freetraveler1234

Hi,

My fiancé and I are taking a trip to Denver May16-22 and are in need of help with what to do and where to go. We have never been to the area and are not familiar at all. We enjoy trying new things and don't mind driving and keeping a busy schedule. We will have the use of a car during our trip. We are interested in doing a lot of outdoor activities on our trip as well.

What are some good cities to visit?
Good places for hiking?
What are some things to see that aren't complete tourist destinations?
Where do the locals go for day trips and things to see/do?

tomfuller

You are arriving at the end of the "mud season".
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_2291794...ad-out-or-stay
There is a great paved path along the Colorado River east of Glenwood Springs into the Glenwood Canyon.
There are plenty of good trails in Rocky Mountain NP if they are not snowy or muddy.

Bitter

Maybe not your cuppa, but in Denver proper there is a nice art museum and an interesting take on an aquarium.

freetraveler1234

Would Rocky Mountain national park be open during that time?

Are a lot of places open during May 16-22 or are a lot of places closed due to mud season?

Also are there any good hot springs to visit in the area? I keep trying to find some but they seem to be commercial pools?

DebitNM

What made YOU pick Denver; something had to interest you??

Bitter

Glenwood Springs has a hot springs pool.

Bitter

Is it possible you are just flying into Denver but seek other destinations?

tomfuller

You may find it easier to ride the Bustang instead of renting a car to get where you want to go. https://www.codot.gov/travel/bustang
It is easier and cheaper than riding the Amtrak California Zephyr to Glenwood Springs.

Bitter

tomf: That is a neat link and good info. Heck, it appears you could bus out to Frisco and then take the summit stage to Breck or elsewhere. Very neat!

fmpden

.....Would Rocky Mountain national park be open during that time?.....

The lower levels probably but the road through the park is always schedule to be open by Memorial Day. Most of the time they make it, sometimes they do it. A lot depends on the weather. More the most part May is the end of winter at the higher elevations. Not the being of summer.

....Are a lot of places open during May 16-22 or are a lot of places closed due to mud season?.....

Most everything is open. The ski areas will be in transition so things are limited there. Foothill hiking trails will be passable if not a bit muddy in shady spots. Higher mountain areas will still have a lot of snow especially on north facing slopes.

.....Also are there any good hot springs to visit in the area? I keep trying to find some but they seem to be commercial pools?.....

Not in the Denver area but further into the mountains. Most are on private property with limited access. The biggest is a Glenwood Springs but it is a commercial pool. Not sure what you are looking for.

sylvia3

This doesn't have quite the Olympic pool vibe of Glenwood, but Hot Sulphur Springs is fun: http://hotsulphursprings.com/
I really like Princeton Hot Springs: http://mtprinceton.com/
There are maps of the state with locales, and here's a site with hike-into less developed springs:http://www.cpr.org/news/story/six-wi...e-willing-hike

DebitNM

Go to a Rockies game
Not your typical museums -
Wings Over the Rockies if you are into aviation and old planes, very interesting wingsmuseum.org

Kirkland Museum - again not a typical musuem - http://www.kirklandmuseum.org/visit/unusual-experience

Walk in LoDo lots of fun shops http://www.lodo.org/

Tour The Mint - should get tickets ahead of time

There are lots of free walking tours if that interests you

http://www.denver.org/things-to-do/i...-denver-tours/

Tour Celestial Seasonings or Coors Brewery

freetraveler1234

Thank you everyone for the info!

Our current itinerary is
16-17 - Denver/Boulder
18 - Estes Park
19 - Breckenridge
20 - Colorado Springs
21 - Denver

Is that a pretty good itinerary to see as much as possible? Any cities you would go to over the current cities?

We tossed around the idea of heading out to Aspen but thought it might not be worth it due to highway 82 being closed. Or would you choose to go to Aspen over one of the current cities?

fmpden

I might skip Estes Park. Estes Park would work better if you could go over Trail Ridge Road but it is closed so you will have to backtrack through Boulder, Golden, and then on to Breckenridge. Personally I am not a big fan of one night stands because you lose a lot of time packing, unpacking, checkin and out, etc. Most of you trip will be driving in a car. In your original post you said you wanted to "interested in doing a lot of outdoor activities on our trip." That is out with your proposed schedule.

Given your limited schedule, and to reduce driving I might suggest something like this --

16 Go straight to Breckenridge (2 hrs) - might hit Georgetown on way.

17 Loop to Glenwood Springs and the Glenwood canyon (1.5 hrs each way) even throw a stop in a Vail. Perhaps hike to Hidden lake from the canyon. Could hit the hot springs.

18 Drive thru Leadville, perhaps taking some time for the Mineral Belt trail - hard surface and probably snow free and on to Colorado Springs. This will be a long day of driving

19 Colorado Spring - perhaps the cog railroad to Pikes Peak, etc.

20 To Denver

21 Denver

fmpden

PS Hwy 82 is open from Glenwood Springs (I-70) to Aspen. What is closed is Independence Pass between the south side of Aspen and Leadville. The rest of 82 is always open.

Bitter

Probably doable, but seems a bit rushed for such a beautiful and relaxing state. I'd probably scratch boulder and CS, and spend more time in Breck or Glenwood springs (adventure park and cave one day; hanging lake hike another a.m.). Kind of depends what you want out of this vacation. Breck is a little short on "sites" but it has a great vibe there are a number of nice hikes in the vicinity.

Gretchen

I'd scratch COSprings and Estes Park and spend a little more time in Denver. The art museum is excellent--has a particularly good Native American exhibit that you might not see elsewhere. Has an excellent restaurant (Pallettes) for lunch. Make a reservation. The Botanic Gardens is nice also. There is some great shopping. Pearl Street has some very eclectic shops and cute restaurants. There is some great dining in town.