We are about 75 miles north of Denver. Driving time from Denver International Airport to our front door is about 2 hours. We will email you with detailed directions prior to your coming here, but in a nutshell you take I-25 north out of Denver to Fort Collins (about 60 miles) and then take the Highway 14 exit west into Fort Collins. Then Highway 287 north to highway 52E west, through Bellvue and into the mountains. The last 3 1/2 miles of the drive are up a rough dirt road, which adds to the seclusion of the area, but is a bumpy ride. An SUV is recommended, but in the summer most vehicles can get here without much problem.
The City of Fort Collins is located about 40 minutes from Elk Lodge. This is a college town (Colorado State University) with a good selection of restaurants, grocery stores, shopping centers, libraries, etc ... everything you'd expect to find in a mid-size city. Vern's restaurant, in the town of Laporte, is only 20 minutes away from elk Lodge. This is an old log cabin style landmark with traditional country food. A great breakfast place.
Elk Lodge will sleep 11 people maximum as it is currently set up. There is a queen bed in the upstairs master bedroom along with a queen fold-out bed, a queen bed with a twin bunk bed in one of the downstairs bedrooms, a full size bed in the second downstairs bedroom, and a fold out queen bed in the living room. Since there are two full baths in the place, 2 people in the upstairs master bedroom and up to 5 persons in the downstairs bedrooms would be comfortable. Nine people would work, and eleven would be pushing the carrying capacity.
You can literally go on a day hike into wilderness from the front door or take a more leisurely stroll on the dirt roads which run through the area. Rocky Mountain National park is about a one hour scenic drive away, and this is a magnificent park. Horsetooth reservoir is about 30 minutes away - this several mile long lake is fed by mountain rivers and has a marina and swimming beaches as well as Lory State park surrounding it - the reservoir water is clear and can be cold. A 20 minute drive will take you to the Poudre River, the state's only designated Wild and Scenic River. There are many local rafting companies offering white water rafting on this beautiful river. Ski areas (Loveland, Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, etc.) are within 2 to 2 1/2 hours drive away. The Wild Wyoming border is about a one hour drive and there is a little ski area called Snowy Mountain in Wyoming about 2 hours from Elk Lodge.
We have provided some links to these activities here: ELK LODGE ACTIVITIES!
A sense of adventure and a desire for peace and quiet! Linens, towels and all kitchen utensils and appliances are provided. A nice barbeque grill lives on the deck as well.
Spring and fall are our favorite times. Summers can be hot (upper 80s) and are dry, but still very pleasant. The climate is generally mild from May through October. It usually starts snowing on Halloween.