Trailhead Restaurant – Estes Park

Trailhead Restaurant

After my hike at Rocky Mountain National Park and the Deer Mountain Trail I was looking for a spot for lunch. I had entered the park at the Fall River entrance and found a a sign that was like a beacon. The Trailhead Restaurant is about as a close to the park as you can get. Plus, how can you do a hiking and restaurant blog without going to place called Trailhead!

Trailhead is a combination restaurant and gift shop in the Rocky Mountain Gateway complex. There is plenty of indoor seating but the real highlight was the view from the patio. The patio is in an L shape that wraps around the back and side of the store and is quite impressive.

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The Food

Trailhead had a great menu with traditional staples like burgers, salads, and wraps mixed with a signature game menu which included elk and buffalo offerings. As a service to you, my loyal readers, I decided to order the Trailhead Mountain Man burger.

The Mountain Man burger was a combination of Elk, Venison, Wild Boar, Antelope, and Buffalo. This is topped with an olive tapenade, chipotle and barbecue sauce. I topped it with bacon too because I wanted to compare the wild boar to the domesticated. For science.

Ok this burger had a very unique taste to it. I couldn’t decipher all of the different meats but it definitely didn’t taste like a run of the mill hamburger. The meat almost had a naturally smoked flavor to it. It was really good. The sauce also gave a bit of a sweet and spicy mix and I really enjoyed it.

Speaking of not run of the mill. The fries weren’t just salted but had a “house blend” of seasonings. I know there was salt and pepper but there was something else that I couldn’t quite place. It was a nice surprise to finish off a great meal.

If you find yourself at Rocky Mountain National Park, make sure to give Trailheads a shot!

Finding Trailhead Restaurant

Trailhead is located at 3450 Fall River Rd in Estes Park. It is about as close to the gate to the park as you can get. There is a good amount of parking and indoor and outdoor seating.

I have added this restaurant and all of the restaurants I have been to on my interactive map that you can find here. If you have a suggestion for a restaurant or any comments feel free to email me at fatmanlittletrails@gmail.com or you can follow me on any of the below social media platforms. Bon Appetit!

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