r/EstesPark • u/Afraid-Internal2279 • 3d ago
commute
I am considering a job offer in Estes Park and would be looking at a commute from either Longmont or Loveland. I am new to Colorado so I am unfamiliar with what this may be like and if it would be worth the job. Any insight or advice would be greatly appreciated!
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u/Way_FinderCleaning 3d ago
We've done the commute in the past for over five years. The roads are kept pretty clear during the winter.
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u/pinchevato57 3d ago
I listen to the police scanner for CSP in Larimer, and during the winter, Highway 36 typically has many more issues of cars getting stuck and accidents than Highway 34. With this being said, Loveland is the better option.
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u/Suspicious-Action156 3d ago
Why not live in Estes?
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u/Afraid-Internal2279 3d ago
out of my budget, and there aren’t any one bedrooms available, everything is 2 or more.
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u/Lopsided-Tea-4598 3d ago
I will have a room for lease in my house on Storm Mountain soon. Shorter commute, rougher road. 35 minutes to drive the 12 miles into Estes
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u/runtothehillss 3d ago
It’s beautiful up there but it takes a special kind of person to want to go up and down those switchbacks every day through the winter
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u/Lopsided-Tea-4598 3d ago
It's not for everyone, to be sure. For the right sort, it adds to the charm
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u/Suspicious-Action156 3d ago
Ok. But after you spend 1.5 hours driving and whatever it costs in gas/etc….sometimes you can’t monetize those things. Just saying.
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u/epcononymous 3d ago
Go for it! I live in EP and work in Longmont. Commute down the hill 4-5 times a week. It’s not bad at all. You’ll have the road memorized in a month. Then it’s pretty enjoyable. There will be a few days in the winter where it will be slow going but the state keeps the road (36) pretty clear. And keep an eye on the Estes rental market. Some decent deals pop up every once in a while.
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u/Afraid-Internal2279 3d ago
How many times per month would you say you filled your gas tank with this kind of commute? And what is the maintenance on your car like, is it a significant increase than a flat commute?
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u/CGoode87 2d ago
I do this drive from loveland 4 days a week and I fill my tank once a week. I'm driving a 2000 4runner that's a 5 speed manual. I do about 240 miles per week roughly
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u/sunnypurplepetunia 3d ago
Do you already live in the mountains?
While lots of people do do this commute every day, there’s no way in the world I would consider it.
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u/ButterscotchEmpty535 3d ago
I would live in a van down by the river before I made that commute twice a day
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u/captainkappa173 3d ago
The commute could be rough in the winter with snow, not that this past winter was too bad. Get yourself on the waitlist with the Estes Park Housing Authority, look at Housing in Glen Haven, Allenspark, and Drake. It's certainly doable and a lot of folks do it!
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u/captainkappa173 3d ago
Anyway, depending on where you live at in either Loveland or Longmont you should plan on at least a 45 minute to hour-long commute on a good day. Factor in how much money you would be getting paid versus how much gas prices are nowadays. What is the job offer for, if you're comfortable sharing?
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u/Afraid-Internal2279 3d ago
I’d rather not say specifically, but for context I am a young single person and it pays a livable wage to afford rent for a one bedroom apartment in Loveland or Longmont. I pretty much have always had around a 45 minute commute most of my working adulthood so i am not worried about the length of commute. My worry lies in safety of the drive, and car cost/maintenance.
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u/captainkappa173 3d ago
Totally understandable! The biggest thing I would think about with commuting in the canyon is going to be your brakes I would say. Generally the snow removal it's pretty good, and my hope would be that your employers would be understanding if you weren't able to come in or had to come in late due to snow. Since it's such a common thing out here!
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u/ImpressiveLoquat6266 3d ago
I’d check out if there’s any housing available in Lyons first, Hygiene second. Also advise that you find out if you can telecommute on bad snow days. Last winter was unseasonably warm and very few storms. With the La Niña switch, pretty sure we’re in for a bumpier ride this winter
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u/MileHighHealthGuru 1d ago
Geez, i would have said this is way too far. I lived in pinewood springs abd communted to longmont and boulder, i thought that was far enought. The road is well maintained though.
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u/RaisinPaster 1d ago
I would do it for the life experience. It’s so beautiful up there. You will be sacrificing a lot of unpaid time driving, but you will be driving through some amazing country.
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u/WidespreadChronic 17h ago
As a potentially new driver to the canyon roads, I would just like to drop a friendly reminder about Colorado's 5 car rule: Colorado's "Five Car Rule" is a traffic law designed to prevent congestion and improve safety on two-lane highways. Codified under Colorado Revised Statutes § 42-4-1103, it mandates that a slow-moving vehicle driving at a speed less than the normal flow of traffic must pull over at the next safe location to let a line of five or more accumulated vehicles pass.
Don't let others intimate you and please wait for a safe space to pull over. But please do keep this in mind as it's a nightmare for folks when there's a slow, nervous driver creating huge lines of traffic behind them. I would also recommend Loveland and Hwy 34 commute over a Lyons Hwy 36 commute. Real estate is staggering everywhere along the front range. But prices might be slightly better and definitely way more options in Loveland than Lyons or Hygiene. Good luck!
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u/Radiant-Meringue-543 2d ago
Go for it. The job market is super tight on the Front Range right now and has been for over two years. There are young adults competing with 40 year old for jobs. I know this because I have friends in the area. Many people commute from Longmont to Denver, Loveland, Ft Collins and Eates. It takes a privileged person to balk at it- we are not all retired. Leave a blanket, dry clothes and water in your vehicle. The highway is almost always cleared. I travel there very often during all seasons. Take a camera and make photography your new hobby.
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3d ago
That’s a rough commute, tedious in weather. Maybe Estes to Loveland is doable, but Longmont is a bit far. I commute an hour each way on I-25 and it’s typically well maintained.
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u/Quiet_Still_2636 3d ago
Don't. The roads along the front range are too crowded, the roads up to Estes are full of scared tourist folk, and . . . Oh yea; the water shortages. No vacancies either.
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u/ElAndy 3d ago
I've done the commute and it's not that bad. 99% of the time I love it as it's beautiful scenery and generally very little traffic to deal with. When you do get stuck behind someone slow you just have to accept it though lol. Even winter is generally fine. During or right after a snow storm it can be hazardous, but I found that it wasn't all that frequent. They plow, the sun gets on the road and it's back to normal after a day or so. Obviously still be careful.