197. Mountain Towns, like Estes Park, Face an Uncertain Economic Future

197. Mountain Towns, like Estes Park, Face an Uncertain Economic Future

Estes Park, Colorado, gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, has long relied on its outdoor recreation economy.

In fact, just a few years ago, it was outpacing the rest of Colorado in tourism growth.

But in 2025, federal policy changes, including mass firings at federal agencies like the National Park Service, are raising questions:

Will communities like Estes Park be able to weather the storm?

In this episode, we visit Estes Park to speak directly with business owners and guides whose livelihoods are intertwined with the health of public lands.

Despite economic pressures and staffing cuts, visitation to Rocky Mountain National Park is up.

But will that be enough to sustain local businesses?

And what role do national policies really play in the day-to-day reality of a mountain town?

Featured Guests:

  • Melissa Strong – Climber and Owner of Bird & Jim Restaurant & Bird’s Nest Cafe

  • Thomas Pemberton – Owner of Estes Park Tour Guides

  • Reed Woodford – Owner of KMAC Guides

    Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/outdoor.minimalist.book/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.theoutdoorminimalist.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@theoutdoorminimalist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    Buy Me a Coffee: ⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/outdoorminimalist⁠⁠

    Listener Survey: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://forms.gle/jd8UCN2LL3AQst976⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    -----------------

    KMAC Guides: https://kmacguides.com/

    Estes Park Tour Guides: https://estesparktourguides.com/

    Bird & Jim: https://www.birdandjim.com/

    Visit Estes Park: https://www.visitestespark.com/

    Turner PR: https://www.turnerpr.com/

    -----------------

    Sources Used in Episode:

    https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/layoffs-rocky-mountain-national-park-impact-estes-park-business-colorado/

    https://estesvalleyvoice.com/2025/08/17/state-of-estes-park-business-climate-mixed/

    https://www.visitestespark.com/transparency/dashboard-report-executive-summary/

    https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/03/05/rocky-mountain-national-park-colorado-layoffs-trump

    https://www.visitestespark.com/articles/post/new-data-shows-tourism-continues-to-positively-impact-economy-in-estes-park/

    https://assets.simpleviewinc.com/simpleview/image/upload/v1/clients/estespark/Visit_Estes_Park_Annual_Report_2023_small_cfcacfba-3478-44b1-a422-d9938d7f17fa.pdf

    https://www.rockymountainnationalpark.com/gallery/20250217/

    https://www.rockymountainnationalpark.com/gallery/20250217/

    https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/SSRSReports/Park%20Specific%20Reports/Monthly%20Public%20Use?Park=ROMO

  • Episoder(285)

    185. How "Greenhushing" Could Be Hurting Your Business with Jason Parkin

    185. How "Greenhushing" Could Be Hurting Your Business with Jason Parkin

    By now, we’ve all heard the term greenwashing. But have you ever heard of green hushing? Greenhushing seems to be a growing trend where businesses, afraid of backlash or political controversy, choose ...

    9 Jun 202549min

    What's in the Budget Bill? - Public Lands News (June 2-6)

    What's in the Budget Bill? - Public Lands News (June 2-6)

    This week, we cover a relentless wave of threats to America’s public lands and environmental protections. But it’s not all bad news, because we wrap up with some powerful land-back victories, state pa...

    6 Jun 202515min

    184. How Safe is Your Water? Understanding Water Quality Where You Live with Cydian Kauffman

    184. How Safe is Your Water? Understanding Water Quality Where You Live with Cydian Kauffman

    Correction: In this episode, the guest mentioned that the EPA was formed in the 1990s. To clarify, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was actually established in December 1970 under Presid...

    2 Jun 202545min

    Rollback of Single-Use Plastics Bans in National Parks and the Push to Rewrite American History - Public Lands News (May 26 - 30)

    Rollback of Single-Use Plastics Bans in National Parks and the Push to Rewrite American History - Public Lands News (May 26 - 30)

    This week, we break down the biggest public lands headlines you might have missed.We’cover:How public pressure killed a plan to sell off over 500,000 acres of public lands in Nevada and UtahWhy the Ho...

    30 Mai 202516min

    183. Our Thoughts on Netfix's Viral 'Buy Now' Documentary (Consumerism, AI, and The Shopping Conspiracy)

    183. Our Thoughts on Netfix's Viral 'Buy Now' Documentary (Consumerism, AI, and The Shopping Conspiracy)

    In this episode, we're doing something a little different: a group breakdown of the new Netflix documentary Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy. This unsettling (and sometimes oddly playful) film looks i...

    26 Mai 202551min

    Staffing Cuts at the National Park Service and Forest Service and an Uptick in Gas Lease Sales - Public Lands News (May 19 - 23)

    Staffing Cuts at the National Park Service and Forest Service and an Uptick in Gas Lease Sales - Public Lands News (May 19 - 23)

    This week, we’re breaking down a sweeping federal budget package passed by the House on May 22 and what it means for America’s public lands, waters, and environmental protections.In this episode:The p...

    23 Mai 20259min

    182. Fostering Sustainabe Outdoor Habits as We Age with Linden Loren

    182. Fostering Sustainabe Outdoor Habits as We Age with Linden Loren

    In episode 182 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we have a conversation about something that every outdoor lover eventually has to reckon with: how do we keep doing the activities we love for as long...

    19 Mai 202527min

    The One Big Beautiful Bill Act and What it Means for Public Lands - Public Lands News (May 12 - 16)

    The One Big Beautiful Bill Act and What it Means for Public Lands - Public Lands News (May 12 - 16)

    This week, we break down the whirlwind of public lands policy battles happening in Congress and at the Department of the Interior. But it’s not all grim. We also share a couple glimmers of good news, ...

    16 Mai 202512min

    Populært innen Politikk og nyheter

    giver-og-gjengen-vg
    aftenpodden
    forklart
    aftenpodden-usa
    popradet
    stopp-verden
    lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
    det-store-bildet
    rss-gukild-johaug
    dine-penger-pengeradet
    nokon-ma-ga
    fotballpodden-2
    hanna-de-heldige
    aftenbla-bla
    rss-ness
    rss-espen-lee-usensurert
    rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
    rss-dannet-uten-piano
    frokostshowet-pa-p5
    rss-utenrikskomiteen-med-bogen-og-grasvik