When entering the park, it's wise to make your first stop one of the visitor centers. Except as noted, all can be contacted through the main park phone number (tel. 970/586-1206). Visitor center hours vary seasonally and are based on available staff; therefore, the following hours are subject to change. Visitor centers are closed on Christmas Day.
The Beaver Meadows Visitor Center, on U.S. 36 on the east side of the park, has a good interpretive exhibit that includes a relief model of the park, an audiovisual program, a wide choice of books and maps for sale, and knowledgeable people to answer questions and give advice. A self-guided nature trail just outside the visitor center identifies many of the park's plants. It's open daily from 8am to 4:30pm and may have extended hours in summer.
Just outside the park, on U.S. 34 and just east of the Fall River entrance on the east side of the national park, is the Fall River Visitor Center. Located in a beautiful mountain lodge-style building, it contains exhibits on park wildlife, including some spectacular full-size bronzes of elk and other animals, plus an activity/discovery room for children, an information desk, and a bookstore. In summer it's open daily from 8am to 6pm, and in winter it is usually open weekends from 9am to 4pm. Next door is Rocky Mountain Gateway, a large and somewhat pricey souvenir-and-clothing shop that also contains a cafeteria-style restaurant with snacks and sandwiches.
The Kawuneeche Visitor Center (open daily 8am-4:30pm, with longer hours possible in summer) is located at the Grand Lake end of Trail Ridge Road (tel. 970/627-3471). In addition to exhibits on the geology, plants, animals, and human history of the park's west side, there is a small theater where films and video programs are shown, and a short self-guided nature trail. By the way, kawuneeche (kah-wuh-nee-chee) is an Arapaho word that translates as "valley of the coyote."
The Alpine Visitor Center (open late June through late Aug daily 9am-5pm, and Sept through mid-Oct daily 10am-4:30pm) at Fall River Pass, has exhibits that explain life on the alpine tundra and a viewing platform from which you are almost certain to see elk. Next-door is the Fall River Store, open in summer, with a snack bar and large gift shop that has an especially good selection of souvenirs, gifts, arts and crafts, and clothing, at surprisingly reasonable prices. The Lily Lake Visitor Center (open summer only, daily 9am-4:30pm) is located along Colo. 7 about 7 miles south of Estes Park. In addition to information on the national park, it has exhibits and information on activities in the adjacent Roosevelt and Arapaho national forests.
The Moraine Park Museum (open summer only, daily 9am-5pm) is a great spot for families. It is located on Bear Lake Road in a historic log building that dates from 1923. It has full visitor-center facilities, in addition to excellent natural-history exhibits that describe the creation of the park's landscape, as well as the plants and animals of the park. There's also a nature trail outside. The Holzwarth Trout Lodge Historic Site (open in summer only, daily 10am-4pm), is off Trail Ridge Road, via a half-mile walk, about 7 miles north of the Grand Lake entrance station. It includes several historic buildings, including a lodge, with displays of furnishings, tools, and other items from when it was a busy dude ranch. Guided tours are available.
