On October 23, 2017, Historic Larimer County members enjoyed a personalized tour of historic Estes Park including a visit to the historic Park Theater and the Birch Ruins. The tour was led by Derek Fortini, the director of the Estes Park Museum and one of Historic Larimer County’s board members.

Before beginning the walking tour, Derek Fortini have a brief overview of the history of Estes Park.

In Estes Park, history facts are printed on the sidewalk with chalk.

Plaques throughout downtown tell the story of Estes Park.

The tower on the Park Theater is hollow.

One great thing about a tour is that you find things out that you might not have picked up on without someone telling you. This mark on the sidewalk looks unimpressive, but it’s indicative of the fact that many old Estes Park buildings used to have a second story porch that extended out over the sidewalk.

The Birch ruins were built for a Denver newspaper editor and burned down within months after the stone cabin was built.

There are beautiful views from the ruins.