ra1031

We will be in CO Labor Day weekend and will be in Boulder Sat and Sun night. We are trying to decide where to stay Friday night (spend Friday day there and part of Sat. as well) and have narrowed it down to Breckenridge or Rocky Mtn National Park area. We love the outdoors, but also like exploring towns like Breckenridge. We have never been to CO before. Any advice? I know those are quite different options, but we are having a hard time deciding...

tekwriter

Wherever you decide to stay, best get a jump on finding a hotel room ASAP because it will be hard to find something, particularly just for one night.

If you've never been to Colorado, then I think RMNP and Estes Park are where you want to go. It's a gorgeous time of year and the hiking is spectacular in the park. Not that Breck is a poor second either; lots to do there, plenty of mountain hikes, lots of lodging and restaurants. Actually, if you can't find someplace to stay at either location, they're both very easy day trips from Boulder with RMNP only an hour away.

sundown

I second tekwriter's thoughts on booking ahead. We booked Breckenridge for Labor Day a couple weeks ago and the place we went through was down to just a few units then.

Breck is a nice town, growing all the time. That's not always a good thing. The actual town is beginning to get lost in the sea of condos. But there are lots of nice shops and places to eat and the setting is gorgeous. Be sure to make it over to Lake Dillon. Beautiful setting and one of the highest marinas in the U.S.

nlg

We have been to both Breck and Estes Park and much prefer Breck. We spent a week in Breck in May and had a great time. We stayed at the Valdoro. There are lots of restaurants in Breck and nearby Frisco. There are many hiking and bike trails. I did have a problem with the high altitude-after three days I was fine, but the first few days were rough.

Tess

Just know that Estes Park is very very touristy. Think mini golf and souvenir shops and that's what you'll get. I much prefer Breck, which is much less chaotic in the summer.

tekwriter

RE: Estes being too touristy. Sure, a couple of streets in the town of Estes are touristy, but that's not destination; RMNP is and Estes is just the place to stay and eat. Breck is pretty touristy too - all those shops on Main St. don't attract any locals shopping for provisions! And it was definitely a bit chaotic when we visited last month; finding restaurants with less than 45 minute wait for any meal was hard!

What I believe gives Estes the edge is the proximity to the park where you have a very comprehensive area for hiking, wildlife viewing and outstanding scenery. That exists in the area around Breck, but it's harder to reach and a lot more spread out, with the developed areas getting harder to avoid. You don't go to Estes for the t-shirt shops - drive right past and get to the park!