Colorado Adventures Spring 2017

ADVENTURES The Royal Gorge Route Railroad Page 4

a special supplement of

Places To Go Page 2

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Places to go

ABOUT THIS SECTION Late spring and summer bring a wealth of activities and events to the Denver metro area.

Consider all of this: • Miles and miles of hiking and biking trails.

• State parks, including Roxborough, Chatfield and Cherry Creek.

• Annual family-friendly events that draw thousands of people. Those include Parker Days, Western Welcome Week, Buffalo Bill Days, the Arvada Harvest Festival, the Wheat Ridge Carnation Festival and Westy Fest.

But sometimes — especially as the weather warms up and the days get longer — you just want to get out of town. Colorado has a multitude of welcoming destinations, and we explore some of them in this section.

Some of the destinations in this section are just on the outskirts of the metro area. One of those nearby spots is Estes Park, where you might see an elk or two and can stay at a worldfamous hotel.

If you want a longer road trip, consider Telluride. It’s about a sevenhour drive, but you’ll still be in the beautiful state of Colorado.

Maybe such a trip will become an annual tradition for your family, one to join the county fair outings and those long summer bike rides.

— Chris Rotar

The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is in Aspen, of course. Photo courtesy of Chris Council and Emily Chaplin

Aspen

Durango

ELEVATION: 7,908

ELEVATION: 6,512

WHERE IS IT? Most Denver-area road trippers go west on I-70 to Glenwood Springs, then turn southeast on State Highway 82, altogether a trip of about four hours. In the summer, consider going through Leadville to Twin Lakes, then over stunning Independence Pass.

NEED TO KNOW: Though typically thought of as the domain of the jet set, Aspen’s got a lot to offer regular folk as well. The Aspen Music Festival and School hosts hundreds of live musical performances though the summer. The free Aspen Art Museum, housed in a daring structure that looks a bit like a wicker basket, houses a bevy of striking pieces.

More adventurous visitors might consider a hike to Conundrum Hot Springs, a clothing-optional geothermal spring accessible by an eight-mile trail south of town.

FUN FACT:

The Stanley Hotel. Photo courtesy of Visit Estes Park

PLACES TO GO written by David Gilbert

Aspen went through several incarnations before it became some of the most expensive real estate on the planet. Before World War II, Aspen’s population had dwindled to less than a thousand. In the 1970s, counterculture icons like Hunter S. Thompson and John Denver popularized Aspen as a funky, bohemian colony.

MORE INFORMATION: www.aspenpitkin.com

WHERE IS IT? The quickest way is down Highway 285, turning west at Del Norte on Highway 160. The most beautiful way is Highway 285, turning west at Poncha Springs, west on Highway 50 to Montrose, then south on Highway 550 – the Million Dollar Highway, a spectacular wend along the shoulder of giant mountains.

NEED TO KNOW: Durango is uniquely situated between the desert of the Four Corners region and the mountains of the igneous San Juans. Mesa Verde National Park, with its ancient and mysterious ruins, is just down the road.

The Durango and Silverton Railroad heads north out of town through magnificent scenery. Little-known Navajo Lake is 50 miles southeast, straddling the New Mexico border, where a bevy of boat rentals can be had.

FUN FACT: Hike back to Denver on the Colorado Trail – the south end is in Durango, the north in Waterton Canyon.

Fun fact: The original name of the Animas River that runs through town was the Rio de las Animas Perdidas – the River of Lost Souls.

MORE INFORMATION: durango.org

Places to go

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Places to go Estes Park

Fort Collins

Glenwood Springs

ELEVATION: 7,522

ELEVATION: 5,003

ELEVATION: 7,761

WHERE IS IT?

WHERE IS IT?

WHERE IS IT?

There are several gorgeous routes into Estes Park, though the most common is to take Highway 36 northwest out of Boulder. It’s about an hour and a half from Denver. The Peak to Peak Highway, a more scenic route, departs from Golden and goes through Nederland.

North of Denver on I-25 by about an hour and a half. If you hit the Wyoming border, you’ve gone too far – or you’re headed to buy fireworks.

NEED TO KNOW: There are few better jumping-off points to experience Colorado’s high alpine tundra during its brief summer than Estes Park. Trail Ridge Road, which traverses the crest of the Rockies through Rocky Mountain National Park, starts just outside of town. About 11 miles of the road are above timberline. The park is loaded with world-class hiking, views, wildlife and natural splendor.

Though quite a bit less remote than the 1980 horror movie “The Shining” made it out to be, the stately old Stanley Hotel offers late-night ghost tours to guests, though they are asked to refrain from hacking open doors with fire axes.

FUN FACT: For years, the death toll from the 1976 Big Thompson flood that swept through the canyon to the east of Estes was listed as 144, until in 2008, supposed victim Darrell Johnson was found to be alive and well, living in Oklahoma. It turned out he had decided to ditch a crummy cabin rental without telling anyone, and was presumed dead when the cabin was washed away.

NEED TO KNOW: Fort Collins teems with old-school charm, from the restored trolley that clatters between City Park and College Avenue to the quirky shops in Old Town. Stop at Walrus Ice Cream on Mountain Avenue for a root beer float made with Coopersmith’s Root Beer, or at the Silver Grill Café for gooey cinnamon roll French toast.

West of town, head up Poudre Canyon to see the strange folded granite of northern Colorado. The Mishawaka Amphitheatre holds concerts by the river all summer.

No visit would be complete without a tour of the New Belgium Brewery.

FUN FACT: Horsetooth Reservoir, on the west side of town, submerged the town of Stout when it was filled in 1949. Legend has it that the town’s old stone buildings are still standing deep beneath the surface.

MORE INFORMATION: visitftcollins.com

West on I-70, just shy of three hours.

NEED TO KNOW: Glenwood Springs has long been known for the Glenwood Hot Springs Pool, a massive geothermal soaking pool alleged to have healing properties. Same with the Yampah Spa & Salon, featuring naturally occurring “vapor caves” filled with minerals that some say can cure a range of ailments.

Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, largely perched atop a mountaintop at the edge of town, features zip lines, a Ferris wheel, roller coasters, and giant swings that fling visitors over the abyss below.

Get someone else to drive on the way into town, so you can gawk at Glenwood Canyon.

FUN FACT: Doc Holliday, the Old West gunfighter, died in a Glenwood Springs hospital in 1887. Holliday had always figured he’d “die with his boots on,” and his last words – while looking at his bare feet – were “This is funny.”

MORE INFORMATION: visitglenwood.com

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MORE INFORMATION: visitestespark.com

The Durango & Silverton Railroad. Photo courtesy of Yvonne Lashmet

Summer color at Linden and Mountain in Fort Collins.

Photo courtesy of Tim O’Hara and Visit Fort Collins

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A Royal Ride The Royal Gorge Route Railroad: an epic adventure

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olorado Adventures

Places to go The free gondola from Telluride ascends to Mountain Village. Photo courtesy of visittelluride. com

Grand Lake ELEVATION: 8,369 FEET WHERE IS IT?

Go west out of Denver on I-70, then north on Highway 40 west of Idaho Springs. Turn north on Highway 34 at Granby.

NEED TO KNOW:

Grand Lake is Colorado’s largest natural body of water, and boating, sailing and fishing abound.

The town of Grand Lake, on the lake’s north shore, boasts a boardwalk with dozens of shops and restaurants. The Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre hosts musicals all summer – this season’s lineup includes “Mamma Mia!”, “Newsies,” “West Side Story” and “Almost Heaven.”

Hit up one of the many boat-rental outfits to head out on the lake – local marinas rent everything from paddle boards to pontoon party boats.

FUN FACT:

Though on the western side of the Continental Divide, Grand Lake provides water to the Front Range via the Alva B. Adams Tunnel.

MORE INFORMATION:

visitgrandcounty.com/explore/towns/grand-lake/

Grand Junction ELEVATION: 4,583 FEET WHERE IS IT?

Due west on I-70, about four hours. Can’t miss it.

NEED TO KNOW:

The undisputed capital of the Western Slope, GJ (as the locals call it) is the hub of desert adventure. Colorado National Monument is just west of town, featuring landscapes of spires and cliffs.

Main Street between First and Seventh streets is

a lovely walk of quirky shops and good eats. Stroll a block south on Fifth to check out the top-notch Museum of the West. Venture south of town to journey onto the Uncompahgre Plateau, a vivacious landscape of canyons. East takes you up Grand Mesa, to fab fishing in 10,000 lakes. West goes deep into the Colorado River Canyons.

North is no-man’s-land.

And, of course, there are the wineries in town and in nearby towns, like Palisade, which is also known for its peaches.

FUN FACT:

Peter Heller’s 2012 post-apocalyptic novel “The Dog Stars” is largely set in and around the ruins of Grand Junction.

MORE INFORMATION: visitgrandjunction.com

Great Sand Dunes National Park ELEVATION: 7,520 TO 13,604 FEET WHERE IS IT?

The easy way is south on I-25, turning west on Highway 160 at Walsenburg, then north into the park. The prettier way is down Highway 285, turning off onto Highway 17 at the north end of the San Luis Valley.

NEED TO KNOW:

The tallest dunes in North America, the Great Sand Dunes cover 80 square miles of the valley floor. Close to Memorial Day, visitors can experience Medano Creek, a temporary stream that flows in successive waves. Intrepid trekkers can head up into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains for some stunning scenery.

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Sunrise over Colorado National Monument.

Photo courtesy of the Grand Junction Visitor and Convention Bureau

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Places to go ALSO IN THE AREA: Crestone, a lost-in-time hippie village, and Colorado Gators, a geothermal outpost home to some massive reptiles. South of the park is Sand Dunes Swimming Pool, a geothermally heated pool and greenhouse with low-cost rental cabins.

FUN FACT:

Legend has it that mysterious web-footed horses roam the dunes in the moonlight.

MORE INFORMATION: nps.gov/grsa

Telluride ELEVATION: 8,750 FEET WHERE IS IT?

Go west on I-70 to Grand Junction, then south on Highway 50 to Ridgway. Go west on State Highway 62 to Placerville, then east on State Highway 145. At roughly seven hours from Denver, it’s about as out of the way as a Colorado town gets.

galleries and gourmet restaurants on Colorado Avenue, but for a bird’s-eye view, check out the gondola to Mountain Village – a free, 13-minute ride to a mountaintop town featuring eye-popping views.

The other joy of summer in Telluride is access to the high country of the San Juan Mountains, teeming with waterfalls and ghost towns. Coming into Telluride from the east are two of the West’s most famous four-wheel-drive roads: Imogene Pass and Black Bear Pass, the latter dropping precariously into town with a spine-tingling descent down a series of unforgiving switchbacks.

FUN FACT:

The summit of Imogene Pass – more than 13,000 feet high – is home to a restored Colorado National Guard installation called Fort Peabody, which was built in 1904 to keep deported striking miners from sneaking back into town.

MORE INFORMATION: visittelluride.com Human-powered watercraft on Grand Lake.

Photo courtesy of Grand County

NEED TO KNOW:

Telluride is nestled in a stunning box canyon beneath towering peaks. Visitors can stroll the

Places to go

Great Sand Dunes National Park. Photo by Shutterstock.com

Find Clues Solve Puzzles Reach the Goal 860 Tabor St. Suite 210 Lakewood, CO (303) 396-7359

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Vail

Woodland Park

ELEVATION: 8,022 FEET

ELEVATION: 8,465 FEET

WHERE IS IT?

Due west on I-70 about 2 ½ hours from Denver.

NEED TO KNOW:

Though the town’s name is synonymous with skiing, Vail is loads of fun in the summer as well. Events abound. The Bravo!

Vail Music Festival will run from June 22 to Aug. 4 this year, featuring chamber, classical and jazz performances. The Vail International Dance Festival will run from July 29 to Aug. 12, and boasts top-notch dance talent from around the globe.

The Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, showcase all manner of high elevation plants in a variety of settings, crowned by a 120-foot waterfall.

FUN FACT:

Vail was founded in the early 1960s by a group of World War II 10th Mountain Division veterans who fell in love with the area while training at nearby Camp Hale in the war years.

MORE INFORMATION: visitvailvalley.com

WHERE IS IT? Head northwest out of Colorado Springs on Highway 24, about 20 miles from I-25.

If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, take the back way through Deckers.

NEED TO KNOW: The hot new thing in Woodland Park is the Dinosaur Resource Center, a handson kid-friendly dinotopia featuring more than 30 skeletons and “life restorations.”

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument is 15 miles west of town, home to fossilized redwood tree stumps and displays of some of the exquisite fossils found in the area. Rangers host night sky programs several times through the summer, taking advantage of the glorious night skies.

The Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center, 10 miles west of town, offers a variety of tours to meet the center’s resident lobos.

FUN FACT: At nearly 8,500 feet above sea level, Woodland Park’s average July high temperature is only 74 – the perfect place to beat summer heat within easy reach of the big city.

MORE INFORMATION: woodlandparkchamber.com

Vail Village at dusk. Photo courtesy of Abby Hein and Vail Resorts

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