Gas in Estes Park is often 30-40¢ more per gallon than it is in larger towns in Colorado, and close to the most expensive in the US. YIKES!
If you can, fill up your tank before you get here… Lyons and Loveland are the last cheap places to buy gas.
(If coming from the west, your best bet is probably somewhere along the Interstate, or in Granby. Gas is available in Grand Lake, but it ain’t cheap there either.)
So, if you can avoid it, don’t buy gas in Estes Park!
That said, however, if you are planning on driving over Trail Ridge Road, you should not leave Estes Park without a tank that’s at least half full. Once you start up over Trail Ridge Road, the next nearest gas is in Grand Lake, and that’s two hours away, with the potential for lots of stops and starts in between for scenic overlooks, critter watching, slow motor homes – you get the idea. There is no gas available inside Rocky Mountain National Park.
If you have to buy gas in Estes Park, the Shell and Safeway stations downtown tend to be cheaper than the ones closer to the National Park, but if you’re already close to the national park entrance, you’re probably better off not driving all the way through town to get gas, especially in busy summer traffic.
For more info on Gas in Estes Park, check out a list of our gas stations.
Gas prices in Estes Park are now over 40 cents higher than in Lyons, a mere 20 miles away (as of 11/12/18). It used to be that gas prices were very competitive in Estes Park, but Safeway decided to stiff the tourists and locals alike by raising prices. Go elsewhere with your gas purchases. That is the only way they will change. Thanks for reading!