on the Big Thompson River and is a component of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project.  Lake Estes sits at 7,522 feet in elevation and is about an hour’s drive from Denver.  It is very close to the Rocky Mountain National Park. 

We just took a stroll here for an hour or so, as we had very little time to explore.  We had a good breakfast at the Notchtop cafe.  It did seem like a great place with tons of options such as boating, fishing, kayaking, wildlife sighting, bird photography, and more, or just soaking in the beauty and serene environment.  We did spot some wildlife right near the lake, as you can see from the pics.