Sunday, July 12, 2015

Coffee on the Rocks -- Estes Park

A Coffee Maven Review 

This cafe adventure followed a morning of exploring Rocky Mountain National Park with friends who live in nearby Fort Collins. Near the continental divide we enjoyed the tundra, elk, marmots, many glacial features, July snow patches, and gorgeous long views.

Clearly, I was enjoying this moment at the roof of North America, with one foot each in the basins of the Atlantic and the Pacific. More photos from our adventures in the Rockies and the High Plains are on my Continental Divide album on Flickr.
As we descended from the thin air into the beautiful enclave of Estes Park, we also regained internet connectivity, and our first use of it was, of course, to search for a cafe. We were delighted  to find Coffee on the Rocks tucked along the banks of a mountain stream, a short distance from the park gate.



Zoom in to get details on navigation, but the map is presented at this scale to convey some sense of the wondrous surroundings. A more idyllic location for a cafe can scarcely be imagined, and the cafe itself merits the location. Each of us was able to find a coffee, chai, smoothie, snack or meal to suit our appetite, and we were able to enjoy them at one of several outdoor tables near a small pond. Had the weather been less inviting, we noticed ample space inside the cafe, which could easily seat a few couple dozen guests.
A beautiful location makes a good cafe a great cafe!
I did not take the time to delve into the details of the coffee itself, but I did enjoy a cappuccino and my daughter's latte was also quite good. If ever we are fortunate enough to be back in Estes Park, we know exactly where to go.