suetibu

Hi, My husband and I are planning to take a cross country trip from San Francisco to NYC in mid Nov. We'd like to stop somwhere in Colorado for a couple days. We are not skiers. We just want to experience a different place hopefully in snow. We were thinking Aspen (3-4 hours from Glenwood springs) or Breckenridge (2 hours from Denver) but would like to see what the forum suggests.

Thanks,
S

Ackislander

Is it the journey or the destination?

If your focus is on the trip rather than getting to NYC, I would look at the train schedule and determine where the train arrived at a decent hour that I might like to visit. I would break the journey there for 24 hours or more of sightseeing and sleeping in a real bed. This applies to Colorado.

Sadly, some trains arrive at good places at 3 AM, and it is no fun to be standing on the platform in a deserted station at that hour, speaking from experience.

Daniel_Williams

Hi suetibu,

The place I thought looked exceedingly appealing for a stop on that train ride was Glenwood Springs, so what at about Glenwood Springs itself? It looked charming, in a gorgeous setting, right next to Glenwood Canyon, with outdoors activities organizations in town. There are some hotels (one that Teddy Roosevelt apparently like to stay)that you could even WALK TO from the train station.

By the way, enjoy the train ride; it's a beauty!

Best wishes, Daniel

happytrailstoyou

Glenwood Springs is a delightful place, and it is the only town where I have seen a sign stating that the public tethering of animals in unlawful.

To Ackislander's 3:00 a.m. warning, it can be added that even if Amtrak is scheduled to arrive at 5:00 p.m., it might not arrive until hours later.

Also, it was in a November that the Donner Party wagon train got trapped in the Sierra Nevada with the result that in 1847 only 48 of the 87-member party made it out alive.

HTTY

christy1

I agree that Glenwood Springs is a good stop. It's very tourist oriented, so you'll have no trouble finding excursions, bike rentals, etc. And there's always the hot springs. You might want to check a website to make sure there are things you want to do there--it's a pretty ourdoorsy town, rather than someplace that has museums or cultural events, etc.

Aspen is another good choice. Aspen's only an hour drive from Glenwood, though the train doesn't go there. I'm sure there is some sort of transportation that could get you there. You can probably find good deals in what is otherwise a pricey town for lodging, since it's off season (no skiing yet). It's a neat town and the dining options are WAY better than Glenwood Springs (so are the lodging options). There are more "town" activities in Aspen than in Glenwood.

fmpden

Need a little clarity on your question. Time of year? Aspen is 45 miles SE of Glenwood Spring - not 3 to 4 hours. Glenwood Springs is three hours from Denver, Aspen is four hours, and Breckenridge is two. The AMtrak will come through the mountains around Winter Park. The route from GW to Denver is very scenic and I think the Amtrak is timed to go through that area in the daylight. GWood Springs would be a good stopping point. The Denver Hotel is across the road from the station and the Colorado is a few blocks away. Both old Victorian hotels. Give us some better details so we can give a better response.

furledleader

Another vote for Glenwood Springs here. On dry roads, Aspen is pretty a 45 minute drive away. The two other mountain Amtrak stops (Granby and Winter Park) just don't offer what Glenwood would at that time of year. The problem with any of those stops in mid November is that there is no guarantee of snow at any of them. I'd be very surprised if there was snow on the ground at Glenwood. Although they will be making snow on the ski slopes of both Aspen Mountain and Winter Park, don't be surprised if the sidewalks and streets are bone dry at each. On the other hand, there's always that rare possibility of a freak early season blizzard.....but it's not likely.

In Glenwood, the Denver Hotel is right across the street from the train station, and both the Hotel Colorado and the Glenwood Hot Springs Lodge are a short 4-5 block walk across a pedestrian bridge over the Colorado River and I-70. Other chain hotels and local mom & pop motels abound within a 1 - 2 mile radius.

The hot springs are the big draw, but you can also rent bicycles and ride down through gorgeous Glenwood Canyon on a nice paved bike path, fish the Roaring Fork River, or go looking for Doc Holliday's grave in the town cemetery.

If you don't want to rent a car to get up to Aspen, the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority offers scheduled bus service between the two towns for a nominal fare. The Authority also operates free local buses within the limits of both cities. Check out their website at:

http://www.rfta.com/

In the left hand column, click on "Roaring Fork Valley" for the info on the route between Glenwood & Aspen; and click on "Aspen" or "Glenwood Springs" for info on the free buses within each town.

Note: although Aspen is only about a 45 minute car ride away from Glenwood Springs, taking the bus just about doubles that time. Buses are just slower and they make stops along the way.

suetibu

Thank you, GLC is on the top of the list.