Weather, Clothing and Altitude
We want everyone attending the reunion to enjoy themselves. We also want to allay any concerns you have about traveling in Colorado and Estes Park. This page has information and tips to make your stay more enjoyable.
Weather
In late September daytime temperatures are typically in the 50s and 60s. Overnight lows will dip into the high 20s and 30s.
Although it’s certainly possible to see snow, it’s not common. And early Fall snowstorms tend to be brief affairs. It might snow in the night but when the sun comes out the next day the snow will melt off.
Humidity
Those of you coming from other climates will also notice that our humidity is much lower, typically in the 30 - 40% range. The plus side of this humidity is that cooler temperatures are not as uncomfortable as they would be in more humid climates. One effect of the lower humidity is that the day to night temperature swings are much more pronounced. When those temperatures, drop a light sweater or jacket feels nice.
Speaking of humidity you may notice two other effects. First, your skin will feel much drier. We recommend bringing some additional skin moisturizing lotion. You’ll also be more thirsty. With lower humidity you actually breath out moisture with each breath. The air at 30% humidity you breath in is nearly 100% humidity when you breath out. A Colorado “thing” is to carry a water bottle nearly everywhere.
clothing
In Colorado there is a saying “there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing choices.” We recommend dressing in layers. Using layers allows you to add a layer or take one off as the temperatures and wind dictate.
If you are planning to view the Elk Rut, you may want to bring a jacket, some light gloves, a hat which covers your ears, tennis or trail shoes and warm socks.
Colorado is blessed with abundant sunshine - they average 300 days of sunshine per year. As a result, sunglasses are an essential piece of “clothing”, just as much as a jacket and hat.
Altitude
Estes Park sits at an approximate elevation of 7,500 feet above see level. If you’re coming from sea level or lower elevations, you may find it takes a day or two to adjust. You may find you are out of breath a little more often. The best tips are to get adequate sleep and drink lots of water. You may also want to moderate drinking alcohol for the first couple of days.
For those of you who attended the Zephyr Point reunion at Lake Tahoe, the elevation there was approximately 6,200 feet. Because the effective percentage of oxygen does not change linearly with altitude, you’ll probably notice little difference in Estes Park as compared to Lake Tahoe. The effective percentage of oxygen at Lake Tahoe is 16.6%. At Estes Park, it is 0.6% lower at 16.0%.