Ok, I know this is incredibly vague but I'm just looking for ideas to start out with.
We would like to take mom (late 70's active and healthy) on a trip around Colorado in late Spring. We'd like to go to Rocky Mtn S.P and see things that we'd like (mid 40's, some hiking pretty active) but not making too tiring or strenuous for mom. Thinking about flying out to Denver? renting a car and then picking a couple of destinations to spend a few nites.

hi leah, assuming you are from south carolina, and that mom is too, so that brings me to my first piece of advise. you currently live at a few hundred feet elevation. denver is at 5000' and by the time you are in the mtns up to 10,000'. this makes breathing hard for most ppl with no hiking involved. so i suggest that you plan to spend 24 -48 hours on the front range (denver, boulder, colo springs, fort collins) (my dad came directly from sea level to leadville and had to go to the er for an oxygen tank to haul around - however this was with no time to acclimate)(fyi - drink tons of extra water and lots less alcohol especially while first at altitude.)
theres plenty to see and do on front range and then head to RMSP. hiking galore and mom could stay at the hotel or take a car tour.
also keep in mind that late spring in sc is diff from colo. for you march? for colo high country may & june!
you might consider flying to colo spgs. it is a much more manageable airport, just as convenient (1 hr south of denver) & may be cheaper. the springs with air force academy, garden of the gods, zoo, will rogers museum, quick access to cripple creek if you gamble, etc could be a good starting off place.
rmsp is very beautiful, but, really no more so than most of the state. meaning go but you need not feel like days not spent there will be wasted.
depending on your dates you might hit a bit of late spring skiing at araphoe basin, breck, copper or vail. mom could shop breck or vail.
steamboat springs is a great town to visit. ski area now but still a working ranch town as well. meaning more like real colo than all the contrived towns made for the bottom of ski areas, like at vail (this was a gorgeous ranch valley as recently as 1970 - now all glitz - well co style glitz)
if you get anywhere near leadville my standard piece of advise is to go to The Grill for the best tasting,
most authentic homemade mexican food in the state.
the grand junction area could be an outstanding place for you to visit. you could explore colo nat'l monument and grand mesa nat'l forest. stunning and outstanding hiking (go to www.visitgrandjunction.com)
hopefully some of this is useful. keep asking questions...its a huge state with lots to see and do... keep in mind that distances may take longer to drive than it appears mileage wise but getting places in co can be a entertaining as being there. in 25 years i never stopped taking drives just for the heck of it...

My proposition: Denver got to Rocky Mountain N. Park(Estes park)-ask park ranger for hiking plan to your needs-at Kremming take route 9to Silverthorne then IS 70 Vail-Glenwood springs-rte. 82 Aspen(dont forget to visit the Maroon Bells-follow 82 over Independence pass to Johnson village andthe rte. 24 to Colorado springs(go up Pikes peak and visit (by car) the 2 gold mine villages of Cripple creek and Victor-back to Denver on IS 25.Since I dont know how lo,ng you will be travelling this plan should at least take a week if you want to see something.If you plan for two weeks I would include Black canyon of the Gunnison and route 550 to Durango with visit to Mesa verde N. Park. We travelled in September so I dont know the situation in the mountains during your Spring visit. Paul

Leah, does your mother live in Asheville too? That's almost 3,000 elevation. We took my father who lives in Europe at elevation 20 meters to hike in your area. You should see him hiking! One of many hikes was 6 miles long and dificult in the Shining Rock area. He is 85 year old!!!
We spent two days in Asheville and started out with easy hikes in the Arboretum, then Chimney Rock before going on those more challenging. I bet your mother will tell you when is too much for her. My dad opted to go one day to Biltmore Estate for a whole day when we hiked to Pisgah Mtn. It was a short but very difficult hike and I know he would make it but he he was the one who concluded he needed one day off from strenous activities. I think he spent a big part of the day in the Biltmore's winery after canoeing on the estate. Sorry, I cannot help you with any ideas about Rocky Mtns but I thought maybe you would like to hear about another healthy and active parent. Have fun planning your trip

Denver has a good natural history museum, with an IMAX. They currently have an excellent display on the Lewis & Clark expedition but I don't know what Spring will bring.

If you like pancakes, I recommend "The Original Pancake House". The one I go to is on Bellevue, near I-25 but there are others. They're only open until 2pm. Denver has an aquarium and a butterfly pavillion, in case the weather forces you to head for indoor activities.

I live in Colorado Springs and may be biased but agree that it is a wonderful place to visit. We also have the Cave of the Winds. The Canyon City (Hwy. 115, from C. Springs) has the Royal Gorge. There is the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument not too far from Colorado Springs: www.nps.gov/flfo/index.htm

Another gorgeous area is The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park - near Montrose. We took my 60-something in-laws there. They're from Oregon, so they were coming from low elevation and they did well. Here's a website for you: www.nps.gov/blca/index.htm.

Here's a link for discount coupons for Pikes Peak area attractions: www.pikes-peak.com/ASP/coupons.asp.

There is a Colorado Springs and a Denver Entertainment book available - they may be worthwhile depending on how many tourist attractions you intend to see. Wait until 2006 to buy them as they get marked down to 1/2 price. Or, post a request on this board and someone might just give you the coupons you need. I'd be happy to share Colorado Springs coupons. Getting the National Parks Golden Age passport, a lifetime entrance pass to national parks, for your mom could be a good deal too - I think the discount generally applies to everyone in the car.

Remember that the weather can have a severe multiple personalitiy disorder right up to early June. Evening can be chilly even in the summer.

We hope you have a great visit.

Leah-The weather in RMNP in late spring could be troublesome. I'd plan on staying on the Estes Park side, because the road through to the other side (Trail Ridge Road) may not be open yet, or it could close due to snow and leave you stuck on the west side. There are plenty of easy to moderate hiking trails on the east side, so there shouldn't be any problem finding hikeable areas. Depending on what you mean by late spring though, you may have to deal with snow no matter where you go.

If you have time, go to the western side of the state too, and check out the Black Canyon and CO Monument. The diversity of CO is pretty amazing. You could also go to Great Sand Dunes. Just be prepared for snow anytime you're driving through the mountains, and check road conditions ahead of time (meaning, day before at least).

In Denver, I loved the aquarium. I'm not much of a fish person, but this one was really good. I wasn't nearly as impressed with the butterfly pavilion in Westminster. If you go to denver.org you'll find lots of ideas.

In CO Springs, my favorite thing was Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. It's on a mountain side though, so be ready to hike up and down to see everything. They have a tram or train to help out with that if you need it. Garden of Gods was cool, and you'd find some relatively easy hikes there. Royal Gorge in nearby Canon City is OK, but Black Canyon near Gunnison is far more spectacular. In my opinion, the only reason to go to Royal Gorge is if you want to drive/walk across the bridge, because otherwise it's kind of a trap.

As others have said, it'd be best to acclimate for a day or two before doing anything too strenuous. With that it mind, I'd suggest going to RMNP as the last stop, because you'll have maximum to time to adjust by then. Drink lots of water to help with the adjustment.

If you have just a week, I'd spend it in CO Springs and the Denver area, with a couple days at RMNP. I have plenty of suggestions for specific hikes in the park if you need any.

I'd like to mention Tahara Mountain Lodge for your Estes Park stay....gorgeous, comfy and beautiful rooms and common areas, wonderful breakfasts...Diane and her husband are loaded with info. about the area. You can check out their website, though I'm pretty sure I spelled it wrong, it has another a or r I think!!

Well, my favorite trip in Colorado would be a loop out of Denver to Estes Park then down to Durango and a visit to Mesa Verde NP and then east to Great Sand Dunes NP and then back up to Denver. What else I would add to it and how long I stayed in each place would depend on 1) amount of time available and 2) road conditions. What do you mean by "late spring"?

Yes, what is "late spring"? You would probably need a couple of days to get used to the altitude - drink lots of water, eat a lot, and take it slow. I would prefer Boulder over Denver, since I am not much of a city person. And when I entertain visitors to Colorado from the east, they usually don't come here for the cultural attractions. What's nice about Boulder is that it has a fabulous trail system, maps available online, so you could get outside for some easy walks right off the bat. And the Pearl Street Mall has some great restaurants and good shopping (and if you like beer, there are good brew pubs around). Rocky Mountain National Park can be quite nice in late spring - you will still run into lots of snow, so dress accordingly, and Trail Ridge Road is likely to be closed (it usually opens on Memorial Day, if I remember correctly) - the Ranger Station will be able to recommend good hikes. Bear Lake is a standard - I also very much like the Gem Lake hike, which I've done in summer and winter. Everyone in Colorado will have their favorite destinations; here are a couple of mine. I love the upper Arkansas river valley, and especially Salida; scenery is beautiful, the hot springs (in nearby Buena Vista) are great, as are the art galleries (I had a friend from NYC who thought she died and went to heaven). I also recommend Durango and Mesa Verde; Durango has good beer, and Mesa Verde has a variety of different sites for different walking abilities. The San Luis Valley and the Great Sand Dunes are also very special.