itinerary for July 2010 trip

I don't think you have time for a jeep/ATV tour with all the other activities you have planned. Not at all sure you can manage all the things you have planned for Aspen, but you can prioritize later if necessary.

You mention taking taking the shuttle to Vail Pass and biking down to Frisco. What shuttle? I believe a few cycling shops/tour comapnies run shuttles to the pass as part of a rental deal, but to my knowledge there is no public shuttle. And, how do you propose to get from Frisco back to Vail? Be aware that the climb on the bike trail from Vail to Vail Pass is challenging and, if you're not active cyclists, it will prove to be a very difficult climb. Of course it's downhill from the pass to Vail and also from the pass to Copper Mt. and Frisco. However, it is a bit of a climb from Frisco back up to Vail Pass. From Breckenridge to Frisco and back, the trails tend to be less challenging.

Sorry I wasn't clear about the shuttle. We are renting bikes from a bike shop and they do a shuttle to the top of Vail Pass, and we're taking it downhill into Frisco. We heard the route down into Vail is much steeper. We'll just drive from Vail to Frisco and pick up the bikes and get the bike shop shuttle from there, it's only a half hour drive. We don't plan to do everything on the list, we'll see what we feel like doing when we get there, but certain things are a must, like biking the Vail Pass, and Maroon Bells.

Just to add to your list, there is a great 12 mile circular hiking/biking trail in Leadville called the Mineral Belt Trail. It is an often overlooked gem. I don't know if the route into Vail is that much steeper but it is shorter and less scenic. I would combine the two Vail nights and one Breck night into three nights in Frisco. And biking Glenwood Canyon is terrific.

Thanks, I'll look into the Glenwood Canyon and Leadville biking. There is SO much to do in a week I'm afraid we have to just sample things this time and come back another time to do the rest. If we didn't do Aspen we'd have more time in the other areas but I really want to see Maroon Bells and that area. I did look into Frisco lodging but didn't like the deposits and cancellation policies at Frisco Hotel and Best Western was okay but...I don't know, I figured between the Vail Pass ride and kayaking Lake Dillon we'd see alot of Frisco and if we'd stay in Breck we'd get to see a little of that town too. I am still struggling with how many nights Vail vs Summit, as you said, it makes logical sense to stay all three nights in once place, but again, there's that desire to sample a few of the town's atmosphere's. We've moved around alot on our last few trips just from the logistics of the places we've been to, Yellowstone got us started on that a few years ago, and we have found it rather fun. Hopefully it's not a mistake for this trip, as you can see we're still thinking and haven't booked yet. Anyway, I think the trip will be lots of fun anyway we do it and thanks very much for the input. We're writing down all the suggestions.

I personally prefer to park in one area instead of constantly changing locations and the time lost in doing so. Frisco has dozen of hotels/motels/B&Bs and thousands of condos. I am sure you can find something to match your requirements. I can sample a town's atmosphere without sleeping there.

For Frisco, have a look at the Galena Street Mountain Inn www.galenastreet.com or Cross Creek Condos and the following website www.friscolodging.com

Fishing.....you say?

I may be able to help a little with that.

You've chosen some nice rivers to fish. The Roaring Fork, the Blue, and Gore Creek are all first class. With your other activities, I'm not sure how much time you'll actually have to fish, but even if you get to try just one of these three you should have a fruitful experience.

First things first. Get yourself a fishing license. This can be done at any sporting goods store or flyshop in the state. Large stores like Sportsmans Warehouse and Bass Pro Shops sell them too. Even the sporting goods section of Walmart sells them. There is a huge Bass Pro Shop just north of I-70 in Aurora at Quebec St. (exit 278) in the Northfield Shopping Complex. You can see the huge edifice of the store from I-70 as you drive west on I-70 from the airport.
You can also purchase a license online or by phone from the Colorado Division of Wildlife website http://wildlife.state.co.us/ShopDOW/AppsAndLicenses/.

The shoreline of all three rivers can be a patchwork of public and private land. In Colorado, private land is generally off limits to any and all public tresspass. Even the river bottom that runs through private land belongs to the private landowner, and that owner can choose to prosecute if you've stumbled upstream in the river onto their land and are caught there. Fortunately, most private landowners are forgiving, especially if their property is not well marked, and they simply will inform you of your mistake and ask you to leave. That being said, it is just considered good manners to be well informed and avoid the private property altogether. A series of fishing maps and guides exists for all three rivers that colorfully details the public access along the rivers. They also detail what flies and lures work best at particular times of the year on those rivers. They are published through Shook Book Publishing (www. flyfishguides.com). Each map costs about $9 and can be purchased online or at most any respectable flyshop or sporting goods store. Even if you don't purchase one, check one out in store to determine where you can be fishing. The sales people in flyshops in Aspen, Vail and Breckenridge can also help immensely.

About 2 to 3 weeks before you leave for Colorado, check out the "Fishing Conditions" report on the Colorado Division of Wildlife website at http://wildlife.state.co.us/Fishing/Reports/StatewideConditions/

This site will give a pretty good, yet concise weekly overview of what is happening on specific waters in the state. There is also a copy of the fishing regulations on another page of their website. All three rivers have specific regulations. Public access is discussed as well as what parts of those rivers are designated "catch and release only", or relegated solely to the use of artificial flies and lures.

While most of the people fishing these rivers are flyfishers, you can catch fish on all three rivers using spinning gear with small spoons and spinners. Bait fishing with such things as live worms, salmon eggs or powerbait should only be done where it is legal to do so.

From the places you indicate you want to fish, all three rivers are much more like streams than rivers. The Roaring Fork in Aspen, the Gore in Vail, and the Blue north of Breck are all generally no more than ten yards wide and should be easily wadable by the beginning of July unless the snowmelt feeding them is excessively heavy due to a large snowpack or a late warming.

Local fishing shops I can recommend are:

ASPEN AREA

Aspen Flyfishing
303 E. Durant Ave.
Aspen
www. aspenflyfishing.com

Taylor Creek Fly Shop
183 Basalt Center Circle
Basalt
www.taylorcreek.com

Roaring Fork Anglers
2114 Grand Ave.
Glenwood Springs
www.rfanglers.com


VAIL VILLAGE

Gore Creek Flyfisherman
183 East Gore Creek Drive
www.gorecreekflyfisherman.com


BRECKENRIDGE

Blue River Anglers
209 N. Main St.
www.blueriveranglers.com

Mountain Angler
311 S. Main St.
www.mountainangler.com


You may also want to strongly consider hiring a guide for half a day (if you have that much time). It'll cost about $150 - $200, but save you a whole lot of time. A guide can put you onto the right part of each river, and get you into fish quickly. Any of the aforementioned flyshops should be able to help with finding a guide.

Historytraveler, thank you so much for the referral to the Galena Street Inn, I called them and they sound great and have good reviews. I'm still working out how many days in Frisco but very likley the days we stay will be at Galena Inn. Thanks!

Furledleader, Thanks!!! You must have read my mind. I was wanting to post a question about fishing but don't want to hog this board. But now you've given me most of the information I need. One additional question, my husband loves to fish, mostly spinner but he can fly fish, but he enjoys fishing more than he is good at it In other words he loves fishing and is thrilled when he catches one but that doesn't happen that often. Any suggestions on which of the three mentioned rivers needs is easier to catch fish, or needs less technical skill? We will consider a guide but as you said not sure we'll have the time, more likely he'll just want to spend an hour here or there as it fits in. Thanks.

"Any suggestions on which of the three mentioned rivers [it] is easier to catch fish, or needs less technical skill?"

That's really 6 of one, or a half dozen of the other. In their respective towns (or just downstream of them) all three rivers are pretty similar. None are very wide. All contain trout in the 8 - 16 inch range. And all can be technically challenging - with areas that are less so than others - for someone who is spin casting. Fortunately, all have trails of one kind or another that parallel their banks through public property in each town and for several miles downstream. Therefore, if you walk or bike these trails as part of another activity, your husband can scout the water for the most likely looking spot to fish at his leisure sometime later on.

In Aspen, the Rio Grande Trail parallels the Roaring Fork along 5.5 miles of continuous public access on the north side of the river from Hallam Lake right in town, downstream to the Upper Woody Creek Bridge. Access the trail from the area around the Benedict Music Tent at the very end of North 3rd St.; or take Cemetary Lane north from Hwy 82 (before entering the town from the west), and follow it about 1 mile until you cross over the river, and find Henry Stein Park on your left. The trail runs through the park right along the river.

In Vail, a walking/bike path follows Gore Creek from Ford Park downstream through Vail Village and Lionshead to Cascade Village. From the Lionshead area downstream to Gore Creek's confluence with the Eagle River in Dowd's Junction, Gore Creek is designated "GOLD MEDAL WATER" and offers probably your best place along the river to catch a nice fish in the 16 - 18 inch range. Park in the Cascade Village area and take the path upstream towards Lionshead; or find Donovan Park or Stephen's Park downstream of Cascade Village in West Vail, and fish the river from the public access of the parks.

In Breckenridge, the Blue River Bikeway follows the Blue River all the way to Dillon Reservoir, then on to Frisco. From Washington Ave in Breckenridge, the bikeway follows the river downstream through 3.5 miles of continuous public access to the County Road 3 (Coyne Valley Rd) bridge. In the early 20th century this section of the river was devastated by a massively destructive dredging of the river bottom - a last ditch effort to suck as much of the remaining gold and other precious ore from the riverbed as possible. The result turned this section of the Blue River into a long, straight ditch, with piles of tailings along the banks. And so it remained until the end of the 20th century when various organizations teamed up to "rehabilitate" the stream bottom literally rock by rock. The tailings can still be noticed looming over the river banks, but the river bottom is now a wonderful stretch of man-made pool-drops that contain good trout habitat. Further downstream, just north of Tiger RUN Road where the river passes under the Hwy 9 bridge is a nice little stretch of the Blue at the Gold Hill Access. Park at the Gold Hill trailhead parking lot on the west side of the highway here and fish the Blue for about 1/4 mile upstream and several hundred yards down.

Thanks very much for the detailed information. He was thinking of bringing his (telescopic) fishing pole on our bike ride down Vail Pass into Frisco. Any little streams or lakes along that route that would be good to fish for a while as we make our way down? And is it worth it to bring his fishing pole while we are kayaking on Lake Dillon?

There are no fishing streams between Vail pass and Frisco on the bike path. There are some ponds near Copper Mt where it flattens out a bit but don't know if they hold any fish.

Leaving the top of Vail Pass you'll be roughly paralleling West Tenmile Creek - a very small creek that drops too precipituously to be of any fishing consequence.

Once you get to Copper Mountain though, West Tenmile flows into Tenmile Creek and from there the bike path follows Tenmile Creek almost all the way to Frisco. Tenmile Creek is big enough to hold fish, and the gradient is milder than that of West Tenmile Creek. The closer you get to Frisco, the better chance of catching something from the creek. There are some ponds around the Copper Mountain area but I'm not sure if they are stocked. Between Copper Mountain and Frisco, right at I-70 exit 198 (which you'll pass by on the bike trail) is Officers Gulch Pond which I do believe is regularly stocked.