Black Canyon Inn

Animals in the Estes Valley

2011-06-07T10:52:00.001-07:00

Estes Park, Colorado is located at 7,500 feet and the weather can be very unpredictable. The worst time of year is the transition from winter to spring or should I say winter to summer? Spring comes slowly-if at all. This year is no different, we went from 30s-40s and then 80s!

Spring is usually a step up in temperature and the need to be cautious around the streams. As the temperatures rise, the snow begins to melt. This past winter our upper elevation had snow-packs 230% above normal. These waters will be coming through the Estes Valley at very high speeds. We need to take caution of this rapid movement as well as the temperature. These waters are very cold and can cause hypothermia.

The vegetation begins to grow and the Estes Park area will pop with color! One of the first flowers we’ll see is the “Easter flower” aka Pasque flower. This little purple flower is a delight to see after the brown and white winter months.

The other great excitement is all the wildlife babies being born. The elk have started calving, birds are building their nests, foxes are having their kits, bears and bobcats are having their cubs and moose are having their calves.

Granted, the Estes Valley is not known to see moose often, but just this morning two were spotted over on the Historical MacGregor Ranch next to Black Canyon Inn in Estes Park, Colorado. Enjoy the pictures we’ve collected through the years of our local visitors.

Trip Advisors 25 Top Destinations in the United States

2011-05-05T11:59:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the town of Estes Park, CO! Due to you, our guests, we have been chosen number 14 for the Top 25 Destinations in the United States by Trip Advisor reviews. This is quite exciting after reviewing the peers in this list.

Estes Park is open year round and is home to approximately 6,000 people, during our peak time the number of people significantly increases. There are thousands if not millions of people who come through Estes Park to get to the Rocky Mountain National Park.

Though the Rocky Mountain National Park is the biggest draw to the region, it is not the only. The town of Estes Park is rich in history, has an abundance of wildlife to view, fine art galleries, shopping for most anyone’s taste and lodging to fit your travel needs.

The first settlers came to the Estes Valley during the mid 1800s. Many of these men and women had an impact on what Estes Park is today. Joel Estes was known as the “founder” of Estes Park. Earl of Dunraven loved the valley so much he tried to buy all the land to make his own hunting reserve-needless to say it didn’t go over well with other settlers. Isabella Bird was the original naturalist for the Rocky Mountain National Park. Alexander Q. MacGregor was a large cattle rancher that his historical working ranch is open to visit an era back in time.

F.O. and F.E. Stanley jumpstarted tourism with the opening of the luxurious Stanley Hotel. The world renowned Stanly Hotel ws opened in 1909 and ran their Stanley Steamer mountain bus shuttles through the Big Thompson Canyon. These twin brothers were truly entrepreneurs and inventors.

Get your binoculars, your tracking guide and hiking boots-the wildlife throughout the valley is still plentiful, if not troublesome at time. These animals will get into your garbage, flower beds and even bird feeders. As you are out and about you may spot different species of birds, bobcat, bear, fox, marmot, mule deer (yes, they have ears like a mule), elk, big horn sheep and if you are lucky maybe a mountain lion. Keep in mind these beautiful creatures are wild-do not approach!

Through the years, Estes Park has refined their art community. There are many galleries downtown showcasing photography, paintings, glasswork, woodcarvings, pottery, sculptures and jewelry. There is even an Art Center to help organize our Estes Park artists.

Do you want that momentous item, key chain, t-shirt or even decorations for your home? Estes Park downtown shopping has just about anything you’d want. I have purchased decorations, gifts and Montana Silversmith items from the Colorado Homestead. They have a wide selection of quality products that you’ll be happy to take home with you. You can even shop online if you decided you made the mistake of leaving that western dinnerware on their shelves instead of packing it in your car.

When you came to visit the Rocky Mountain National Park, it doesn’t mean you have to rough it. Black Canyon Inn on MacGregor Ave is a beautiful vacation rental property featuring condos. We have a great setting to return to after that long hike up to Gem Lake. During the summer we have our outdoor heated pool available or winter you can run water into your private jetted tub and relax. The spacious one, two and three-bedroom condos are great to fix a bite and sit in front of the stone faced gas fireplace with a movie on the television set.

Take the time today to plan your trip to the 14th Top Destinations in the United States-Estes Park Colorado!

Labor Day in Estes Park, Colorado

2010-09-01T09:11:00.000-07:00

Labor Day is pretty much a bitter sweet holiday these days. Originally organized for "The American Workers" who helped strengthen the prosperity and well being of this nation, has since crumbled with the sluggish economy.

Majority of those who get the day off won't be sitting around pondering the fair acts of labor laws, they'll be out on a three day break. What they may not realize is that they are helping to spur the growth of our economy.

AAA predicts an almost 10% jump in travel for this upcoming weekend. Most of those hitting the road will travel 50 miles or more from home.

The Black Canyon Inn is located in the lovely village of Estes Park, Colorado. Though we have availability on Friday and Sunday only, you may find lodging by contacting the local Estes Park CVB at http://www.visitestespark.com or by calling 1-800-443-7837.

Though many come to Estes Park for the hiking, biking, fishing and climbing-this weekend has several other options. You will find the Alpaca Market, John Denver Tribute Concert, Arts & Craft Show, the Sheriff's Posse Rodeo and even a public Stargazing Night.

If you want to stay away from the crowds, the Black Canyon Inn has some vacation rental condos available Monday-Wednesday throughout the Fabulous Fall. Call for details: 1-888-273-4395 or visit us at http://www.blackcanyoninn.com.

P.S. Word has it the Elk are starting to bugle.....

Black Canyon Inn Commercial

2010-06-02T09:27:00.000-07:00

The Black Canyon Inn commercial was produced by Under Oath Productions for the 7522 Network. Take a look, we think it turned out great!

http://www.enjoyestespark.com/blog/?p=4640

Black Canyon Inn weddings on Facebook

2010-06-02T08:53:00.000-07:00

I had previously blogged that Black Canyon Inn had entered the world of social media. With the success of our lodging fan page, we decided to create a fan page for our weddings.

You don't have to have an upcoming wedding on our beautiful property-you could have been married here, dreaming of having a wedding here or just keeping up! This has been fun to create. I have added a few tabs to get creative in posting hints and ideas for our brides (and grooms).

If you have had the pleasure of saying you're I do's at the Black Canyon Inn, post some pictures to share with the world! We have a couple discussions going as well-did you have a funny moment to share? What about that oops? Did you have scissors, tape and thread to fix a rip in your pants or put a button back on? We have a Bridal Emergency Kit list as well. Feel free to add your suggestions on how to smooth out a problem.

One of the biggest questions we get is, "what will the weather be like..." I'm certainly not mother-nature nor a meteorologist, so I've added a couple links to help in your planning process. There is a 30 day forecast link as well as a sunset chart.

Estes Park, Colorado has many destination weddings throughout the year. Since many of the bride and grooms aren't familiar with the different vendor options, we have listed some of those who are familiar with our property.

Join us for Your Wedding in the Mountains! You can find us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Estes-Park-CO/Your-Wedding-in-the-Mountains/108986315801801 .

Memorial Day

2010-05-24T14:18:00.000-07:00

As I remember back in my youth, we'd give change for red crepe paper poppies. I really didn't know why until I was older. I wonder how many children and young adults these days know what these flowers represent?

The wearing of red poppies began with Moina Michael in 1915. This was done in honor of those who lost their lives serving our nation during war. She also was inspired to write the following poem,

"We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies."

In 1922 the VFW (Veteran's of Foreign Wars) began selling the red paper poppies to fund disabled and needy vets. Due to the success of this program, it was registered as "Buddy Poppy" and today disabled and needy vets still make these flowers.

Veterans are the reason for today's Memorial Day, once called Decoration Day. The official date of proclamation for this day of remembrance was on 5/5/1868 by General John Logan. The first day of observance was 5/30/1868 when flowers were placed on Union and Confederate soldiers' grave sites at the Arlington National Cemetery.

Though Memorial Day is in observance of our fallen soldiers, it doensn't mean we can't honor our loved ones that are no longer with us-who didn't serve our country. No matter the form of remembrance, lets' be a nation to keep our traditions alive!

Happy Memorial Day from the Black Canyon Inn in Estes Park, Colorado.

Black Canyon Inn on facebook

2010-05-19T08:40:00.000-07:00

Facebook, Inc. is a privately owned company created by four Harvard students in 2004. This social network site quickly grew and by September 2006, anyone confirming that they were 13 or older could become a member.

This communication site is no longer for family and friends to keep in touch. Business' have quickly jumped on board with Fan Pages.

Black Canyon Inn in Estes Park, Colorado is no different. Though Estes Park is tucked away in the mountains, we are surrounded by the Rocky Mountain National Park and Roosevelt Forest. With these two amazing wonders, there is plenty to do and see nearby.

The Black Canyon Inn is a Northwest facing property on fourteen sloping acres with incredible mountain views. The terrain of our property is favorable to many types of animals in the Estes Park valley. We offer an authentic log cabin, one-bedroom condo, two-bedroom condo and three-bedroom condos for your vacation rental choice.

Next time you're in your Facebook account, look for us at www.facebook.com/blackcanyoninncondo and become a fan!

What this new technical feature will do is bring a few more items to you, our guests. As time goes on, we will be adding new fetures and applications. We will also be able to send updates to our fans on our Facebook Page. This could be exclusive notices, comments or even specials.

So, come one and all...be a Facebook Fan of Black Canyon Inn in Estes Park, Colorado-your vacation rental destination!

2010-05-03T10:24:00.000-07:00

In 1927 the small log guest house was built, now-just northwest of the main building. In 1929 Charles Chapman built the beautiful log structure, as a home for the Wayne Stacey family. Both structures were built out of rough cut logs from the nearby forest and stand on natural foundations of moss covered stones.

In 1965 Dr. Curry Meyers bought the ranch and started to develop it as the Meyers 3M Guest Ranch. At this time he remodeled the interior of the main building to make it a restaurant. He also built the two story lodge building to the north of the restaurant. This building is used today as the lodging office.

At the time Curry Meyers took over, he was certainly very busy for he also bought and moved the older guest cabins that are found throughout the property. These came from the old Stead Ranch in Moraine Park at the time the Rocky Mountain National Park took over this area.

The 3M Guest Ranch name did not last long. Bill Meyers, a friend of Curry Meyers, suggested that it be named the Black Canyon Inn for its location and views of the Black Canyon, over MacGregor Ranch, in the Rocky Mountain National Park. Since that time there have been several other owners, notably Don & Ev Leonard.

Today, the Black Canyon Inn is under the ownership of Mr. Jim Sloan. Since the purchase of this property in 1992. Some of the older guest cabins have been replaced by lodge buildings, housing the condo's that are offered today. The fourth lodge building was completed in July 2000. Our ten-plex was completed in 2007 and has panoramic views of MacGregor Ranch. The secluded site continues to offer the same inviting atmosphere that drew the Stacy family here years ago.

The main building features the fine restaurant, Twin Owls Steakhouse. The restaurant is leased and managed by a long time resident of Estes Park, Mr. Edward Grueff and his family. The restaurant is known for its Colorado casual atmosphere and delicious choices in entrees. They can coordinate your upcoming wedding reception as well as a dinner party.

At this time the Black Canyon Inn, lodging, and the Twin Owls Steakhouse, restaurant, are two separate entities. If you wish to inquire on any of the services, please contact each of them individually.

Black Canyon Inn-Lodging
http://www.blackcanyoninn.com
You can also find us on facebook, search for Black Canyon Inn in Estes Park, Colorado
Phone: 1-888-273-4395

Twin Owls Steakhouse-Dining
970-586-9344

April Snows

2010-04-29T08:51:00.000-07:00

I really thought it was suppose to be April showers bring May flowers. We had another 6" of snow and it is melting quickly. The grass is so green! We are very anxious for some warm weather.

Speaking of warm weather-If you are making your Summer vacation plans, check us out at http://www.blackcanyoninn.com/. The lovely Black Canyon Inn has affordable and clean condo's for your trip to the mountains.

Estes Park is the gateway to the Rocky Mountain National Park.