maria_so

Hi All,

Early planning for our Colorado trip in April. I am going on a conference and my husband is meeting me there at the end and planning to do some sightseeing. We love national parks and want to go to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. My dillema is this: I don't know how much time to spend in Colorado and what areas to definitely hit. We've been to Mesa Verde and Great Sand Dunes - what else is there? Looking at nps.gov, it looks like the parks are pretty scattered. Can anyone tell me distances as it relates to the time it takes to drive from one place to the other? For example from Denver to Black Canyon? I'm thinking it will be too late to ski at that point, will it?

Right now, I am looking at April 17 to 27 for Denver and Aug 28 to Sept 8 for Wyoming. I'm leaning on moving some days off of denver to Wyoming because I don't know what else to see/do in Colorado. Any suggestions?

tekwriter

Late April is about as off-season as it gets in Colorado. All except the highest elevation ski areas will have closed, but there will still be snow that could make travel difficult. Too late to ski, too early to hike/raft/traverse scenic passes/etc. The Front Range (Colo Spgs up to Boulder) could be spring like, or still under snow - hard to tell. BCG park is about a three-hour+ drive from Denver, and could be hard to reach over the mountain passes if snow is an issue.

One park that's accessible all year round, only a 90-minute drive from Denver and no passes, is Rocky Mountain National Park. You can't drive to the top of Trail Ridge Road yet, but there's plenty of terrain on the east side of the park that's worth visiting. Snowshoeing is easy and fun and a great activity on the beautiful trails there. You'd have your pick of lodging at the lowest prices of the year.

A few days in Boulder and Estes Park, perhaps, might make for a nice getaway, but I wouldn't invest too much more time in planning an extensive trip around the state at this time.

maria_so

I was afraid of that...

So what do you think we should do? I can cut it down to 16 to 21/22. What do you think are things we would be able to do. I'd really like to do BCG. Are there absolutely no rafting there at that time? How about hiking possibilities?

tekwriter

There's no reason you can't go to BCG (assuming the weather cooperates and Monarch Pass is open, which is most likely) and since it's at a lower elevation, you may not find any snow there - I've never been there at that time of year, so I can't give you my perspective. One thing about hiking in the spring is that even if there's no snow, the trails are often muddy, so make sure you have sturdy boots and hiking poles. No, no rafting at all, not until May.

Just a thought - northern New Mexico isn't that far from Denver - Taos is five hours' drive, Santa Fe a couple more - much warmer there and fewer crowds. Even swing by BCG en route. If you've got 4-5 days, great place to spend it!

maria_so

Hi tekwriter,

thanks for your input. We visit taos/new mexico often and one of the times is when we crossed over to colorado to great sand dunes. I've just not been to explore colorado before and was really looking forward to that.

Ok, will look to see but I think we will cut short that visit and spend more time in Wyoming during the summer.

Thanks! If anyone else has input, please do respond!

furledleader

Are you planning to use Denver as the locus for several day trips, or are you looking at some sort of circle-route to take you through the state over several days?
Black Canyon is more like a 5 hour drive (one way) from Denver. I wouldn't recommend it as a day trip from Denver. I WOULD recommend it if you are planning to circle through the state.
Rocky Mountain National Park is an easy day trip from Denver, and even though the road over the top of the continental divide (Trail Ridge Road) to the western side of the park will not be open, the eastern side of the park offers plenty of exploring opportunity at that time of the year. Although the trails may be muddy, they will be much less crowded at that time of the year than they will be come Memorial Day. Also, because the crowds have not yet arrived, you will have access to all parts of the park with your car, and won't have to use any shuttle busses.
Colorado Springs is also an easy day trip from Denver with attractions such as the Air Force Academy, Garden of the Gods, and Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.
Unfortunately, river rafting will not really be an option at that time of the year. The snowmelt in the mountains will really not have started yet, so most rivers will be to low to raft. Besides, it most likely will still be a chilly time of year.....and river rafting on cold Colorado rivers in the foothills & mountains can be a chilling experience even in the heat of summer.
An hour and a half drive west on Interstate 70 from Denver will bring you to Summit County (through the Eisenhower Tunnel - a 1.7 mile long tunnel bored beneath the continental divide - billed as the highest vehicular tunnel in the world at 11,112 feet). Or, you can get off I-70 at exit 216 just before the tunnel and take U.S. Hwy 6 up over Loveland Pass into Summit County (passing 2 ski areas that will probably still be open - Loveland, and Arapaho Basin). This county has some of the prettiest scenery in the state in a very condensed area. Along the way you can stop off in the town of Idaho Springs for a tour of the Argo Gold Mine, or take a side trip up Lookout Mountain west of Golden to the grave and museum of Buffalo Bill Cody.

There's tons to see & do here at that time of the year.

maria_so

Thank you thank you furledleader!!! We wanted to do a circle trip and all you mentioned sounds absolutely fantastic! My husband will like to hear that there will be 2 ski areas still open - yippee! Could you recommend a circular route we can take? We don't mind hiking if it's muddy. We have very sturdy hiking boots. We would be starting out in denver and ending up there too. Thanks sooo much!

virginia

a good day trip from denver is to glenwood springs and the hot pools. if you spent the night you could add a visit to aspen. you don't have to ski or shop - just wander the town. it's lovely - there is a reason the rich and famous started going there. the drive through glenwood canyon (I70 after you pass vail/beavercreek areas) is another engineering marvel.

a drive from denver to copper mtn, then leadville (surrounded by 14,000' peaks) then south to buena vista, then east on rte 24/285 towards fariplay, through taylor park and return to denver.

drive to boulder, then west to nederland, then south on rte 119 south through rollinsville and central city. stop in cental city to look around. then home to denver.

you'll see gorgeous scenery on each of these trips. a loop through part of the state might be a good choice.

maria_so

thanks virginai! i was just going to ask about hot pools - we love them. it's a definite for an overnight then. do you recommend a particular place or is there just one?

maria_so

oh, aspen sounds lovely too!

furledleader

OK….you asked for it.

My first recommendation would be to take either your first full day, or last full day and spend it on a day trip at Rocky Mountain National Park.

The circle route I’m going to suggest can be done either in the order I describe, or in the opposite direction. But since your husband wants to ski, I’m assuming the best skiing will be found earlier in your trip rather than later (but not necessarily). Therefore:

Take I-70 west from Denver to exit 216 and then take U.S. Hwy 6 over Loveland Pass to the Arapaho Basin Ski area (about a 1 or 1 and half hour drive from Denver), and ski at A-basin. This ski area often stays open until well into June, and has even been known to stay open until the beginning of August! The upper reaches offer beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. It’s not a big ski area like Keystone, Breckenridge, or Vail, but its elevation offers good snow when other areas are shutting down.

The alternative ski area is the Loveland Ski area, found right at exit 216 of I-70, just before the interstate enters the Eisenhower tunnel. As a matter of fact, some of the ski runs at Loveland are situated right above the tunnel and there is a lift that will take you right up to the crest of the continental divide.

After a day of skiing, continue west along Hwy 6 from A-Basin (or I-70 from Loveland Ski area) and if it is late, find lodging in either the towns of Dillon, Silverthorne, or Frisco. All offer adequate lodging. My preference would be Frisco just because the feel of the town is quainter. If it's not too late, you could also by-pass these towns and continue west along I-70 and over Vail Pass to either Vail (not my choice – if there is no skiing available I find the town of Vail itself to be highly over-rated), Avon, Eagle, or even Glenwood Springs. Glenwood Springs is a one and half to two hour drive west of A-Basin, and if it’s not too late, or your husband is not too tired from skiing, I’d suggest going all the way simply because the Glenwood Springs Hot Springs pool and spa is a great place to soak until 10:30 at night (and the rates drop starting at 8:00 p.m. I believe).

From I-70 mile marker 132 (@ Dotsero) to mile marker 116 (@ Glenwood Springs), I-70 passes through beautiful Glenwood Canyon. It’s a ride that should be done in daylight so that you can really experience the sight of the canyon walls stretching up all around you. This stretch of highway along the banks of the Colorado River was the last part of I-70 to be completed in the state, not only because of the complexity of the canyon, but also because this double-decker highway was designed to be built with as little impact to the canyon as possible. It’s really a marvelous engineering job done in a beautiful setting. Even if you don’t get to see it during the day and you do stay the night in Glenwood Springs, take the time the next day to drive back up through the canyon. It’s only 16 miles (one way)and well worth the time.

From Glenwood Springs I would continue west on I-70 to Grand Junction. Before 1921, the Colorado River (from its headwaters in Rocky Mountain National Park to its confluence with the Green River in Utah) was officially called the Grand River. At Grand Junction, the Grand River confluences with the Gunnison River. Just west of Grand Junction is Colorado National Monument – a very pretty conglomeration of red rock canyons with numerous hiking trails.

From Grand Junction, head south on Hwy 50 to its intersection with Hwy 141 SOUTH. I emphasize SOUTH, because about 2 miles north you will come to the intersection of Hwy 141 NORTH which takes you back to the town of Clifton and I-70. You don’t want Hwy 141 north. You want to take Hwy 141 south toward the town of Gateway. This road starts out through a non-descript landscape of sagebrush and high desert, but soon starts dropping down next to West Creek into the canyon of the Dolores River. From Gateway, the highway hugs the Dolores River upstream through a beautiful red rock canyon until it climbs out of the canyon near the uranium mining town of Uravan. Continue on Hwy 141 through the towns of Nucla, Vancorum and Naturita. Just east of Naturita, Hwy 141 intersects with Hwy 145. Take Hwy 145 through the towns of Redvale & Norwood. Just east of Norwood, Hwy 145 will drop down into the very pretty valley of the San Miguel River.

At the junction of Hwy 145 and Hwy 62 you can either continue up 145 on a side trip up to the town of Telluride, or take Hwy 62 up over Dallas divide to Ridgeway. Near the top on the east side of Dallas Divide is a large pullout along the highway that offers an impressive view of the Mount Sneffels Range to the south, and the rest of the ragged San Juan Mountains to the east.

There is lodging in Ridgeway (watch out for the speed trap in town), or in Montrose about 26 miles north of Ridgeway along Hwy 550. If you stay in Ridgeway, you can take an easy side trip down to the town of Ouray and soak in their nice hot springs pool. If you stop by High Spirits Liquor in Ridgeway, ask for Karen and tell her that her brother from Denver says “Hi”.

From Montrose it is an easy drive east on Hwy 50 to the entrance to Black Canyon of the Gunnison Nat’l Park. Take the road through the park (stopping at some of the overlooks) all the way to its end where you’ll find the trailhead for Warner Point Trail. I would strongly suggest taking this relatively short (30 minutes at most for a healthy person), easy trail to the end of Warner Point for an awe-inspiring view of the canyon.

From BCGNP, take Hwy 50 east toward the town of Gunnison. Along this route you will drop down into the valley of the Cimarron River, then climb up across high desert until you reach the Blue Mesa Dam. At this point, if you want to see BCGNP from the east side, take Hwy 92 to the town of Crawford where you’ll find a road leading to the eastern rim of the park.

From the Blue Mesa dam, Hwy 50 heading east follows the shore of Blue Mesa Reservoir – the largest body of water in the state – for about 17 miles, then follows the Gunnison River for another 9 miles to the town of Gunnison. There is ample lodging in Gunnison.

From Gunnison, take Hwy 50 east. From Gunnison to the base of Monarch Pass, the landscape along this stretch is as dull as the landscape from BCGNP to Gunnison was beautiful. Monarch Pass crosses the continental divide and in my opinion is not one of the prettiest passes in the state. There is a little souvenir shop at the top. An alternate (longer) route that I have never done, but have heard is pretty, is to take Hwy 114, just east of Gunnison, over North Pass to Saguache. I know that coming into Saguache you will be hit in the face with the sight of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range to the east. Either way, head toward Poncha Springs.

From here, you can either head east on Hwy 50 following the roiling Arkansas River to Hwy 115 and Colorado Springs, or take Hwy 285 up to Johnson Village (with the majestic Collegiate Peaks mountain range to your west, then up over Trout Creek Pass into an area know as South Park. In the mountains, any area of flat land surrounded by mountains is referred to as a “park”. South Park is the largest of the 3 major “park” areas in the mountains of Colorado (the other 2 being North Park, and Middle Park – go figure). Follow Hwy 285 through South Park to Fairplay, over easy Red Hill Pass, and then up to Kenosha Pass. Coming in the other direction, when you crest Kenosha Pass, you are hit with the awesome sight of the expanse of South Park stretching out below you with the Mosquito and Collegiate Peaks ranges as a backdrop…..so, if you are heading east, take the time to look behind you as you near the summit of Kenosha Pass. It’s a sight you won’t soon forget.

Heading down the east side of Kenosha Pass you follow the North Fork of the South Platte River to the town of Bailey, then up toward Pine Junction, Conifer, and down the front range foothills back to Denver.

That’s the way I’d do it.

Others may differ.

furledleader

Like Vail, I can take Aspen or leave it. During ski season I absolutely LOVE Aspen. The rest of the year - eh. The Roaring Fork River valley is not particularly impressive around Aspen IMHO, and at the time of year that you'll be there, if there is no skiing, the only redeeming value to Aspen for me is to head up Maroon Creek Road to Maroon Lake where the backdrop of the twin peaks of the Maroon Bells offers what is arguably the most photographed mountain scene in all of Colorado.

fmpden

You should still be able to ski at Arapahoe Basin off of Loveland pass. I have skied there as late as Memorial day. A different kind of skiing but still fun. Most of the other areas close just after the Easter weekend. Not because of bad snow but psychologically most Colorado skiers stop skiing at Easter.

virginia

furledleader has posted an excellent and detailed tour of the state!
in my other post i mentioned taylor park but meant south park.

maria_so

furledleader, YOU ARE THE BEST!!!!! Thanks sooooo much! You have managed to get us excited about the trip again! We will follow your advice to the T.

A few questions more:
Do you think 3 days is enough to do this or would 4 be better?
We want to check out Vail if only for a short period since we've never been there and would like to say we've at least check out the town - same with Aspen too. Perhaps have nice dinners there. So any restaurant recommendations?
Also, we absolutely love hot springs. Are there any we can spend the night at?

Again, thank you so much. I just love fodorites and their amazing capacity to be so helpful. Thanks so much furledleader!

virginia

you can stay at the glenwood pools:
http://www.hotspringspool.com/
or across the street at: http://www.hotelcolorado.com/
glenwood has tons more places you can look at: http://www.glenwoodchamber.com/CWT/E...Keyword=HOTELS

or after you leave gunnison and drive to pagosa springs you can go north to johnson village & buena vista's hot springs which are more natural than glenwood's.
http://www.cottonwood-hot-springs.com/
or: http://www.mtprinceton.com/
you go back to denver through johnson village & south park from here.

maria_so

furledleader and others, HELP!

Ok, so we ended up with only 3 extra nights for this trip and having problems adjusting the itinerary furledleader suggested above. Can you help with some issues below?

Here's what we've come up with.

On thursday, we go to Rocky Mountain National Park for a day of fun then back to Denver for my honey's birthday dinner. Stay the night in Denver and early the next day, we leave for Vail/Breckenridge area for some snowshoe(ing)- Do you think they will still have snow there? I know that you recommended A-Basin and we'll do that if Vail wouldn't have any snow but not having been to Vail before, we are a bit curious of the place. Any recommendations on a shortish trail? I'm new to snowshoeing and am a little scared of how hard it would be. Then, we wanted to stay at Glenwood Springs and stay at the hotpools lodge and also try the Yampah vapor caves. This part is where we have issues. We are still interested in going to Black Canyon of the Gunnison but looking at the sight, it seems that besides snowshoe hiking and south rim sight seeing is our only option. Is it worth it? Because from BCOG, then there's not much until we head up near Denver. So we were playing with the idea to drop down from glenwood springs to aspen area, then doing the cirle from there and heading to Colorado Springs for our last night then on our last day, go by Fossil Beds then head up towards South Park area then back to Denver for our 6pm flight out. What do you guys think? Any thoughts or advice appreciated.

Lexma90

To help you decide whether to make the full circle trip, use mapquest to plot distances and travel times. I don't know that I would want to make that trip over 3 or even 4 days - quite a bit of time in the car.

At the end of April, it just depends on the weather as to whether or not they'll be enough snow for snowshoeing. While we live in Denver, and have a condo in Breck, we've never been there at the end of April, so I don't know, but you should check on whether the snowshoe rental places (I'm sure there are some, though as I own mine, I've never had to rent) are open at the end of April. If they are, they can direct you to some trails that would still have snow. Alternatively, on a lot of the trails near Breck and Vail, locals often just walk on them - they get packed down enough that snowshoes aren't necessary. Based on walking and cross-country skiing on the trails near Breck in mid-April, there will probably be snow near the towns, but mixed with mud! But a little higher up, there should be plenty of snow for snowshoeing.

In terms of being able to snowshoe, it's just walking, but with your legs slightly further apart.

What you'll find, I believe, at the end of April, is that the towns are VERY quiet. As I said, I've never been there at that time, but some of the local store-owners, who I do know, use that time to take some vacation time themselves. Hotels and restaurants should be open, though, or at least most of them.

Locals call late April and May "mud season." That's what you may find. That may be the case, for example, with the road to Maroon Bells. It's been a very long time since I've been there, and I honestly can't remember whether that road is paved (I assume not), and what the elevation is, but you may encounter mud and snow, or maybe you won't be able to get there at all. Depends on the snowpack!

A-Basin is a different kind of place, and Spring skiing is a different kind of skiing - it can be lots of fun, especially if its warm enough to ski without a jacket. Have your husband look at the website to see if the runs look like those he'd like. And make sure to check out the Beach.

On Glenwood Springs, make sure to check on the hot springs/pool hours when you'll be there. We visited several years back; to be honest, I can't remember what month it was, but the pool closed early enough that we couldn't visit when we arrived that evening. We rearranged our plans, and went the next morning.

furledleader

"We are still interested in going to Black Canyon of the Gunnison but looking at the sight, it seems that besides snowshoe hiking and south rim sight seeing is our only option."

BCOG NP is small as far as national parks go. It wasn't even a national park until just a few years ago. That said..... short hikes & south rim sightseeing are all that 98% of the people visiting the park do anyway. Other activities in the park are really geared toward the more adventurous and are generally all day affairs.

Is it worth it?

That depends. I wouldn't put it on my bucket list, but if you happen to be in the vacinity as you are passing by sometime, it's worth a stop. And I wouldn't go out of my way on a 3 day whirlwind trip through Colorado just to see it.

But others may disagree.

"So we were playing with the idea to drop down from glenwood springs to aspen area, then doing the cirle from there and heading to Colorado Springs."

How do you plan to do the circle from Aspen to Colorado Springs? I ask only because I'm assuming you are thinking of taking Hwy 82 from Aspen over to the Leadville area via Independence Pass. If that's what you are thinking, you may want to reconsider, because in all likelihood Independence Pass will not yet be open for vehicular traffic at the time you are going. That means you will have to backtrack to Glenwood Springs once you have visited Aspen.

And, just as a general rant:
I, for the life of me, don't understand peoples' fascination with the town of Vail. If it is ski season, I can.....but only because it is a GREAT mountain to ski. BUT, other than that.... it's not in a scenic setting at all; it has no history other than skiing; and the lodging & dining is overrated & overpriced (even in the off-season).

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

Lexma90

I kind of agree with the assessment of Vail. The town is somewhat cute, but in a manufactured way - it was only built in the early '60s. And it's RIGHT on the highway. Towns like Aspen, Breckenridge and Telluride at least have some real history as former mining towns (though somewhat obscured by ugly buildings from the 70s, 80s and 90s).

There are some good restaurants in Vail, but that's more from the perspective of our condo in Breckenridge, where there's little in the way of good restaurants. We visit Vail in the summer a couple of times, in conjunction with day hiking in the Vail area, wander the streets, let the kids play in the river and have dinner. I wouldn't go out of my way to visit Vail in April/May.