I can't believe that there isn't a popular Denver or Boulder or Fort Collins thread like this (espy considering the location of MMMHQ), so I'm gonna try it here. I didn't want to make a whole new thread due to the specificity of what I'm asking, so here goes...
I am thinking about popping the ? to my gf on a trip to the Fort Collins and RMNP area in a couple weeks. We are going for a wedding in the middle of the week, and then stretched out the trip to do our own thing on the weekend. We wanted to explore the mountains a bit. I have an airbnb in the outskirts of Loveland, between Fort Collins and Boulder. I saw that RMNP is doing a reservation system, so I already have one day booked there. I see there are several smaller mountains around Drake, and we've done some research on the Horsetooth area that a friend recommended.
I'm thinking about doing a hike and proposing that way. My ideal spot is somewhere serene and beautiful with a really nice view, but hopefully with some privacy and not a ton of people around (maybe even none?). I know the combo of "beautiful spot" and "no crowds" is difficult, but that's what I'm going for. Does anyone have ideas for spots like these around the Drake or Estes Park area, or in RMNP itself? I've considered trying to find a photographer or a friendly hiker to capture the moment, but this may not be a possibility and I definitely don't want it to be staged. Really looking for a natural beautiful moment.
Thanks in advance!
You can enter RMNP before 6AM without a reservation and starting at 5-6AM is recommended if you want to avoid crowds. If you go early, you can avoid most people even on popular routes (and Sky Pond mentioned above is out of the Bear Lake area which is more crowded than Disneyland at mid-day). My suggestions, in increasing order of difficulty:
Gem Lake (Lumpy Ridge TH; you do not have to enter RMNP to access--one of those weird lakes that are near the top of a mountain)
Deer Mountain (have to sneak in before 6AM w/o park reservation; great view of the continental divide once on the peak [below treeline])
Crosier Mountain -- 3 possible starting points, including Garden Gate TH (longest but most scenic route starting just 2 miles out of Drake); the easiest is from Glen Haven further up Devil's Gulch road. Not an alpine peak but has good views and is not too crowded
Twin Sisters (no RMNP entrance needed; go for the eastern peak which is the higher than the western one and almost never has anyone on it. Great view of Meeker/Longs/Mt Lady Washington)
Ypsilon Peak (Chapin TH; tiny parking area most of the way up Old Fall River Road in RMNP so arrive before sunrise) -- very popular but almost all above treeline and you can hit 3 peaks (2 >13k feet) in a few hours or just go straight for Ypsilon
Signal and/or South Signal Mountain (Dunraven TH, not in RMNP); you're probably not going to see anyone all day; summit pokes a bit above treeline with a good view of the higher peaks of RMNP and some weird black & white rocks on South Signal. The best shortest on-trail hike for solitude in the area, I think, though it's unrelentingly steep and only scenic towards the end of a 6 mile ascent
I would have recommended Chasm Lake out of the Longs Peak TH but that gets crazy as soon as the Keyhole route is snow-free (TH parking full by 3AM...). Sunrise at Chasm would be perfect if you would just wait until after the summer route died down on Longs!