Me and a group of friend are going to Fair Play,CO on October 25-29. I’m trying to see if there any we can do while we there drinking/hunting/swimming/ partying anything honestly. We are a mixed group of M/f and also is there anything I should stay away from

First, thanks to the moderators for letting me post. Second, my wife and I are talking about starting to take month long vacations in Colorado, probably in July or July into August. We're in Texas and it's been pretty hot, and humid here for several summers. I know we can't be gone the whole summer but a month would help. Anyway, were older, retired and always stay in hotels, motels, or lodges while on vacation. Never done the vrbo or airbnb stuff but looking into it for a month long stay. We plan on staying just a week next summer for our first trip to try out our plan before expanding to a full month. We like to go to National and State Parks for leisurely walks, not long strenuous hikes. We also go to historical sites when available. We've recently been to Rocky Mtn NP and Durango to ride the train. I've been looking at four cites to try all this out - Grand Junction, Glenwood Springs, Frisco, and Silverthorne. I know everyone probably has their favorite so let me know why you like the ones I mentioned, or give a shout out to some other vacation spots that you love. Thanks.

We’re coming over next August and are planning the following rough itinerary. How does it sound? We love Breckenridge so want to spend a fair bit of time there relaxing, doing mountain activities, shopping and visiting the surrounding area. Are we missing any stops en route? We have a 12 year old who won’t be keen on long car journeys! I think Great Sand Dunes/Salida might be too far, likewise Estes, although I’m wondering if we’re missing out as Boulder is in that direction too.

Arrive Denver - 1/2 nights (Red Rocks, shopping, exploring local area)

Manitou Springs - 4 nights? (Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, Cave of Winds)

Breckenridge - 7 nights (South Park City Museum day trip)

Back to Denver for flight home

I am driving from Dallas area to Leadville around the 10th of October to see family. I know I will miss the leaves change but I’d love to find some scenes in central or south Colorado that are still beautiful in October. We will stay one night along the way and then will stop at Royal Gorge or maybe Great Sand Dunes on the way into Leadville.

We will stay in Leadville two nights and then would like to stay up to 3 nights somewhere to the south before heading back to Texas. We like nature, scenic routes, breathtaking views, moderate hiking and may even bring our bicycles, but only for easy trail rides, and a place to relax a bit in the middle. I also would love a few memorable meals along the way. Doesn’t need to be 5 star just some good creative local restaurants. Anyone have any suggestions? I don’t want to go any further west than Durango before heading back to Dallas.

I’ve been looking up treehouses, cabins, etc and wondering if anyone has suggestions for a cool spot. Thinking max 2.5 hours from Denver. It would just be me, and I have limited camping experience (and gear, but would be willing to get a few things) so trying to find something that’s less camping, more cabiny. Would love to go somewhere I can read, soak in a bath/hot tub, hike and paint beautiful nature views.

Trying not to break the bank, ~$200 per night is ideal but would be willing to spend $500.

I’d be going the first week of October, and the bad news is I don’t have a car with 4WD. I could rent one, but would prefer not to.

If anything, let me know what general areas would be easy to get to and would be beautiful during that first week of October! Is there anywhere to see the changing fall colors that week? Thanks!

Hello,

I'm leaving for a small road trip in western Colorado next week, travelling from Denver with stops in Manitou Springs -- Salida - Aspen - Grand Lake -- Estes Park. Do you think a SUV is necessary to travel on normal roads in this part of the state, or an intermediate car (Toyota Corolla or similar) is enough for driving without any problem?

Thank you

I have vacationed Colorado early January for the past couple of years and love it. We have a group of 5 people and usually get airbnbs. We have stayed in Brek and Silver Thorne and are wondering if there are any different places to go in Colorado that have good slopes and also night life.

Hi im planning to make a Anniversary trip from texas to colorado in first days of november, my worry is if road conditions are good for a Toyota Camry, or should i rent a 4x4 car.

Also if you could suggest good cabins to stay with good view i will appreciate it.

I'm travelling solo from Scotland to Denver in early November for a concert at Red Rocks. I have a couple days either side of the concert to plan.

I arrive late afternoon on Thursday 31st October. I have full days Friday & Saturday, Sunday is the concert in the evening, followed by two more full days Monday & Tuesday, then Wednesday I fly out in the early evening.

My plan from the start was to hire a car at the airport, however I've been doing some reading on driving conditions in November onwards & it has me worried. I have very little snow/ice driving experience & I have never driven an automatic. I've owned a 4x4, I habitually double clutch & engine brake, but if something happened in snow/ice while driving an unfamiliar automatic I fear I wouldn't know what to do.

Researching things to do I was starting to settle on Thu/Fri/Sat/Sun nights in Denver, with a day trip out to Idaho Springs via Golden, then driving down to Colorado Springs first thing on Monday to spend two nights there to see Pikes Peek/Royal Gorge/Garden of the Gods/etc. I would then drive back to Denver on Wednesday for my flight home at 17:25.

How worried should I be? Am I right in thinking that it's not really realistic to get around without driving?

Hi,

I will be visiting Colorado for a 5 Day Trip (Sep 4 - Sep 8) from Atlanta with my wife and am thinking of the below itinerary (Please note - Me and my wife are not that good at hiking, so you won’t see any hikes in the itinerary )

Day 1 - Land at Denver (8 am), Pickup Rental Car and drive to Garden of Gods and Red Rocks. Drive back to the hotel at Boulder for the night.

Day 2 - Boulder to RMNP - Trail Ridge Road and Bear Lake by Car (Entrance - Beaver Meadows/Fall Estates) Drive back to Boulder for the night.

Day 3 - Leave for Glenwood Springs (Stop at Vail for Lunch). Evening - Enjoy the hot bath. Stay at GS for the night

Day 4 - Drive to Aspen via Independence Pass and visit Maroon Bells. Thinking of only taking the 1 mile scenic trail loop ( not the 3.5 mile one) And then explore Downtown Aspen and head back to Glenwood Springs.

Day 5 - Glenwood Spring to Denver. Fly back to Atlanta (Flight at 11pm)

Is this going to be difficult ?

I am very keen on adding either Mount Evans or Pikes Peak but seems difficult to fit in the itinerary.

Please share your thoughts!

Hello everyone,

My gf and I are planning a 5 day trip to Denver mid August and so far our activities planned are as follows, Denver Museum of Art, Denver Aquarium, Elitch Gardens, and AVA Rafting in Idaho Springs.

Any other recommendations or feedback on these? Also what are Great burger, chicken, or pizza places? Or even some really cool/unique bars to check out?

Thanks in advance!

Hello, some friends and I are planning a trip to Denver and Colorado Springs which will be the first time for all of us. We're mainly focusing on the nature aspects and currently have the following areas planned:

In the Denver area:

• Rocky Mountain National Park
• Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre
• Mount Blue Sky

In the Colorado Springs

• Manitou Cliff Dwellings
• Pikes Peak
• Garden of the Gods
• Cave of the Winds Mountain Park

A few questions I had about the upcoming trip are:

• Currently we're planning on going in Early October, but would it be better to go in late September in order to minimize the chance of snow and road/hike closures?
• Is it worth it to get a hotel in Colorado Springs, or just drive there to/from Denver since its only a 1 hour drive? We're planning on doing a 2/2 day split between Denver and Colorado Springs attractions.
• Are there any points of interest around Denver or Colorado Springs to add or replace points in our current list with?
• Are there any good food places to check out in Denver and Colorado Springs?

Thanks

Flying into DEN beginning of August and staying with family in Monument area. Family of 5 w/ 16, 15 & 8yr old. We used to live in Palmer Lake so we plan to do our old favorite hikes up Mt. Herman, PL Reservoir, drive Pikes Peak for the 4th time, etc..... We used to be members of the Cheyenne Mt. Zoo and have done GOG many time. So we are looking to see some things we missed while living there. We are looking to take a "short" road trip from the airport Monday into Tuesday and are looking for the most worthy drive between DEN and Monument. Options on our map include the following:

1. DEN to Lake Dillon area for the night, down through Breck, Fairplay, Garo, Florissant, to the Springs?

2. Same as above but skip Buena Vista/Salida for Garo & Guffey via 9 toward Canon City?

3. DEN to Leadville via 91 to Buena Vista, Salida, to Canon City, Pueblo and up? (Should we backtrack to Poncha Springs/Pass?

4. Some other drive I don't know about from a map? lol

We are hoping for scenic spots to stop and take fun photos, learn some history, see cool stuff. Beautiful views are a given but hoping to stumble on a Ghost town or small towns with Mom & Pop places for a fun ice cream or renowned pizza. We like places locals like and try to avoid the tourist traps. A friend recently drove through South Park and my teen boys would get a kick out of that.

Other ideas that pooped out to us but might be too far of a drive include St. Elmo (I'm guessing this isn't worth the trek further west) Painted Mines (is this worth the drive East? It can happen on a different day, somehow we missed this park while living there)

Any other ideas or locals that could provide some insight into cool spots and which drive would be worth the time? Any help is greatly appreciated!!!!

Hello! We're Wisconsin natives, wanting to make the move to Colorado in 2025. What are some things we should know before moving? If you've made the move, what are things you wish you knew? What are the do's and don't's you learned?? Also- what are cities we should definitely research? Or cities you would not recommend moving to? Here's some info on us and what were looking for: -We want to buy right away.

• were in our early 30s
• looking for an affordable city
• good location, for easy travel the state on the weekends.

-price range of $400-500k

• I want a small town, friendly neighborhood feel. Larger city is fine, but not much larger than 300,000 population.
• there needs to be neighborhoods with decent yards and good public parks.
• decent school district
• we are liberal, and would prefer a like-minded community

Okay, that's a lot.. but really any thoughts are really appreciated ❤️ Thank you for reading ❤️

Hi all, my husband and I (both from Europe) are planning to spend our honeymoon in Colorado and we will be flying into Denver. We've never been to Colorado, but saw pictures of how amazing it looked in the fall so we're landing in mid-September and will stay for 3 weeks. We don't want to change our accomodation too many times so we’re hoping for some recommendations for maybe 4-5 locations to be based in that allow us a) to see the fall foliage in all its glory and explore nature, go on hikes etc b) to easily visit some nice neighboring cities/towns. We want to avoid driving for too long when doing day trips (around 2.5h max), to change accomodation we'd be happy to drive for longer (maybe 5-7 hours) and then stay there for a few days. When we land, we're thinking about staying in Denver for maybe 2-3 nights and would like to visit the Rocky Mountain National Park. Other than that, we don't have anything else planned yet, so would love to hear what other places are worth visiting! We would also appreciate any recommendations around car equipment for our rental car as we’ve heard there are laws around equipment when driving in certain areas.

I'm planning to stay in Vail for 4 days in mid-July. My partner is attending a conference, so I'll be by myself most of the day without a car. I love the outdoors and am looking for activities to do while waiting for my partner. I also appreciate any recommendations for indoor activities. Any suggestions? :)

I'm planning to drive to the ghost town at St. Elmo in about two weeks. I'm a little worried about the road situation on the way up/down. Can i get there in a normal sedan (renting a small sedan)? Do I need an SUV with more ground clearance? Do I need 4wd? Should I not take a rent-a-car up there? Any pointers would be great.

Thanks!

Hey! My fiancé and I are looking at going on a little getaway to Colorado. It would just be a 3 night trip. We’d like to stay on the cheaper side. Looking for ideas on things to do. A little information about us:

• we like short hikes (a couple miles)
• would like to see a hot spring if possible
• love ghost towns
• we love seeing nature, ideally would like to see part of the national park if we’re able to!

I’ve heard Golden & Morrison are decent places to stay with enough things that are driving distance. Anywhere else you would recommend staying instead?

Let me know your ideas! I’ve been having trouble trying to find things to do!

Hello! I’m planning a trip next year with some friends! We’ve landed on a cabin rental in Colorado. Problem is, I know next to nothing about Colorado besides a handful of things. So I would like some assistance in my endeavor! So it’s going to be 4, possibly 5, adults and we’re hoping for something semi secluded. Like, an hours drive from a town. There’s more to it, but these are the key points and I don’t want treat this place like tripadvisor. Just any suggestions or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

We will be making our second trip to Colorado in June. Our first trip had us fly into Denver and we drove through the Rockies all the way up to Ridgeway near Telluride. We also closed out our trip with a couple days in Fr Collins. This time we were looking to see something different.

I would like to see the Great Sand Dunes national Park but I've been told that it's best to go morning or near dusk as the summer sand temps can be high. There seems to be a lot to see around Rio Grande National Forrest and it's only a couple hours from the dunes.

Are these locations appropriate for the summer? Any other suggestions or cool towns to see. Can even be fun excursions. My companions will be myself, my wife and our 9 year old son. Even if something is further away, please share. I'm not opposed, but it might limit what else we can see. Being from Florida, the longer drives in CO don't really bother me that much.

Thanks in advance.

We’re traveling to Colorado for a week in early August with two kids (10 and 12). We currently have an Airbnb reserved in Breck, but I’m wondering if we should try Steamboat or Winter Park instead. We’ll have a rental car and are flying in from Denver. I get the sense that Breck is crowded in the summer, but wondering if/how that affects the experience. Thoughts on Winter Park or Steamboat for kids? I’ve also gotten the sense that wildfires might be an issue in Steamboat, but I’ve only seen that mentioned in a couple of places. Thanks for any advice!

In the near future once I’m ready to move out of my home. Ever since John Denver’s music I wanted to be near mountains and I’m just a fan of nature too lol. So what would be a good town near the Rockies and then nearby denver? Also any good record stores and comic stores in the Denver area ? Thanks guys !

Hi all,

Taking the family to CO this summer. Going to be wife and I, and three kids (7, almost 4 and 9 mo at time of travel). We get into Colorado Springs on Tuesday (in mid-June) and staying until Sat, then going to drive to Breck and fly out of Denver the following Tuesday. Would love any tips. So far, this is the plan.

COS - staying in Old Colorado City. Will do GoG, Helen Hunt Falls, Manitou Springs. Zoo is a maybe (we have three zoos by us we visit each at least once a year, including giraffe feedings). Any other must do activities? We live Florida coastal, so want to do hiking.

Any must stop areas driving from COS to Breck?

In Breck, will see the troll, and have a friend who will recommend some hikes. Want to spend a day relaxing at the hotel pool. But any other must do activities?

Not sure we will spend any time in Denver. It has been about 15 years since I have been to Breck, and went skiing so dont remember much. Went with some friends and one had a close friend there that took us everywhere, mainly skiing and drinking.

​

Appreciate the help!

I'm considering a job near the Kersey area, but as someone not from anywhere near the area I know nothing about the town. Keep in mind I originate from a very rural area (less than 500 population) so that isn't exactly a bad thing. I'm mostly curious about the type of people, terrain, things to do, proximity to larger populations/Colorado attractions. I would probably be traveling a decent bit during my time off and am curious about the surrounding area. Thank you in advance!

I'm a fairly new Denver resident, and am looking to plan a weekend trip in Mid-May with a few good friends. And though I've visited plenty during my time in Colorado, I have never made the trips in May which I feel is an interesting time during the year. On one hand we are past prime skiing season, though peak hiking season likely won't come until July.

With the above considerations in mind, is there a town anyone might recommend for us to visit? We are ultimately looking for a location that has a good amount to do in town while also having some nice outdoor activities in May.

Thanks in advance.

Hey everyone,

Me and my friends are planning a road trip from Dallas to Colorado at the end of March, and I could use some advice from seasoned travelers or locals familiar with the area. Here's my itinerary so far:

28 March: Leaving from Dallas in the morning, aiming to reach Colorado by night.

29 March (Friday): Rocky Mountain National Park:

• Exploring Rocky Mountain National Park, starting early to make the most of the day.
• Planning to visit Estes Park, check out the Visitor Center, and explore Hidden Valley, Sprague Lake, and Bear Lake.

30 March (Saturday):

• Me and my friends are planning a road trip from Dallas to Colorado at the end of March, and I could use some advice from seasoned travelers or locals familiar with the area. Here's my itinerary so far: recited!
• Heading to Pike's Peak to take the Summit Highway and enjoy stops at Crystal Reservoir, Glen Cove, and Devil’s Playground.

31 March (Sunday): Colorado Springs:

• Looking for recommendations on what to do in Colorado Springs. Considering options like Manitou Incline, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Seven Falls, and Old Colorado City.

1 April: Departing for Dallas in the morning.

I'd love to hear any suggestions or recommendations you have for activities, hidden gems, must-see attractions, or even great places to grab a bite along the way. Any insights or tips would be greatly appreciated!

Also, let me know if that time of the year isn't ideal to visit and if I should consider postponing.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi All,

My wife and I are taking our annual trip out to my favorite state, and I'm wondering if there are any recos around "must see" breweries that are fairly close to Denver and Colorado Springs. I've laid out my general criteria on what makes a great brewery below, but we're already planning on hitting up Cabin Creek and Outer Range.

Brewery Criteria (ranked in order of importance)

1. Within ~ 1 hour drive from Denver OR Colorado Springs
2. Laidback unique atmosphere
3. Beautiful Mountain Views
4. Good beer (love NE IPA's)
5. Music
6. Decent Food

​

Thanks for the feedback!

I always wanted to visit Colorado at some point. I became a Broncos fan at a young age and my dad lived there for a number of years before I was born. I'm 28 now, but somehow have gone through life basically only knowing about Denver. In middle school, I had a classmate who went to Aspen so that was probably the only other city I knew of for some time. I just had a friend move to Colorado Springs and I am hearing more about Boulder due to college football. I heard of Durango too. They all seem like great cities. Recently, I received a travel guide for the state which lists all of these cities, but I do want to simplify my search. I'm sure that all have great lodging and winter activities, but is there a city that a first-timer should visit first or is there something specific that makes one stand out from the rest?