gerririni

We hope to go this year to the Rockies and a friend said that September is a great month. What do you all think?

MoBro

Depends on what you want to do when you visit Colorado. Obviously.
Are you focusing on the mountains, or also the plains cities?
If you don't ski, don't want to whitewater raft, and can accept a surprise snowstorm-- September is great. October, too.
Or visit in August, if you stay at higher altitudes to avoid hot weather. Crowds will be minimized after school starts.
Tell us more about what you want to do in the Rockies.

Gretchen

Wild flowers in summer. Snow/ski/ in winter or just enjoy seeing snowy vistas. As Mobro says, there can be a surprise snow probably just about ANY time. We were there last May for DGD's HS graduation on May 13 and woke up to 6 inches of snow!! DS was married mid-October and ----repeat the last part of the previous sentence!! LOL

I think in September you oight see the aspens in full color which is wonderful.

tomfuller

Agreed! If you were planning on flying into Denver, consider taking the light rail from the airport to the transportation hub (Amtrak station) and taking the Amtrak California Zephyr west to either Glenwood Springs or Grand Junction. You will see a lot of great scenery from the train that you might not notice driving through it. The Glenwood Canyon just east of Glenwood Springs, is some of the most beautiful daytime scenery on any Amtrak route IMO. There is a good hiking/bike path along the Colorado River east from Glenwood Springs. Glenwood Springs also has the world's largest hot spring fed swimming pool. I saw someone swimming in it in December.

MoBro

You can also take Amtrak to Fraser, and visit Winter Park. I always recommend the fabulous Devil’s Thumb Ranch resort, which can be pricey unless you go off-season or shoulder season. It’s a very special place.
https://www.devilsthumbranch.com

yddkdd

Pardon me for jumping in, but it looks like this thread might be very helpful for me also.... I have a hotel room reserved in Broomfield for the first week of September 2020 for a conference that is being planned (but may be changed to an online conference depending on COVID status). I haven't made any airline reservations yet, as I am unsure of what it will be like to fly again, so I was thinking of driving (from Louisiana). Until I realized that it would be possible to encounter snow either 1) along the route, or 2) while staying in Broomfield. I don't have any experience living in snow, or what is it like driving in snow.

I guess I am looking for thoughts about what the chances are encountering snow during the trip, and if I did, how it would affect driving, being stranded, etc. We never get "snow days" here - only hurricanes keep us in

tomfuller

Considering the elevation of Broomfield (~5500') it is unlikely that there will be much if any snow in the first week of September. It is much more likely to snow at elevations above 7K feet later in the month.
If you are worried about flying (I would be), consider taking the Amtrak "City of New Orleans" from New Orleans (or Hammond) to Chicago. Spend a couple of hours in Chicago and then take the California Zephyr to Denver. Depending on your budget, you could have a Roomette and have meals delivered from the dining car to your Roomette.
If you have more questions, please start a thread of your own.

yddkdd

Thanks very much, Tom! I will look into the rain options too!

dwooddon

I would not worry too much about snow in Broomfield in early September. If you get up into the higher elevations it is more likely but still rare at that time of year. In the flats, it is possible but much rarer. I would recommend taking it easy and staying hydrated in the first few days. Broomfield is not at a high elevation but, depending on where you are accustomed to, the elevation still does effect some visitors.

I echo the other posters about the various attractions but would also add some others. Just down the road from Broomfield, the Colorado Railroad Museum is well worth a visit. In a normal year, I'd also recommend a Colorado Rockies baseball game, but this year, who knows. Denver, also just down the road, has many fine restaurants but again, because of Covid-19, who knows what will be open or available.. Lookout Mountain, just above Golden, is home to the Buffalo Bill Museum and grave. It's fairly small but interesting if you like that kind of thing. And, finally, there's always to Coors Brewery tour in Golden. I never liked Coors much bought in retails markets but, for some reason, the beer they serve after the factory tour was always excellent IMO.

Have a good trip to my old stomping grounds.

yddkdd

Thanks dwooddon!

Gretchen

People coming and going on a long train trip? During Covid? Just drive directly. Snow is unlikely but not impossible. It wouldn't hang around long if it did happen.

tomfuller

Currently the Amtrak website says "Service will be denied to customers not wearing a mask" Exceptions are if you are seated alone or are in your sleeper compartment.. The sleeping car attendant will bring meals to you if you do not want to visit the dining car.
Currently Amtrak is not booking coach car seating at more than half capacity. Cleaning of commonly touched surfaces is happening more often on Amtrak trains and in stations.

fmpden

The probability of snow in and around Broomfield in Sep is close to zero. And if there was snow it would be gone in a matter of hours. The probability of encountering snow on the way to Denver would be less than zero. But do bring a jacket as it can be cool especially in the evening. The "normal" or average first day of snow in Denver is around mid-Oct. And many years the actually day is in Nov.

Christina

Snow in early September there? People are trying to scare you about how it can snow any month of the year. When on earth did it last snow in Broomfield in early September, 50 or more years ago? Heck, snow has been getting sparse sometimes even in Aspen in early April, I know because I've been there and they even close the ski season normally by mid-April. And that's a heck of lot higher than Broomfield which is just a suburb of Denver. Not to mention global warming is changing things.

real facts for Denver:First Measurable Snow Last 10 Years:

October 10, 2019
October 6, 2018
October 9, 2017
November 17, 2016
November 5, 2015
November 11, 2014
October 18, 2013
October 5, 2012
October 25, 2011
November 15, 2010

sylvia3

The voice of reason speaketh...