RollTide_Houston

My wife and plan to take a trip to the mountains this July for our first anniversary. I have been to Steamboat and Copper Mountain in the winter, as well as Breckenridge and Big Sky in the summer. We really loved Steamboat and Breck. Any suggestions on a good town to visit this summer? Below is a list of priorities.

1. Cool temps. We like highs in low to mid 70s. We live in Houston so nothing 80+. That is why I have somewhat ruled out Steamboat. It tends to get toasty in July due to lower elevation.
2. Scenic views, hiking, wild flowers, GREEN (we love lots of green, not crazy about the more arid parts of the Rockies).
3. Good food
4. Access to flights from Houston
5. My wife isn't crazy about horseback riding but I am. I would love to do a cattle drive or another advanced trail ride. Though I hate trail rides that are at a slow pace, single file.
6. Historic sites, landmarks, other activities we are unaware of are welcomed

Thanks for the input!

Jean

"Access to flights from Houston."

I think that would be step 1. Only you know how far you're willing or interested in driving from an airport. I think you can fly direct from Houston to Aspen in the summer.

We've spent a few weeks in Vail during the summer and found lots of things to do/see, including fly fishing right in town, cycling down the ski mountain, concerts, the annual Dance Festival, etc. One day, we drove to the historic mining town of Leadville and rode the scenic mining train up into the hills. The drive went past the site of Camp Hale, home of the legendary 10th Mountain Division during WWII. There is a self-guided driving tour of the facility.

Look at dude ranches for the type of horse activities you want, but I don't know if your wife or the temps will agree.

Gretchen

OH, yes, how about fly fishing for a day!! Hire a guide at any number of shops in the mountains. The Roaring Fork in Aspen is a gorgeous piece of water. Near Silverthorne is the Blue River--trophy trout and also beautiful water. Or, not nearly as pretty, but amazingly, right behind the outlet mall in Silverthorne is the outlet for Dillon Dam and there are BIG ole trout in there caught on the tiniest of flies!!
I'd prefer a different town than Vail.
You haven't been to RMNP--that would be high on my list.
Tabernash has the low down on Devil's Thumb Ranch which might be THE answer.
I kind of doubt a cattle drive in the mountains!!

Tabernash2

Thanks, Gretchen, for the shoutout on Devil's Thumb Ranch.

It has been our go-to place for decades (literally), and now it has grown into the most awesome, eco-friendly, ranch resort & spa. The owners are dedicated to preserving the land, and have purchased adjoining ranches to protect them from development.

Decorations are Ralph Lauren-esque, with lots of real artifacts from the Old West. Cabins are especially nice, but more expensive than lodge rooms.

The buildings have cool histories. even though they are newly constructed, in most cases the wood was recovered from an historic building and moved onsite. An entire barn, in one instance.

About their Heck's Tavern, it says "f you look at Heck's architecture, you will notice several unique attributes, including Cascade arches, pegged beams and butterfly pegs. If you are familiar with the Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood, Oregon, you will quickly know we duplicated the magnificence of the room."

The trails are great, for hiking or riding. They raise their own cattle, but I have no idea if they let guests get involved in 'pushing' them.

Food is excellent. Their Ranch House Restaurant has seen us for many, many special occasions.

Nice pool & spa. Fly-fishing close by.

It's a special place: http://www.devilsthumbranch.com

bailey123

You could fly direct to Durango. While Durango will certainly be in the 80+ temps., the surrounding small mountain towns could satisfy the lower temps. such as Ouray, Silverton, Telluride or Pagosa Springs. All of these towns and activities are day drives out of Durango. There are several very good restaurants in Telluride and Durango and incredible hikes with lots of green, wildflowers in July and views forever throughout the area. If you enjoy hiking fourteeners, the highest concentration anywhere in the country is in SW CO. There are several outfitters, trout fishing streams, whitewater rafting, 4-wheeling, a narrow gauge railroad, ziplining in the forest, mesa verde national park, old mines, an authentic cowboy culture and natural hotsprings. This part of CO is pretty laid back, not nearly as touristy or busy as Aspen or Vail.

tomfuller

If you would rather fly to a larger airport, you can fly to SLC and take the California Zephyr out of SLC at 3:30AM and be in Grand Junction about 11AM. The slow trip through Ruby Canyon is something you will long remember.