What to see in Colorado

[Roly Nelson]

Hi Brian and Sandy, I spent 18 months protecting the slopes of Pikes Peak, while serving with the US Army, 55 years ago. If you start climbing from the Eastern Slope, you can see some of the fox holes they made me dig, in order to protect ourselves from imaginary aggressors. I was dead broke, but when I did have money for gas, we would drive to Siver Creek and the Royal Gorge, both worth seeing. Swing through the Garden of the Gods in Colo Springs, and spread out a blanket and take in the sights. The drive to the top of Pikes Peak is unforgetable and I think it is paved all the way to the summit now. Another way to access the top is on the cogged railway, and it is easier on the Stude. Good luck, and remember, swing on by my place either coming or going. The coffee is always on, how a boot that?
Roly, the So Cal woody guy.

[Catherine+twins]

(Disclaimer: None of these videos are mine. I just cherry-picked some that give the feel because I have only recently relied on my own camera instead of someone else in the family taking all the pics)

Royal Gorge, yes, that's a great one! It's a Rocky Mountain twist on an amusement park. Test your courage by crossing one of the highest suspension bridges in the country/world. Try bungie-jumping or zip-lining. Take the tram across the canyon, or the cog railroad into the bottom (steepest railroad in the world). There's also a train following the river in the bottom of the canyon (tickets in Canon City).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YSDQMKCUO8

Further south (US285 from Salida, which is west of the Royal Gorge), you arrive in Alamosa and can ride the Rio Grand Scenic Railroad in several directions. During the summer they have concert trains, which stop out in the wilds for a concert!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FENdj2iM7WI

https://www.coloradotrain.com/trips/con ... venue.html

South of Alamosa is Antonito, home of the western end of the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railway. (Since I seem to be stressing railroads here....)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjaXU26JqqY

Continuing west on US160 puts you over Wolf Creek Pass (made famous by the 1974 song by CW McCall)

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... YdM9dKs0JI

(Anyone driving Wolf Creek Pass will discover the snow tunnel is on the east side, and the song refers to the west side, but driving off the San Juan Overlook on the west side (happened many times before the run-away ramp was built and the road was re-routed!) was fatal not funny like the tunnel bit.) Oh, and Pagosa Springs is waaaay the heck west of the pass. Poetic license!

Okay, south of Durango (which you also reach on US160) you get into Indian lands. You may have heard of Mesa Verde, a park full of early puebloan ruins (that is Pueblo Indian). Mesa Verde has suffered from tourism, though. My mom's family is from the area, and when we had a reuinon there about 14 years ago, we visisted the Ute Mountain Tribal Park. It's basically on the back side of the same mesa (flat-topped "table" mountain) as Mesa Verde

http://www.utemountainute.com/tribalpark.htm

A tour with a Ute Indian interpreter (equivalent to a park ranger) gets you right into the ruins, IF you want to and are able to climb some rustic ladders. OTOH, if you want to wander around without a guide, you'll have to go the Mesa Verde and follow their self-guided trails. We didn't camp, but this video shows a camp site in the park.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsWQ3hiYgjw

Oh, and to end with trains, the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad starts in Durango, of course.

In the 1956 version of Around the World in 80 Days (starring David Niven), the train trip through the American West was filmed on the Durango and Silverton train. My grandmother loved to point out how many times they used the same stretch of rail from different angles to stretch it out. (This video "spoke" to me more than the slick promotional ones!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od13AQm2PaU
I think my kids and I will try to hit a couple of these spots this summer and fall, too!

Catherine

[KevinR]

How good of shape are you in? Do you like a somewhat extreme work out? Right across from the Pikes Peak cog rail station in Manitou Springs is "The Incline." It's an old abandoned cog rail line, about a mile long at 40% grade. It's tough but doable if you don't smoke. There is an easier trail next to it for the return.

http://www.manitouincline.com/

[Catherine+twins]

Oh, I forgot a couple, this time north of Alamosa (southern Colorado, San Louis Valley). This time the videos are mine!

Great Sand Dunes National Monument. I should say, this video was late spring/early summer. In the middle of summer there is no river and you cannot comfortably walk barefoot on the sand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmaKIg73Vp0

And Colorado Gaters, if there is too much wind for the Sand Dunes (that's how we finally went there, after years of driving past the place).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mrox2GKU ... =endscreen

Catherine

[Vedette]

Hi Brian and Sandy, I spent 18 months protecting the slopes of Pikes Peak, while serving with the US Army, 55 years ago. If you start climbing from the Eastern Slope, you can see some of the fox holes they made me dig, in order to protect ourselves from imaginary aggressors. I was dead broke, but when I did have money for gas, we would drive to Siver Creek and the Royal Gorge, both worth seeing. Swing through the Garden of the Gods in Colo Springs, and spread out a blanket and take in the sights. The drive to the top of Pikes Peak is unforgetable and I think it is paved all the way to the summit now. Another way to access the top is on the cogged railway, and it is easier on the Stude. Good luck, and remember, swing on by my place either coming or going. The coffee is always on, how a boot that?
Roly, the So Cal woody guy.

Thanks Roly
Yes you are definitely on our stop list if you are home!
Hope to make those plans when we get to meet you at the Dam!
Good Roads
Brian & Sandi

[Vedette]

Thanks Catherine
Looks like we will be watching youtube for the rest of the morning
Good Roads
Brian

[DougH]

I second both Mesa Verde and the Durango & Silverton train ride. Sure would love to visit both again

[JuneBug]

Mesa Verde
Durango Silverton train
Train tickets are not cheap, don't sit in the open car.
Rolly

Durango!
The Animas River runs right through Durango; take a short, but fun splashy raft trip. Flexible Flyers has been doing these trips forever, but there are many small companies that do it.

There is also a wonderful paved 7-mile path that runs the length of the river in town (FREE!).

Hang out and watch the kayakers play in Smelter Rapids Whitewater Park. Go to Santa Rita Park (there is a visitor welcome center there) and just walk a bit upstream, sit on the boulders, and watch. Great fun for FREE! Click on the link above to see the map.

Trimble Hot Springs, 5 miles out of Durango just off the highway to Silverton. Full sized swimming pool with lap lanes, natural hot springs water soaking pool(s) $$. There is also a clothing optional hot springs at Orvis Hot Springs near Ridgeway. Before you get all excited about that, just remember that anybody can take off their clothes, not just beautiful people.

Ouray has a town pool fed by natural hot springs and the Wiesbaden (my favorite) has a vapor cave in the basement. Lovely hot springs in Pagosa Springs, especially the one that has a series of small soaking pools terraced along the hillside by the San Juan River ($$).

The highways from Ridgeway up to Ouray, to Silverton and then to Durango are intense in places (mountainous, twisty, steep, two-lane highways with a lot of exposure), so make sure you are happy with the condition of your brakes and those driving conditions; ditto between Dolores and Ridgeway. The road up to Mesa Verde is also very twisty with steep drop offs.

In the general area, if you enjoy archaeology, check out the Anasazi Heritage Center just outside of Dolores, CO.

Remember that the busiest tourist week of the year at Mesa Verde National Park and anywhere in southwestern Colorado or the Four Corners in general is the first week in August.

When thinking about this part of the country, view it as the Four Corners area (intersection of Utah, NM, CO, AZ). There is astounding natural beauty and amazing things to see and do, and on that note I'll had over to AZ:
My most favorite out of the way place is Navajo National Monument in northern AZ on Hwy 160 between Kayenta and Tuba City; very basic unimproved camping with the best views ever, or get a spot on the improved camp loop. Navajo National Monument is on the Navajo Reservation, but showcases the most spectacular cliff dwellings in the Southwest (Keet Seel and Betatakin). Honestly, if I had the choice between going to Mesa Verde National Park or Navajo National Monument, I'd probably choose the latter for sheer beauty. Pay careful attention to operating hours and seasons: http://www.nps.gov/nava/planyourvisit/hours.htm
Amazingly, the park service (which operates national monuments) goes on daylight savings time, unlike the rest of Arizona (which doesn't). The Navajo Nation in AZ may or may not observe DST.

Sheesh, I'm obviously planning my vacation! Retirement at the end of July, so finally we can vacation a bit in early September, instead of our regular late May/early June time slot!

[mcwbyu82]

+1 on the National Monument. If I were to walk about 15 steps outside my office right now I could see it
Easily gives the Grand Canyon a run for its money.
Awesome by car, but another option that I did last fall was a fly over in a little Cessna. Spectacular and fairly reasonable

http://gatewaycanyonsairtours.com/index.php

They don't seem to list the price for the 4 seater Cessna, but just call I know they do it.

The Pilot Deanna is outstanding. Knows the area like the back of her hand and I am pretty sure she could do the flight blindfolded .

A couple shots from above

[Vedette]

+1 on the National Monument. If I were to walk about 15 steps outside my office right now I could see it
Easily gives the Grand Canyon a run for its money.
Awesome by car, but another option that I did last fall was a fly over in a little Cessna. Spectacular and fairly reasonable

http://gatewaycanyonsairtours.com/index.php

They don't seem to list the price for the 4 seater Cessna, but just call I know they do it.

The Pilot Deanna is outstanding. Knows the area like the back of her hand and I am pretty sure she could do the flight blindfolded .

A couple shots from above

Can you drive into the bottom or is this a canyon that is viewed from the top?
Brian

[JuneBug]

+1 on the National Monument. If I were to walk about 15 steps outside my office right now I could see it
Easily gives the Grand Canyon a run for its money.

Beautiful country in the Grand Junction area + lots of good, make that GREAT mountain biking there. We stayed at Highline Lake State Park (near Fruita, just up the road from GJ). Really nice place with giant shade trees.
We have not visited theColorado National Monument yet, but soon!

[mustangcats]

There is so much to see in Colorado and my advice is unless you plan to spend at least a couple of weeks there, you are better off to focus on one or two areas of the state. My first trip to Colorado was a 5 day loop across the state, and even though I saw a lot of great things, I was always in a rush and ended up spending more time behind the wheel than actually getting out and seeing things. I went back the next year and went back to Pikes Peak for a longer visit and then spent a couple of days exploring the area to the south of Colorado Springs. Stayed two nights at the restored Victor hotel and spent some time exploring some of the old mining areas. Then I went to the Leadville area and spent a couple more days before heading home (I was not too impressed with the Leadville area and I didn't feel well due to the high altitude of 10,000 feet). If you do go to Canon City after visiting Pikes Peak, be sure to take the Shelf Road south out of Cripple Creek. I think it is a much scarier drive than Pikes Peak. They do have a restriction on trailers due to the very narrow road, so it would be best to leave your trailer at the camp site. Be sure to go online and print a $2 coupon off the admission price to Pikes Peak...every bit of savings helps! There is even a coupon to print for a free donut when you visit the gift shop at the summit (just google for it). There have been a lot of good suggestions for things to see on this thread, and I have been to some of them. Hopefully I can go back some day and see even more. Have fun, Colorado is a very beautiful state.

[mcwbyu82]

Yeah no roads down to the bottom but still an awesome drive up top. Lots of pull out spots and picture points.
You wont be sorry.

And if your a baseball fan you can catch a Grand Junction Rockies game in town. Fun little park and good ball.

[JuneBug]

the peaches were like 15 a box and I sold them easily for 40 when I got home to wyoming. I had boxes of peaches piled high on the bed of my teardrop on my return trip to wyoming in 2010.
one good acesset was the insulation in my teardrop it kept the peaches cool in 90 degrea weather on the way home!
slow

Good reminder, Slow. Peach season is something else in that part of the country; the peaches are much better than anything you can get in a grocery store.

[Vedette]

My Grandfather used to remove the back seat from his 1949 Chev Fleetline, and after picking "Stawberry's all day at their Farm in Creston B.C.
He would load the car as full as he could and drive all night to Saskatchewan to sell his beautiful sweet fruit to those hungry Prairie Farmers for about three time as much as he could get at home where everyone could grow them.
That is what the fresh seafood trucks from the coast, that we find parked on the sides of the roads here in the Okanagan Valley are doing.
We have great fruit and wine but you just can't grow fresh crab or salmon on our trees!
Good Roads
Brian & Sandi