Baldpate Inn

Estes Park, United States

3.6

Open now

20 reviews

Free Wi-Fi

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Telephone:
+1 970-586-5397
Website:
www.baldpateinn.com
Address:
4900 State Hwy 7, Estes Park, CO, 80517
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Today

Today 11:30 am – 8:00 pm
Open now
Local time (Estes Park) 16:55 Wednesday, 11 June 2025

Business hours

Monday 11:30 am – 8:00 pm
Tuesday 11:30 am – 8:00 pm
Wednesday 11:30 am – 8:00 pm
Thursday 11:30 am – 8:00 pm
Friday 11:30 am – 8:00 pm
Saturday 11:30 am – 8:00 pm
Sunday 11:30 am – 8:00 pm

Description

Specialties

The Baldpate Inn, located seven miles south of Estes Park, Colorado, and next to Rocky Mountain National Park, is a classic mountain getaway offering Bed and Breakfast lodging, a specialty restaurant, unparalleled collections, and spectacular views. Our dining room is loved for our fresh salad buffet, homemade soups, breads, and pies. Not only locals, but travelers especially delight in the refreshing change and value that our Baldpate’s soup and salad menu offers. Reservations are always recommended. We are closed for 2009 but will be open again in 2010 beginning on Friday May 28th.

History

Established in 1917.

Built in 1917, the Inn has been attracting guests for over 90 years. With it’s homestead patent registered as complete on January 22, 1917, the original owners, the Mace family officially opened the Baldpate that same year. The Inn was named after the mystery novel, Seven Keys to Baldpate by Earl Derr Biggers, who upon visiting the property stated that the inn was so similar to the heretofore «imaginary» Baldpate Inn, that this hotel would become the «real» Baldpate Inn. For more than 20 years the Baldpate’s dining room was rated as a 5-​star Duncan Hines restaurant. Today our specialty buffet continues to bring highest honors as we maintain our traditions providing an unparalleled dining experience.

Meet the Business Owner

Lois S.

Business Owner

Innkeeper Chef & CEO~ from Volunteer & Mom, it has been an astonishing path with lots of similar challenges, often in unsuspected places.

Keeping The Baldpate Inn as the best country inn in Colorado and beyond has included numerous challenges with both successes and failure. Wonderful guests, enthusiastic staff, unparallelled historic collections and premises have all added interesting dimensions to my 25+ years of adventure here.

SpecialtiesChef, Marketing, Purchasing, Guest Services, Human Resources, Small Business mentor

Baldpate Inn also recommends

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«Dave & Phebe have a wonderful store, an outstanding guide service and are always ready to go the extra mile to assist their customers»

The Taffy Shop

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Candy Stores

Lois S. says,

«A family favorite for nearly 40 years of visits»

Estes Park Museum

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Landmarks & Historical Buildings

,

Museums

Lois S. says,

«A wonderful small museum of local history»

Spruce House

3

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Flowers & Gifts

Lois S. says,

«Diane and her staff could not be more attentive in helping you find just the perfect Holiday remembrance of your time in Estes Park.»

Rocky Mountain National Park

222

reviews

Parks

Lois S. says,

«The masterpiece of the public lands owned by the American public, Come see for yourself the magestic views and fascinating wildlife»

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20 reviews of Baldpate Inn

No registration required
Place rating: 4
La Mesa, CA
Beware of winter times!
I thought this place might be closed or have shorter hours in the winter. But Unilocal said it was open until 8pm (it’s Feb 18). Drove all the way up there, and they were very, very closed.
Bummer. I’ve enjoyed this place many times in the past. Food is just ok, but the ambiance and view are one of a kind.
Place rating: 2
Allegan, MI
We love soups and love going to quirky places. This was definitely a quirky place, old with great squeaky wood floors. We had a noon reservation and got there about 15 minutes early. They had plenty of tables open since they just opened. We were advised we wouldn’t be sat until our waitress got there for her shift at noon (reminder this is a self serve solace). So we waited a bit. When it hit noon the receptionist started asking someone where our waitress was, they indicated they had seen her cleaning the bathrooms
We sat down about and a few minutes later our waitresses came for drink orders and fill us in on the restaurant. First thing DH notices is her shirt is dirty. She fills us in on the soups for the day a pumpkin curry that is a bit spicy and a hearty beef stew. The breads are a pumpkin muffin, cranberry walnut, honey wheat bread and cornbread. We both skipped the pumpkin curry and went for the beef stew. What a disappointment. It was definitely meaty but only had carrots and celery. A weird taste as well and not hearty. Neither one of us finished our bowls. The cornbread was good. So I had cornbread for lunch with a salad. DH has salad and cornbread as well.
I would have expected 3 or more soup choices for $ 16 each. Our waitresses showed back up to offer pie for dessert. I’m not a pie person so my lunch was done. DH has a piece of sugar free blueberry pie which he said was quite good.
We were thrilled to see a Unilocal coupon and were told no problem with using. The bill came and no discount shown. At this point I just wanted to be done. So paid the bill and we were out of there. Now the weird thing my bill as $ 42 plus change and my card was charged $ 52 and change (I get an immediate text for every charge on my card). I’ll be watching what amount is actually billed to my card. Decided to snap a pic of my merchant receipt copy with tip so I would know the exact amount of what should be charged.
Needless to say we won’t be back.
Place rating: 5
Lemon Grove, CA
We had the Cowboy Buffalo Soup and Banana Butterscotch muffins. Everything was delicious! Quaint historical place to eat lunch.
Place rating: 5
Pensacola, FL
We went on the suggestions of others who had visited before with wonderful things to say. It was not disappointing at all!!! We intended to only visit for a bit and check out the Key Room. Hundreds and hundreds of keys from all over as well as many special keys (to various cities, Edgar Allen Poe’s dorm key, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson’s key to 221 Baker St. etc.) Very impressive and tons of other historical artifacts. There was also a nice reading room too. We ended up staying for lunch and didn’t have to wait long. They have an excellent salad bar, delicious soups and muffins, and I’m sure the gigantic slices of pie were good too but we were too full. The whole place has that old timey mountain vibe and staff was super nice!
Place rating: 2
Placerville, CA
Going down, down, down hill!
My other review of this restaurant was from last year, and it summed up that visit and previous ones. However, I have to say this is now a definite pass on the eating. While the setting is still very nice and the staff pleasant, the chairs get older and more uncomfy and the food and prices go in opposite directions.
The first time we went here it was priced well and the fresh baked bread and muffins were tasty, the soups hot and varied, the salad bar ingredients fresh and crisp, and the pies delicious. As the years went on, the food went from excellent to average as of last year. This year was the worst! Admittedly it is the 100th anniversary of Rocky mountain National Park, and everything is overrun with people so service this time was slow and they kept running out of salad bar ingredients and couldn’t keep up. However we paid $ 16 per person for what is really a medium size salad bar, no drinks or pie included. The Italian Muscato wine was good and for $ 7 per glass, reasonable. The waiter was so ambushed by customers that the coffee was lukewarm by the time it came, the hot chocolate required 3 reminders and delivered at the end of the meal very watery, and our plates were taken only at the end of our meal in a pile. The red chili with meat was enjoyed by one of us but the broccoli cheese soup was salty and bitter. The muffins, blueberry and a garlic/​onion, were of a bland mealy texture & taste tho the bread was warm and good. The chocolate mousse was enjoyed by two in our party. Overall the impression was of a very expensive cafeteria except with a nice view. I can no longer recommend this place for meals. Overpriced and unimpressive food.
Place rating: 3
Denver, CO
Ramshackle! Bizarre! WTF?
A SOUP & SALAD* Bar in a rundown splintered 19th century lodge perched on the Peak-​to-​Peak Highway (State Highway 7) 20 minutes outside of Estes Park. It is a sight to behold. After parking AWAY from a landslide area quite literally overhanging the parking area, we hiked up to the lodge, mounted the creaking ancient, not-​up-​to-​code steps and entered the chaos that is BALDPATE.
Now I laugh: We made a RESERVATION and dressed for dinner, thinking this was a real restaurant, only to arrive to complete mayhem — Large families crowding BATHTUBS (yes, these are the salad* bar vessels) full of Salad* items. * Salad here does not contain anything green or fresh that we could see here. The bread bath tub was EMPTY, nothing but crumbs. There were two soups available, a white chili and a garden vegetable. A cheese platter a la Frat House was precariously balanced in the middle of the room, piled high with cheese cubes.
Even though we made a reservation and the dining room facing the vista/​windows was EMPTY, we were seated in the family room. After perusing our options … (Nay to the soups, and there was nothing left in the bath tubs), we graciously made our exit, thinking we would at least have a glass of wine on the terrace and enjoy the campiness. But alas, when we got to the terrace, it too had been hit hard and was littered with the remains of others. So sadly, and chuckling, we bailed to go back for grub in Estes.
This is a MUST DO for the complete random factor. I wonder when this place will fall down? I wonder when there will be a new story about cars getting covered in a landslide (see the photos, and do not park under tree roots hanging out over your car) — We noticed it was for sale by Sothebys– this place could be FANTASTIC with a good renovation and menu– JUSTIN CUCCI– you’re our only hope!
Place rating: 4
Sarasota, FL
The only reason I can’t give this place five stars is because it is beyond rustic. The floors go in five directions, the shared bathrooms need updated… as does everything. However I can appreciate the true mountain style. The staff are very helpful and friendly, the owner is very sweet and made me coffee at 530 am even though 6 am is the norm. The food was beyond excellent. Everything homemade and fresh. Everything we had was amazing, from potato crustless quiche, bran muffins, the jicama salad with jalapeño and peanuts was to die for. The scenery and trails were amazing. I would definitely recommend this place if you can be a pioneer for a night or two. Definitely stop by for a meal if passing by…
Place rating: 2
San Antonio, TX
First the good — Great 3 course breakfast! Yummy food, excellent service. However: The room is tiny, and I think the bed was the original installed in 1917. If rustic is what you want, then this is the place. We had to share showers and bathrooms with the other guests (not a surprise, we knew that in advance), but the room itself was unpleasant. It smelled funny, they don’t change the linens, and ours had a stained pillowcase. They also don’t sweep the floors in the rooms. We had to wipe the dirt off of our feed every night when getting into the swayback bed, and there was a red smeared stain that was never cleaned up during our 4 day stay. If it was less expensive we might have been fine, but for hotel prices we felt taken.
Place rating: 4
Windsor, CO
Love the Baldpate Inn! If you like soup and salad this is the place to be. The bread is homemade as well as the fabulous desserts. If you are lucky enough to get breakfast you won’t have to eat again until dinner, I save the cinnamon roll for later.
Place rating: 4
Westminster, CO
Walked in for a piece of pie before going up to the mountains. Usually only allow people to eat if they have a reservation but for pie you don’t need one. Great slice of history with the most delicious pies to overlook breathe taking views. Humming birds are right outside the window where they feed right by your table.
The staff is so pleasant and helpful. You can take a step back in time while enjoying the beauty and historical history of this inn. The amount of keys this establishment has is overwhelming but the most interesting pieces of history.
Place rating: 1
Kansas City, MO
Bad food, overpriced tourist trap.
Note that this review only applies to the «restaurant» portion of the Inn rather than the hotel as we came for lunch only and are not guests. The physical facility actually appears to be very pleasant and quaint and may very well be a nice place to stay.
We were dissappointed to learn that there is no menu (for lunch at least) but rather a soup and salad bar, only. This is probably our fault, however, for not researching properly and so we tried to re-​calibrate or expectations. Unfortunately, execution of even the casual, simple menu items available was very poor. The two soups were white chili and cheese broccoli. The cheese broccoli was watery with unmelted chunks of what looked to be a velveta block in it and the beans in the white chili were under cooked and crunchy in the middle. Both were very bland. The salad bar lacked all but the most basic garnishes and bulk dressings and was about on par with a cafeteria in terms of quality but with less selection. The only positive thing that i could say is that the corn bread wasn’t bad. We didn’t try the pies as they were $ 6 extra.
The tab? $ 67 for two adults and an 8 and 12 year old. The kids, one a picky eater, the other not left hungry while the wife and managed to leave partially filled with large, sub-​par salads. Perhaps the worst part was that we learned after paying (after opening Unilocal to write this review, that there were kids options that weren’t mentioned by our server.
Place rating: 4
Austin, TX
We enjoyed our salad and soup bar. The bread was home made and delicious. The rustic lodge atmosphere added to the charm of this wonderful historic restaurant. The pies were delicious! We stayed overnight and found a three course meal was served. Say hi to the staff. Most are university interns from all over.
Place rating: 5
Estes Park, CO
It was tasty, fun and beautiful. 5 stars for sure.
Place rating: 3
El Dorado Hills, CA
Way over rated! Very cute location but the food was really disappointing, even for just soup and salad. The salad bar was okay but even your local Whole Foods has a better salad bar. The soups, while creative, were way too salty. I couldn’t even finish it. The chili I tried on the other hand was very bland. I don’t think I would return.
Place rating: 4
Wilmington, DE
If you plug the current address into a GPS… be sure to type in «South» hwy 7… or else you will have a very spooky drive…
4900 S. Hwy 7, Estes Park.
Place rating: 4
Asheville, NC
We enjoyed our stay. The breakfast was excellent and filling. We were consistently relaxed by the surrounds and by the very helpful staff. Staff consists of college kids, not professional hoteliers. Regardless, they were pleasant and effective in their jobs.
Place rating: 3
Sammamish, WA
We did not stay here, but came for the all you can eat salad bar and soup. We really enjoyed the salad bar, but I thought it was overpriced considering how limited the choices were. However, all the items were super fresh and there were some true knockouts with the chili and some of the muffin/​bread items.
My husband was seriously disappointed that the pie was not included in the buffet. The hotel itself is very cute and the sit down area on the porch outside was great. They have a million hummingbirds enjoying their hummingbird feeders.
Place rating: 5
Boston, MA
Stayed here for several nights and absolutely loved the inn! It is rustic, simple, antique, amazing. Nice room with views of the mountains. Cool museum-​like rooms with key collection. Great breakfast. Sweet porch where you can enjoy the breezes in comfort. Heard a special talk on hummingbirds while we were there. Near some hiking spots. Friendly young staff and owner!
Place rating: 3
Chicago, IL
Soup, salad, and pie. A good formula for this one-​of– a-​kind restaurant. Worth a trip if you’re in the area.
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
The Baldpate Inn is on the National Registry of Historic Places and is one of our favorite places to visit when we come to Estes Park. Only the second family to own the bed and breakfast since 1917, the Smith Family lovingly cares for the wonderful property and their guests.
After a long hike, we like to enjoy a late lunch in the restaurant. Two delicious soups are featured along with an extensive fresh vegetable and fruit salad bar served from an antique bathtub. There are numerous choices of fresh baked breads and muffins to munch on with your meal. The desserts, pies and cakes, are homemade with fresh berries and chocolate. We love the hummingbird feeders positioned in each window of the restaurant and on the large porch.
The Key Room will blow your mind. There are keys from Mozart’s wine cellar, the Pentagon, Westminster Abbey and Frankenstein’s Castle.
Reservations are a must.