My father and I have been staying with Fran and Jay for what must be a decade now. Every year we return to Estes and the ATR Inn to hike in September and would not even consider staying anywhere else.
Let's be clear. The rooms are not huge. It is a roadside motel. One does not travel to a place like this to spend your vacation in your room and when we do, these rooms have everything we need and are very clean. The motel is on a highway, but there is no noise at night and it never seems to bother the Elk wandering in the field accross from the inn.
Fran and Jay take excellent care of us and we feel like we are staying with family. My father actually makes it to Estes twice a year and we feel safe that Fran is looking after him. As for a guide to the trails in the park, Fran is the best at summing up your abilities and making the right recommendation so you can make the very most of your stay. Likewise, she has always managed to get us a good restaurant reservation.
To sum up, The Alpine Trail Ridge Inn is not a fancy place to stay, but it is four star functional. Always clean with everything we need. We could stay anywhere, but it just wouldn't be the same.

We were a group of three spending a couple of days in RMNP before going down to Coloroado Springs to do some more hiking. We decided on Alpine Trail Ridge Inn after reading many positive reviews online. We were not dissapointed. They are in a great location, just down the road from the entrance to the park. The staff was friendly and everything was exactly how we had reserved. They had free internet in the rooms for laptops, and computers for you to use in the office area, along with fresh coffee, cocoa, cider, etc. This was a very good experience and we will definately stay here again!

I said it once, I'll say it again. This is a wonderful hotel, and I would highly recommend it to anyone. After reading some of the recent reviews, I have to agree that your experience depends upon your expectations. No, this is not a 5 star hotel. But, check out the Stanley Hotel's prices, and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the ATRI. We had a balcony room and we did spend time on the balcony. It was a little noisy when we were on the balcony, but at night when were sleeping, we heard no road noise. The scenery more than made up for the noise. Yes, the room was a little small and a little dated, but it was one of the absolute cleanest motels I've ever stayed in. The fridge and microwave were a nice touch. We never used the pool, but saw lots of other people in it. It was sparkling clean, like the rest of the property. The owners were the nicest people. They were always ready to offer assistance or a suggestion. I'm used to 4 or 5 star hotels and I would not hesitate to stay here again or to recommend it to anyone. The next time we're in the area, this is the first hotel I'll call.

We stayed on two different occasions at the Alpine Trail Inn. I am very impressed with this motel – the rooms are very clean, beds are firmly comfortable, and the shower (flow) is good.

Both times we had queen size beds and didn’t have any problems with the size. I was impressed with their comfort as most motel beds have saggy middles.

What I didn’t like is that some of the parking is limited. Most of the units have parking outside the door and the convenience was great. There are about 4 rooms that do not have assigned parking spaces and, if the motel is sold out and it is near dinner or lunch hour, the approximately 8-10 spaces where the 4 units’ guests would typically park were taken by diners at the restaurant.

Ahh, the restaurant. . . excuse me while I reminisce for a moment. It was exceptional and I can’t say enough about the food. We went to a few restaurants in Estes Park and were disappointed in the food elsewhere but the on-site restaurant food was delicious, absolutely delicious. Don’t expect fancy, it is not gourmet and it is not a linen napkin restaurant but the food is homemade and freshly prepared with great recipes.

We stayed at the Alpine Trail Inn because it is #1 on Tripadvisor. The following day when we checked out of the motel, I found out why it is #1 – the managers/proprietors have posted a flyer with a shameless solicitation for positive comments on Tripadvisor. I thought it was very tacky, however, not too many hotel and motels can brag about their high standards and remain consistent on those standards. Actually, because of this, I was looking to be critical but have only one negative comment – just the parking situation. It really is a nice motel.

Regardless of the parking, you can’t go wrong with this motel. A previous commenter implied that the motel seemed too far from Estes Park. Actually, we loved the location of the motel. It seemed in the middle between Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park and was far enough away to avoid congestion.

My recommendation is that you skip the balcony rooms and ask for a large room with good parking. And definitely make reservations for dinner.