EstesParking.com
ugh, paid parking, right?

in-town parking

Nobody likes the paid parking, except for local government. The rest of us have to deal with it for a year, then "re-evaluate".

Paid parking is in effect for in-town parking May 26 - Oct 22, 2023

why?

Money.

Business owners and residents have been told that paid parking will increase visitor turnover and decrease emissions. You decide if its helpful.

This website is presented by business owners to help you navigate your visit, and collect data to share with the town when it's time to review this experiment. We are glad you're here!

There is just one private lot owner who has chosen to jump on the bandwagon and charge you to visit their property in season


Ed's Cantina lot (East Elkhorn)


Please take our survey to share your experience HERE.

Tip: Check out the Strategy page

parking lots

Even though the Town says 'only 30%' of all public parking is paid, almost 70% (773) of the downtown spaces cost money to use. There are kiosks at most paid lots (not at Tregent Park) which accept credit cards and paper currency. You can also pay via an app that adds a service fee on top of the parking fee (see next article about extra fee warning).

The Town says they monitor parking occupancy and report status in real time, but that has not been our experience, as the data may be delayed or non existent. It's worth a try, download the app or access directly online. 

Town parking map below (scroll down).

Town of Estes Park parking info page

pay, but avoid xtra fees

Caution, the "ParkMobile" app adds fees you're not expecting, and might make you angry.

We are not including the ParkMobile app on this site intentionally, you're on your own.

Bonus warning- if you rack up some unpaid fees, our town trustees gave special permission to apply "The Barnacle" to your windshield so you cant see to drive your car until you pay with a credit card, and then return The Barnacle to a deposit box- or be charged even more money, money, money.


Get a ticket?

Please let us know the details and your contact info as we gather information about this new system. Please use the SURVEY to share your information.

2023 Town parking map

Beware the extra fees for using the ParkMobile app.

There are two separate apps, the "Estes Park Parking App" which is totally free to download and use to find available parking (links to download are above this map).

The ParkMobile app is to pay for parking, and is managed by a contractor to take as much of your money as possible through convenience fees. Alternately you can pay for parking by using a freestanding payment kiosk located around town with a credit card or paper currency.
share your impressions

user feedback

Received from users who submitted comments when taking the survey.
We live in Estes and think it’s ridiculous to have to pay to go to a restaurant downtown, we do go downtown quite often. We shouldn’t be limited to the time we spend downtown, we should be encouraged to spend time in our own town and to spend as much time as we want having lunch, taking a stroll and maybe stopping off to have a drink, buy candy, whatever it may be. We want to support the local businesses as much as we can! Unless we are planning to spend the day walking in and out of stores, we probably won’t use the parking garage just to go out to dinner. I have always hated going to towns that have paid parking. Even though this has always been a tourist town, it had a great vibe and was just different than other towns.
-CM
I visit Estes often to visit friends and family. We usually stop downtown a couple of times to get ice cream. Ice cream in town is a bit on the pricey end but it's good and we like to support local businesses. If I have to pay for parking, we definitely won't stop for ice cream. Similarly, we often walk downtown for fun and my wife often buys a thing or 2. Now we'll just stick to walking around the neighborhood.
-TG
Don’t nickel and dime me. I drive from Cheyenne several times a year to enjoy the beauty and shop. If I now have to pay to shop, then I will just quit coming. That means no money, for stores, restaurants, cabins. You lose all the way around STUPID IDEA.
-JG