Colorado Adventuring: Two Ways
Naylor Lake. Silver Dollar Trail.
There are so many outdoor adventures in CO – that must be why both me & my pal, Mike separately planned trips to the Centennial State for Memorial Day weekend. Let’s go Colorado Adventuring - Two Ways!
He hit destinations north of Denver, while I went south and together we barely scratched the surface on all of the amazing things to do. Here’s a snapshot of what awesomeness you can get into during a 3 day weekend, flying into Denver.
Rita – Mountains, Dunes & Red Rocks in 3 days
Colorado has 4 National Parks, however I’ve only visited Rocky Mountains. It’s easy to understand why – there are endless mind-blowing trails, plus it’s so close to Denver, Boulder & other cute mountain towns. It was time to make my way to see another park, so for this trip we set our sights (mostly) south.
Day 1: Mountains
We landed in Denver super early in the morning, with the time zone change in our favor. Jones-ing for a mountain/lake hike, we drove an hour west of Denver to Georgetown & the Arapaho National Forest. Several websites recommended the Silver Dollar Trail, which boasted moderate elevation gain & 3 lakes! This 3-4 mile hike is probably best done later in June or July, since we were still trekking through snow (in May) & not a wildflower was to be seen. But man, the views were amazing, since the water was still a bit icy & the mountains were capped with snow. From Georgetown, we made our way 2 hours southeast to Colorado Springs – our base camp for the next two nights.
Day 2: Great Sand Dunes National Park
We woke early & hit the road to visit National Park #37 – Great Sand Dunes. The drive to get there was absolutely stunning, going past the Spanish Peaks & Blanca Peak (another 14er). I wasn’t quite sure what to expect at Great Sand Dunes since we visited Death Valley previously & had done some dune hiking before but this was so much better! The scene is awesome – with the dunes nestled between a creek, a forest & mountains. Loads of families were hanging by the water staying cool, while others brought sleds to hit the dunes. (You can rent sleds at shops near the park entrance if that’s your jam).
We decided to hike to High Dune – which we quickly started to call 20 Step Dune, since we were hiking straight up in the sand so we’d have to take 20 steps, then stop to catch our breath. Bring lots of water & some snacks so you can soak in the views from the top – it’s definitely worth it. We spent 3 hours hiking around & were pretty pooped afterwards so we passed on Zapata Falls near the park entrance. Some locals said it was real pretty so we’ll add that to our next visit for sure!
Garden of the Gods.
Day 3: Red Rocks
Colorado Springs has lots of outdoor choices – with Pikes Peak & the Manitou Incline ready to test your legs. We decided to take it a bit easier & check out the Garden of the Gods. There are over 21 miles of trails here, wondering through the giant (300 ft!) sandstone red rocks & along the periphery where you might see big horned sheep or deer that live in the area. We took the Palmer Trail which winds through the juniper & cacti, full of good smells & birdsong. Go at sunrise & you’ll get the extra bonus of the glow off the rocks and the absence of crowds. Garden of the Gods is definitely less arduous for hiking, but a great way to enjoy day 3 before heading back to Denver.
Bonus Colorado Eats & Drinks
Cerebus Brewing Company (Colorado Springs): 20+ draft beers, a cute outdoor seating area, decent food & a load of dog lovers. The Fuzz Off peach sour & Triplici Tripel were big hits for us, but if you’re a hop head – there’s plenty of IPAs and whatnot there for you too.
Four by Brother Luck: (Colorado Springs) Southwestern-inspired restaurant by former Top Chef contestant Brother Luck knocked us out with all the flavors, cocktails & great service.
Constellation Ice Cream (Central Park, Denver): One of the Little Man Ice Cream destinations with way too many good flavors to choose from. Banana Pudding is a good start. Get the chocolate dipped cone – it’s worth eating on its own & doesn’t seem so decadent after all of the miles you’ve logged on the trails!
Deer Mountain Trail, RMNP.
Mike - Micro spikes, Yoga, and Rocky Mountain National Park Summits in 3 days
Day 1: Micro spike hiking
Rocky Mountain National Park is my “home park.” I made my first visit there when I was two months old and have been adventuring on the trails ever since. One thing I just recently got into though was the adventure opportunities in late Spring. Due to the high elevation this often means micro spike or snowshoe hiking and Jill G & I got some of that in on day one in RMNP!
First off, if you are headed to RMNP check to make sure that you have permits for entry should you need them. These are on top of the park entrance fees, it’s to create staggered entries and overcrowding due to the wildfires that ravaged the park in recent years. Get them at www.Recreation.gov.
With our passes secured we strapped on our micro spikes and headed to the Bear Lake parking lot and trailhead. From there we descended to the Glacier Gorge Trailhead for an 8 mile RT trip hike to Alberta Falls, Loch Vale, and Mills Lake. These are some of the best day hike sights in the park and there was often three feet of snow below our feet as we traversed the trails! Epic to say the least.
Elk roaming on Fall River Road.
Day 2: Mountain Summits & Hot Tubs
Our stay at the Four Seasons Inn (not to be confused with the high-end chain) included a surprise but very welcomed guest for our sore muscles: A Hot Tub! We left the micro spikes at home on day two and adventured up Deer Mountain. While probably the easiest mountain summit in RMNP it’s still a 10k with 1,400 feet in elevation gain. The easiest of the VERY HARD if you will.
After two days of hard hiking the hot tub, and home baked cookies from Four Seasons Inn owner Mark, were a welcomed addition to our afternoon.
I’ve been adventuring and hiking in this park as I mentioned for decades but it never gets old for me. Located just 90 minutes from the Denver airport this is a centrally located mountain getaway for just about anyone in the lower 48 of the United States!
Downtown Loveland CO done by @MorganGrayArtist
Day 3: Boulder, Loveland, and Fort Collins
We enjoyed our morning in RMNP with some short day hikes to Gem Lake and Lily Lake before packing the Rogue up to hit the road. Another great part about Denver’s location is the great cities and towns that are just a stone’s throw nearby. Our friends Rosalia and Bailey were in Boulder for the weekend (Colorado is a hot spot for long weekends from Ohio I guess!) and we went and explored one of our favorite cities in the country with them.
We picked up three books from the Boulder Bookstore and enjoyed Breakfast Tacos on Pearl Street. If you haven’t been to Boulder put it on the list. In-town hiking, great breweries, beautiful views, and lots of granola mixed with bouje is how I like to describe it.
Leaving Boulder we went to Fort Collins near where my parents live and I did a dose of flexibility with a class at Old Town Yoga followed up with a little treatment in their infrared Sauna. Fort Collins is much like Boulder to me. A college town with great nearby hiking (Coyote Ridge, Horsetooth Reservoir, and the Backbone Open Space to name a few) and amenities in the town with a mixture of hiking hippies and old privileged white people moving here to enjoy their later years in the coolness of the Front Range Mountains.
We headed back to my parents house in Loveland CO (another cool nearby area) to spend the week working and hanging out with them, my brother, and nephew. All in all it was a great side trip from their house for a weekend getaway for just Jill G & myself!
Coyote Ridge Nature Preserve in FoCo!
Colorado Bonus Eats & Drinks
Bean Cycle Coffee Roasters. Combined with a Kombucha Fermenter, cute in-store space MakerFolk, and Half Crown Creative for an excellent visit to FoCo!
La Esmeralda Tamales. Located at the JAX Farmers Market in Loveland Colorado we got veggie tamales and homemade salsa that had us craving seconds and thirds!
Upslope Brewing Company. You have a TON of brewery choices in Boulder but people love this one. The location in Flatirons Park certainly doesn’t hurt!
Colorado can be done many ways but we found TWO WAYS out of Denver. One to the North and one to the South. They were both a blast as I am sure you can tell.
The Mountains are always calling us, if they call you to we hope you have found two ways to explore Colorado.
Thanks for reading friends! Comment below with your fave CO adventure spots. And if you want more enjoy our blog archives, podcast, and trash cleanup event schedule!
Because Adventure Feeds the Soul,
Rita V & Mike R