Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

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klneutral
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Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by klneutral »

Son will be completing his first year at Air Force Academy (it has not been easy) this spring. Spouse and I would like to travel to Colorado Springs, pick him up in a full size rental car and vaction with him during his summer leave. This would be three weeks (31 May - 21 Jun).

We might be open to a bit of car camping, or staying in hotels, cabins or B&B's. We might like a mix of outdoor activities and excitement, culture, and relaxation. One or more of the National Parks would seem natural.

I would love to hear ideas from those of you who live in or play in that part of the country, taking into account the the June time period.
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fishnskiguy
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by fishnskiguy »

Give this a try:

Visit and walk around Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. Drive to the top of Pikes Peak.

Then take Hwy.115 South through Penrose to Hwy. 50 west through Canon City and Salida to Poncha Springs, then south on Hwy. 285 to Del Norte. At Del Norte take Hwy. 160 West through South Fork, Pagosa Springs to Durango. This route maximizes time on scenic highways and byways.

Plan on a couple days in Durango to visit Mesa Verde National Park, and you absolutely must take the Durango to Silverton narrow gauge railroad. Book early, the train fills up fast.

Then head west on Hwy 160 to Hwy 145 which is two miles east of Cortez. Go north east to Telluride and kick around there for a few hours. Then head west, again on Hwy.145 to Placerville, then north on Hwy 62 to Ridgway. Then north on Hwy. 550 to Montrose. From Montrose take Hwy. 50 to Grand Junction.

In Grand Junction you absolutely must take the drive through the Colorado National Monument. From the road through the Monument it's 2000 feet straight down, so if you have any fear of heights be sure and take the drive from west to east. That puts you on the inside lane the whole way.

From Grand Junction I strongly recommend an overnight trip to Moab, UT and Arches National Park the first day and Canyonlands National Park the second day.

To get to Moab, drive west on I-70. When you hit the Utah border, reset the trip odometer and drive exactly 17 miles to Exit 214. Take the poorly paved Hwy 347 through the ghost town of Cisco to Hwy 128 and follow the Colorado River all the way to Moab.

To get to Canyonlands NP the second day, head north out of Moab on Hwy 313. The park entrance is about 10 mile north of Moab. You can easily drive the entire park, do some short hikes, check out all the overlooks, and get back to Grand Junction in a day.

From Grand Junction head east on I-70 to Glenwood Springs. In Glenwood Springs ride Glenwood Canyon on a bicycle. All the bike shops in town will rent you a bike and shuttle you to the east end of the canyon and you bike down hill along the Colorado river back to town. Spectacular views.

From Glenwood Springs head south on Hwy 82 to Aspen, a good place to spend a couple days. I highly recommend you drive up Castle Creek Road to the ghost town of Ashcroft. At the end of the paved road is the Pine Creek Cookhouse. Great for lunch or dinner. Call ahead, you will need a reservation.

From Aspen head east on Hwy 82. Stop and check out the ghost town of Independence, then continue over Independence Pass to Hwy 24. Take Hwy.24 north through Leadville and over Tennessee Pass to Minturn. At Minturn get on I-70 and head east to Vail. Spend a day or two in Vail. Good shopping and excellent restaurants.

From Vail, head east on I-70 over Vail pass to Frisco. Head south on Hwy 9 to Breckenridge for a day.

Then come back to Frisco and head east on I-70 about four miles to Silverthorne. Take Hwy 6 past Lake Dillon, Keystone ski resort, and Arapahoe Basin ski resort (which may still be open) and over Loveland Pass back to I-70 east.
In Silver Plume you can take another train ride on the Georgetown-Silver Plume Railroad. Book ahead and be sure to include the mine tour on the trip. It's fascinating.

Then continue east on I-70 past Georgetown to Hwy 40 at Empire. Take hwy 40 over Berthod Pass, through Winter Park to Granby. Granby is near the west entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park and is a good place to spend a night.

Then take Hwy 34, also known as Trail Ridge Road, up and through the park to Estes Park. Spend a night or two there and further tour RMNP. Do some light hiking but stay below 10,000ft. elevation if you don't want to posthole through three feet of snow.

Then take Hwy. 36 south through Boulder to Denver. Spend a night or two there. Be sure to take in a Colorado Rockies baseball game.

Then I-25 back to Colorado Springs.

You have picked a great time to tour Colorado. Weather should be very good although you may see a snowflake or two on some of the high passes. Moab will be hot, but not brutally. You will drive by fifteen foot snow drifts on Trail Ridge road. You will want both shorts and warm coats.

Have fun! PM me if you have questions.

Chris
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by Professor Emeritus »

We honeymooned in Colorado 39 years ago and have been back many times, most recently in the last two weeks.
Fishnskiguy has given fine advice but I would add at least one or two Mine tours in the Colorado mine area.

I completely concur on Moab I suggest the jet boat on the Colorado river from Moab

Warning It can be Really cold. I mean REALLY COLD

We were camping in Mesa Verde on our honeymoon in June. I did not realize her sleeping bag was not up to the sub freezing temperature . I asked her if she felt friendly and my lovely wife came back with language that I did not realize she knew. What she suggested was difficult, dangerous unlawful and crippling. The next photos show me buying lots of warm stuff in Cortez
Dave_M
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by Dave_M »

A couple of comments:

fishnskiguy gives a great itinerary, so I'll just add a few suggestions.

As you go down 115 towards Penrose/Canon (pronounced CanYon) City, you'll pass the Sky Diving operation where a lot of the cadets jump and where the Academy Sky Dive team members practice. Lots of the cadets like to jump with their parents, I'm just saying. PM me if you're interested... (my son owns the operation and has trained lots of cadets through the years)

Second, a Rockies game is fun (if they haven't been mathematically eliminated by then, but I love Sky Sox (Rockies triple A affiliate in Co. Springs) games; cheaper, easier access, reasonable food and beers, and lots of fun.

Finally, about a year ago, someone was heading to Colorado for a long weekend/extended trip, and we all made bunches of suggestions. The weekend he was here was the weekend of the worst flooding ever :shock:

If that happens again, I'm starting a petition to ban bogleheads from coming to Colorado.

Let me know if you want more details on stuff in and around Co. Springs.

Dave
jasper
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by jasper »

fishnskiguy nailed it

have done most all those things and would second them all

the only other thing to add - if you don't want or have time to tour the state - dunes national monument would be a bit closer than lots of the other things suggested

would put that further down on the list of things to do/see (it's basically giant sand dunes, kinda out of place out here), but if you want to stay somewhat more local it would be an option

the arkansas river should be spectacular white water rafting in june with the snowpack we have this year. depending on flows can get very white knuckle in spots, so take that into account.
oxothuk
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by oxothuk »

fishnskiguy left out one National Park that I consider a must-see - Great Sand Dunes. It's only a short detour and could easily be added to the itinerary he gave you.
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klneutral
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by klneutral »

Thanks to everyone and especially fishnskiguy for the great ideas. I traced fishnskiguy's itinerary on the map and am getting excited.

Any suggestions for the best whitewater river trip somewhere along the way?
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fishnskiguy
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by fishnskiguy »

klneutral wrote:Thanks to everyone and especially fishnskiguy for the great ideas. I traced fishnskiguy's itinerary on the map and am getting excited.

Any suggestions for the best whitewater river trip somewhere along the way?
The most popular and exciting whitewater trip in the whole state is the Arkansas River through Brown's Canyon below Buena Vista. Several rafting services operating out of Aspen do that section as a day trip. Also several rafting companies in Vail do that trip, as well as the Colorado River through the lower half of Glenwood Canyon.

For a more adventurous trip, Western Rivers Expeditions does a three day trip on the Colorado through Canyonlands NP. They are headquartered in Moab.

Chris
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WhyNotUs
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by WhyNotUs »

Glenwood Canyon- Shoshone trip with Whitewater Rafting in Glenwood Springs. 3/4 mile of yeehaw and then a nice float through canyon. Pretty easy, not very expensive, and fun.
Browns Canyon is a more intense trip for those looking for a rough ride, especially during peak runoff (early June). If you have not whitewater rafted, I would not recommend that as a first trip.

FWIW, I would hit the cities first, then head far west to Grand Junction and Moab, and then back through the mountains. I would pick Arches over Mesa Verde although both are accessible that time of the year. The later in the trip you are in the high country, the more trails will be accessible and the more festivals and events will be taking place. RMNP is likely to be a pretty drive rather than having lots of hiking trails open due to heavy snow this year.

Also, there is a great craft libations movement in CO that is worth overlaying on your trip if you partake in liquor.
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herbie
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by herbie »

Red Rocks would be worth a visit, too. You could check their calendar to see if any of the concerts look appealing, or just go there during the day and check it out. http://www.redrocksonline.com/calendar.aspx

If you are into beer, you could do the Coors tour in Golden and/or visit the other breweries in Golden or Boulder or Ft. Collins (PM me if you want specific recs). Just in general I think Golden or Boulder would be a nice place to spend a few days.
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fishnskiguy
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by fishnskiguy »

WhyNotUs wrote:Glenwood Canyon- Shoshone trip with Whitewater Rafting in Glenwood Springs. 3/4 mile of yeehaw and then a nice float through canyon. Pretty easy, not very expensive, and fun.
Browns Canyon is a more intense trip for those looking for a rough ride, especially during peak runoff (early June). If you have not whitewater rafted, I would not recommend that as a first trip.

FWIW, I would hit the cities first, then head far west to Grand Junction and Moab, and then back through the mountains. I would pick Arches over Mesa Verde although both are accessible that time of the year. The later in the trip you are in the high country, the more trails will be accessible and the more festivals and events will be taking place. RMNP is likely to be a pretty drive rather than having lots of hiking trails open due to heavy snow this year.

Also, there is a great craft libations movement in CO that is worth overlaying on your trip if you partake in liquor.
I would have to disagree that Brown's Canyon is a "rough ride". It's class II-III which is exciting but not hairy. I think you may be thinking of the "numbers" section which is considerably more white knuckle.

For the OP, I'm most familiar with Nova Guides in Vail. They know their waters like the back of their hand. Give them a call, let them know what level of fear/excitement you want and they will steer you right.

Chris
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by WhyNotUs »

Yep, did Numbers at high water one year and will never forget the workout. This year looks like it will be a good runoff and our OP is getting to CO just in time for it. Good to get some of the action but not too much.
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seamonkey
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by seamonkey »

National parks and bicycles about anywhere for outdoor activities.

As for the OP's "culture" and "recreation" considerations, there is of course pot. I suppose your son's Air Force connection would limit involvement.
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by LowER »

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3504PIR
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by 3504PIR »

you've probably already considered this but it's worth mentioning just the same. I'd make sure he doesn't have his heart set on coming home, seeing friends and vegging out during his summer leave. Better safe than sorry. When I was in his shoes that's all I wanted to do.
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by rustymutt »

We've vacationed in Colorado Springs, and even honeymooned there. If you like zoos, the Cheyenne mountain zoo is wonderful. It's very close to the Broadmoor resort. http://www.broadmoor.com/

Why we enjoyed Pikes Peak, it's not something I'd do again. It's just a mountain. They do have a race on it in June each year if your into racing.

The Flying W ranch burned down in those fires a few years back, and I'm not sure if that supper club singing cowboy event is still happening.

We go walking in the Garden of the Gods. They have many walking trails open. We see deer many times.

Be sure to take eye drops with you. That town can be very dirty in June. Lots of construction going on, and dry air.

We were there just two weeks ago and moved our trip on down south to Trinidad. It was beautiful snowy playground of views.
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Colorado14
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by Colorado14 »

So many great suggestions so far! So much to do, so little time. Have a great trip!
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by eschaef »

Rather than driving to the top of Pike's Peak (which you really should visit!), I recommend booking tickets on the cog railway if you don't mind a little extra cost. The railway was a very interesting ride with beautiful scenery, and no one has to miss out on the beauty due to nagivating the steep, narrow, non-guardrailed roads to the top. My mother drove it once and said she absolutely hated the drive and it ruined the experience for her. My sister and I took the cog railway the next summer and really enjoyed the trip.

http://www.cograilway.com/
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by Jerrybaby »

I'm from the deep south, and have never been to Mt. Rushmore. Never been to Yellowstone. I have a couple of weeks in May free, and have been looking at flights to Denver, then rent a car for a 7-10 days and see whatever I can. No agenda except to see a part of our country I've never seen, beyond the city lights.

May is already pretty warm down here. Is it going to be very cold in that area?
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by Colorado14 »

Jerry, the weather can be quite fickle in May. (And in March too. It snowed on my tulips today.) Two weeks ago temps were in the mid 70s though. The average high in May is about 72 and in June it's about 82, but average lows are around 45, which will probably seem cold to a southerner. But averages don't mean all that much because the weather here often does change quickly, both during the day and from day to day. I highly recommend layers.

If you go to the elevations higher than Denver and nearby, be prepared for colder temps (for example, the rule of thumb is that it will be about 30 to 40 degrees colder on the top of Pikes Peak than at the base.) I also highly recommend using sunscreen regardless of the temp. Also humidity here is typically low and you are very likely to notice the dryness. Have fun!
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by NOLA »

Only been to Colorado a few times, however the drive up to Mt Evans was amazing. Views were incredible and I consider myself pretty brave, but my knuckles got pretty white going up towards the top.
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by cheese_breath »

Nice thought wanting to vacation with your son, but have you talked with him about it? Summer leave after my first year at the Coast Guard Academy all I wanted to do was go home and hang out with the guys and girls from high school.
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by 22twain »

fishnskiguy wrote:Plan on a couple days in Durango to visit Mesa Verde National Park, and you absolutely must take the Durango to Silverton narrow gauge railroad. Book early, the train fills up fast.
My wife and I were there on June 4 a couple of years ago, and had no trouble getting tickets at the station the afternoon before. We were even able to "walk in" at the Durango Lodge motel a couple blocks from the station and get a room. We figured the peak summer season hadn't started yet.
Granby is near the west entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park and is a good place to spend a night.

Then take Hwy 34, also known as Trail Ridge Road, up and through the park to Estes Park.
On another trip a few years before the one described above, we approached the west entrance to RMNP around June 5 and found that it was closed because of snow further along. We back-tracked towards Denver and never did make it to RMNP on that trip. It's still on our "bucket list."
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by dratkinson »

Mountain weather. One year I was playing around on the 4th of July driving the mountain fire roads near Snowy Range ski area (south central Wyoming, ~100 miles as the crow flies north of Mt Evans) when my route was blocked by a waist-high snow drift (it was a far as the plow truck had gotten).

CYA. In the mountains, always be prepared for cold weather and for any vehicle stranding/breakdown by keeping your tank full, carrying 3-days worth of food/water, extra warm clothes, and survival/self-rescue gear. Also, if you will be traveling/exploring off a well-traveled route, then ensure someone knows your itinerary, exact route, and when to expect your return.
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by g$$ »

Boulder, CO is one of my favorite places. If you like burgers, then eat at the Dark Horse!

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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by tennisplyr »

You might want to try:

www.tripadvisor.com
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by dixdak »

I used to live in Boulder. I was thrilled every opportunity to get to Wyoming or Utah. Hint.
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klneutral
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by klneutral »

cheese_breath wrote:Nice thought wanting to vacation with your son, but have you talked with him about it? Summer leave after my first year at the Coast Guard Academy all I wanted to do was go home and hang out with the guys and girls from high school.
Good thought. For Thanksgiving Break, Christmas Break, and Spring Break, he wanted to do exactly what you suggest. This time he says he is ready for something different.
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by Colorado14 »

NOLA wrote:Only been to Colorado a few times, however the drive up to Mt Evans was amazing. Views were incredible and I consider myself pretty brave, but my knuckles got pretty white going up towards the top.
That's a great description. Note that for the poster who is interested in visiting in May, the road to Mt. Evans typically opens Memorial Day weekend. It's the highest paved road in North America, so gets a bit of snow, as you might imagine. Check out road conditions at http://www.coloradodot.info/ for information about opening dates for the trip to the top.
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Re: Soliciting Ideas for Colorado Vacation in June

Post by Nestegg_User »

NOLA wrote:Only been to Colorado a few times, however the drive up to Mt Evans was amazing. Views were incredible and I consider myself pretty brave, but my knuckles got pretty white going up towards the top.
What's real fun is going up at dusk... at night, you can see the Denver lights easily... what you can't see are your headlights on the way down or any cars on the way up.. and if you do meet another car..SOMEBODY has to drive in reverse in the dark until you find a patch that is just wide enough to pass. definitely not for the faint of heart !

GO BUFFS :D
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