Colorado Trip in Late May 2014

Old Apr 13th, 2014, 11:26 AM
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Colorado Trip in Late May 2014

I would like advice on my upcoming trip to Colorado, which will be my first time. We are limited to approximately 7 full days so I would like to visit an area for a few days, then move to another city for a few days, etc. I would like to start at or around Estes Park. Interests are hiking, scenery, shopping, eating and wildlife. I would appreciate any input and would be glad to answer any questions. Driving from suburb of New Orleans, LA.
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Old Apr 13th, 2014, 03:30 PM
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Are you sure you want to drive from Louisiana instead of flying or taking the train to Denver?
Your drive time will cut your 7 days in half.
On the other side of Rocky Mt. NP you have Fraser/Winter Park.
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Old Apr 13th, 2014, 03:32 PM
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Are you sure you want to drive from Louisiana instead of flying or taking the train to Denver?
Your drive time will cut your 7 days in half.
On the other side of Rocky Mt. NP you have Fraser/Winter Park.
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Old Apr 13th, 2014, 06:06 PM
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If you drive, allow 2 days for adjusting to the altitude. Don't hike in the first 2 days (for sure). Drink lots of water. Don't drink alcohol. Estes Park is a lovely place. Full of tourists in the summer. Bring your wallet for shopping. You will enjoy it. Instead of hiking try a horseback ride instead. You can also buy a day pass and go up the Rocky Mountain National Park. Are you camping or staying in hotels? Have you considered KOA? There's a great KOA in E.Park. You can walk around the Estes Park Lake. That might be just want 'hikers' from Louisiana could be up for. Share more about your plans and we'll chime in.
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Old Apr 13th, 2014, 08:36 PM
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You will probably need more than two days to adjust to the altitude. Generally you adjust about a 1000 feet per day. Hiking could be marginal because of mud and snow in the mountains at that time. Trail Ridge Road through RMNP will not open till Memorial Day weekend or later. So you will be limited to the east side of RMNP if you stay in Estes Park. Be prepared for cool and cold weather. It is not summer yet.
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Old Apr 15th, 2014, 11:51 AM
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Thanks for the advice. Tom, the 7 days is excluding the drive. I don't mind driving, don't like idea of flying. What about Pikes Peak, or other cities around Estes Park?
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Old Apr 15th, 2014, 12:09 PM
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Hi, look up posts under my name. I received a wealth of information for my trip last year. We spent 4 days in Estes and 3 in Grand Lake. We stayed at Grand Lake Lodge which was, well, grand!!I must say I enjoyed Grand Lake immensely.Yes there are more hikes and activities on the Estes side but it is also very touristy. We found enough to keep us sufficiently busy on both ends. A great hike was the one to Lake haiyaha. It was absolutely gorgeous with the snow capped mountains in the background. I highly recommend it. If you want more details let me know.
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Old Apr 15th, 2014, 01:38 PM
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Yes, we love Grand Lake Lodge, too. It's rustic and classy at the same time. We also prefer that side of the park, over Estes.

For a splurge, Devil's Thumb Ranch in Tabernash is spectacular.
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Old Apr 15th, 2014, 04:00 PM
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Grand Lake is nice enough but that side of the park doesn't have the wow factor or the hiking that you'd find on the east side by Estes Park. West side trails (in general) take longer to get up into the mountains and have far less dramatic scenery.

Late May certainly fits within the Memorial Day time frame for Trail Ridge Road to be open, so it is likely that you would be able to drive from one side to the other via Trail Ridge Road. Nothing is certain of course, but the odds are you won't be limited to Estes Park if you choose to stay on that side.

You won't fully acclimate to the altitude in a week so do what you can. It would probably make sense to try to stay in Denver or Boulder the first night since you'll be driving through either of them on your way to Estes Park. Estes Park is low enough that 'most' people don't have serious issues with the altitude. Late May will be muddy as mentioned, just wear good boots and be prepared to get some mud on you. Best bet is to go for trails with a southern exposure - Bierstadt Lake and Gem Lake are likely to have little snow on their trails. Haiyaha is almost guaranteed to be snow-covered and pretty iffy - I hiked it in early June and the trail from either direction had a fair amount of snow (one direction was a primitive trail that was hard to follow and the other direction was fairly slick in spots with some uncomfortable dropoffs if you slid off-trail). It really depends on the year and snowpack so you'd have to wait and see what it's like when you get there.

If Trail Ridge Road is open as it should be, you could check out the Ute Trail and Rock Cut. The Ute Trail is pretty high altitude but reasonably level so as long as it's not snow-covered it would be doable and have great scenery. Rock Cut is very short and almost certainly would be clear as it's a paved trail - again, it's high altitude so you'd want to take it slow.

Beyond that, I am not a big fan of Colorado Springs and that area. Most Colorado experts would recommend you head further into the mountains, although that may not be their recommendation for this time of year due to snowpack and mud.
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Old Apr 15th, 2014, 08:29 PM
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I agree regarding CO springs. Its name sounds much better than it is. Probably a nice place to live, but there's so much more to see in CO.
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Old Apr 16th, 2014, 03:00 AM
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And another that says for a short trip, go to the mountains and not the Springs.
As for acclimation, it IS a real event for us lowlanders, but a day will get you on the way, and for heavy outdoor activity (ours was always skiing), there is always stopping to get your breath. BUT the amount of water you NEED to drink all the time cannot be overemphasized. Do not wait to be "thirsty"--just drink!! And sunscreen. Enjoy a gorgeous state.
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Old Apr 16th, 2014, 04:06 AM
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I agree with tabernash on the Devils Ranch(who by the way, was one of the ones who gave me some great advice). We spent an amazing day there, and it's relatively close to Grand Lake. You don't mention if you have kids but ours loved it there. They took an archery class. We went zip lining. Had an impromptu game of volleyball, had lunch at Henks. Would definitely revisit. Also didn't note your date of travel. Definitely wouldn't try lake Haiyala if there is still snow. We were there in July so this wasn't an issue. We loved Colorado.
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Old Apr 16th, 2014, 04:28 AM
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Thanks Again! Keep the advice coming. Just me and the wife, mabella. No kids. I'm the one more interested in hiking. Wife would just prefer to shop (LOL). I've seen many people stress drinking water, so I definitely won't forget that. We will be arriving in Colorado on 05/27.
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Old Apr 16th, 2014, 06:16 AM
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WhereAreWe mentioned some excellent trails that will probably be snow-free by then, though we have had a heavy snow year and anything can happen. The mountains can get a big dump in May.

Here are some other trail options:
- Besides Gem Lake, any of the Lumpy Ridge area trails such as Black Canyon and Cow Creek. Take Cow Creek to Bridalveil Falls, a really nice walk.

- The Cub Lake Trail and the lower part of the Fern Lake trail, at least to The Pool (two of my favorites)

- Hallowell Park

- The lower parts of the Lawn Lake trail (very steep at first but then it becomes more gentle

- The trail from Bear Lake to Emerald Lake will have snow but it is usually packed down from so many people that you don't need snowshoes. However, it could be slippery / sloppy. Ditto for the trail to Alberta Falls from Glacier Gorge. Both of those are extremely scenic, however, and worth having a look at conditions.

Over by Grand Lake the lower sections of most trails will probably have scattered snow patches, but could be passable.

The drinking water and sunblock recommendations given above are not to be taken likely, as you are aware.

Have a great trip!
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Old Apr 18th, 2014, 03:17 PM
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We are headed to RMNP in June and don't expect to be able to hike any of the higher elevation trails, so we are sticking with the lower elevation trails to avoid any snow/ice.

If you want some great sunrise shots, check out Sprague Lake. It's really a nature walk as the trail is flat and as I recall less than one mile around the lake.

http://www.rockymountainhikingtrails...rague-lake.htm

We definitely prefer the east side of the park vs. the west side for hiking, but Grand Lake is a quaint little town and isn't nearly as touristy as Estes Park.
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Old Apr 18th, 2014, 04:33 PM
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Thanks for the shout out, mabella!
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Old Apr 18th, 2014, 06:23 PM
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Thanks Wave725. I'm from Southeast Louisiana. Wouldn't mind seeing some snow, even if it is just sitting on mountains. Coldest winter we've had in probably 20 years and all we got was flurries once!!
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Old Apr 18th, 2014, 06:47 PM
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In late May all of the mountain passes will have snow and probably deep snow. With all the snow we have had in the mountains this year, it probably will extend well into June. White water rafting should be excellent.
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