I’m not sure what area you are referring to as NW/Range. Do you mean the area around Rangely, in far western Colorado? If so, it is about 300 miles from Denver.

As other have said, Colorado is a big state and people who live here are use to driving distances for activities –for example, Vail is approximately 100 miles from Denver and we have driven there and back for lunch on a summer Sunday.

I’m assuming that if you don’t want a whistle stop tour-you want to find one or two places to stay and do day trips of no more than 50/60 miles a day. Is this correct? And you want access to a train ride, horse back riding, museums, mountains with greenery.

As Debi says, southwestern Colorado (Durango/Ouray/Telluride/Mesa Verde area) would provide all you want once you make the 5-6 hour drive to get there. The drive itself is quite scenic and you could break up both the trip there and back to Denver into two parts so as not to have too much driving in one day, if you want. Gunnison (http://www.visitgunnison.com/) and Salida http://www.coloradoheadwaters.com/ would be two possibilities for a stop. Or you might consider Mt Princeton Hot Springs-http://www.mtprinceton.com/
The area around Salida, Mt. Princeton is gorgeous--huge mountains all more than 14,000 feet in elevation. From Mt. Princeton Hot Springs, it is a short drive to St. Elmo, an old mining ghost town that you might find interesting.

And the premium train ride in Colorado is located in southwestern Colorado http://www.durangotrain.com/

Another suggestion for an itinerary if you decide sw Colorado is too far—

First night in Golden then

Spend 2 nights in Vail (Vail is about 2 hours from Denver)—explore Vail, do a day trip to Leadville from there (Leadville is 2 miles above sea level--an old mining town with an historic downtown)
Spend 3 nights in Glenwood Springs (http://www.glenwoodchamber.com/) – Glenwood Springs is about a 1 hour drive from Vail and the interstate (motorway) goes through magnificent Glenwood Canyon. You could do a day-trip to Aspen ; a day-trip to Redstone (http://www.redstonecolorado.com/) and Marble and spend a day in the hot springs pool in Glenwood. I’m sure there are riding stables in Glenwood, if you wish to ride horses.

Then spend 2 nights in Breckenridge--http://www.gobreck.com/page.php?pname=winter/groups—Breckenridge is an old mining town/ now a ski resort

On day nine, head for Denver, stopping in Georgetown-(http://www.georgetowncolorado.com/attractions.htm-), to ride the train and in Idaho Springs to tour the gold mine (http://www.visitidahospringscolorado...s_colorado.asp.)

Sorry, meant front range and North west areas.

being from UK we are not quite as used to such long journeys for our Sunday Lunch, Phew 100 miles eh..

It seems all of colorado is lovely, and its like reading Trip reports from US visiors who tour the UK in 10 days they see a lot BUT (IMO) trying to see too much and not getting a real feel for a place.

For example I live in the NW of England and you could spend a good 9/10 days just seeing all we had to offer with maybe dipping your toes into Wales so to speak, and yet most visitors go from London to Yorkshire to Scotland back down to Cotswolds maybe fitting in Cornwall then back to London.

Its trying to see too much, we want to concentrate on a smaller area but get a better feel and not be rushed. If you get my drift.

We could see more and yes its only 5/6 hours but feel the NW/Front range sounds nice and seems to have lots to see.

Any advice on these areas VERY much appreciated.

Ok I understand--places in the Front Range and NW.


Near Golden--the Buffalo Bill Museum on Lookout Mountain

Boulder, Colorado--home of the University of Colorado--it has a lovely pedestrian mall in the downtown with very good restaurants.

The drive up Boulder Canyon to Nederland is a nice way to spend a couple of hours.

Estes Park (pretty touristy)and Rocky Mountain National Park. Great mountain scenery. Drive all the way through the Park to the west side at Grand Lake.

Poudre Canyon west of Ft. Collins--is a lovely drive along the Poudre River.

Evergreen west of Denver--is a nice little mountain town with a lake

You can drive to the top of Mt. Evans from Idaho Springs.

If you want to ride a train--the only one in the area is the Georgetown Loop train that goes from Georgetown to Silver Plume.

Is this more what you had in mind?

If it were me, and I felt as you do, I'd rent a condo on Lake Dillon and take day trips from there. Summit County is pretty central and you could do lots of day trips from there. Once you get there you'll figure out how far you want to go. September is a beautiful, relatively uncrowded time of year. The aspens are beginning to change and the weather is mostly nice.

Check www.vrbo.com for condo rentals. Here's an example that I found that gives you an idea of what it would be like: http://www.vrbo.com/5839

From there you can visit Breckenridge, Vale, Leadville, Georgetown, Glenwood Canyon. One of my favorite (long) daytrips is to drive to Aspen via Glenwood Springs and return over Independence Pass. Be sure to visit the Maroon Bells and have lunch in Aspen.

Hi Ann - I of Denver as the "grotty" part and it all improves as soon as you leave the city. I also think martym has a good plan to see southwest Colorado, since that was my home. I recommend one adjustment to that itinerary. Stay a night in Ouray then spend the next night in Telluride then go on to Durango from there to avoid so much backtracking. Either way - it's really beautiful country and you will wear out your camera. Enjoy!

Actually sheri, staying in Ouray is a nice idea -- however, going to Telluride after and then onto Durango is going to require backtracking [unless you are suggesting going south on 145 through Dolores and then to 184 and then 160 to Durango which is a longer route]. It makes more sense to do TTelluride, then Ouray and continue south on 550 to Durango.

But this is all moot, since Ann seems to be leaning to Front Range and NW.

Deb

Martym,
Thats exactly what we had in mind thanks for info.

As all of the regions sound nice we thought the NW/Front Range area would be nice as its not too far from Denver Airport were we arrive.

Could be wrong but from pictures we have seen here in UK we want 'typical' Colorado scenery, i.e. snowcapped mountains, tall fir trees etc, that clean crisp look.

Don't really want desert or rolling hills for miles.

Am taking all advice on board and though we may not use all of it, I am grateful that everyone has taken the time to reply.

Ann - if you do stay in Denver, the Colorado History Museum may be of interest to give you a feel of the west. Also, you could go for tea at the Brown Palace Hotel, our very historic hotel(maybe ask for a tour there?). The Fort is a very expensive, very western restaurant in the Denver foothills. And we love Glenwood Springs, where there is a wonderful hot springs pool. You could stay at the historic Hotel Colorado or the more modern Hot Springs Lodge. I think in Breckenridge,another one of our favorites, you can pan for gold. If I think of any more western stuff, I will add it.

I hate to disappoint you, but snow in September is not likely to happen. Could have a dusting high up, but no snow capped mountains.

I think you might have the wrong idea about SW colorado: it is not desert and has mountains [14,000 footers], not rolling hills. The term SW only denotes that it is the Southwest part of the state; it is every inch Colorado.

It is really just what you are looking for:
http://www.scenictelluride.com/mountains.htm

http://www.scenictelluride.com/lizar...ass-summit.htm

http://www.scenictelluride.com/waterfall.htm

http://www.indexstock.com/content/to...0CO_photos.asp

http://www.indexstock.com/Store/search.asp?treeID=1

Deb

I love SW Colorado and think Grasshopper's suggestion is wonderful, but calling Denver "grotty" is downright stupid. I'm not sure what you are after but I'll add to the front range list of suggestions:

Golden: Coors Brewery, brunch at the Briarwood Inn, afternoon in Blackhawk or Central City.

Georgetown: Breakfast at The Happy Cooker. Driving over Guanella Pass may not be an option due to potholes, but maybe repairs will be made by next year.

Idaho Springs: Pizza at Beau Jo's after Mt. Evans drive.

Boulder: Breakfast at Chautauqua Dining Hall www.chautauqua.com/dininghall.htm or Boulder Teahouse www.boulderteahouse.com, tour of Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory. http://www.celestialseasonings.com/c.../visit-us.html

Fort Collins: Tour of Anheuser- Busch Brewery or New Belgium Brewery (1st choice)www.newbelgium.com/visitus.php.

Colorado Springs: U.S. Air Force Academy, Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak Cog Train www.cograilway.com

Denver: Museum of Nature and Science, Denver Zoo, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, LoDo (Lower Downtown) restaurants, catch a Colorado Rockies game.

Ann,
I just read your other post about your "western" holiday. A couple of other thoughts came to mind. You can take the train To Glenwood for a very scenic ride, I have never done it but it is on my list. For a dude ranch, the C Lazy U in Granby comes to mind. You may be able to take the train to Winter Park & they could come get you, otherwise you can drive Berthoud Pass. There is a Dude Ranch Association for other ideas or you could search here for dude ranch in Colorado. Betsy

Debi,
Thanks for imput, after doing more homework (and i'm sure lots still to come) we are now looking at the SW area as well.

Sorry if we sound indecisive but, as you can appreciate when you are at the planning stage of your holiday one often changes ones mind as different info becomes available.

So nothing is written in stone, we have got next couple of months to really look into all the suggestions people are making and (hopefully !!) work out some sort of itinery..

So please keep suggestions coming and yes, we are now considering other parts of this wonderful state.

Ann, while the front range area has lovely towns and cities full of friendly people--they are not in the mountains. You have to drive to the west--sometimes not far to be in the mountains. Another thing to remember about the front range is that that is where most of the people in Colorado live - so there is more traffic and more crowds. But I'm sure you will enjoy your holiday whatever your choice.

Martym,
Your advice is always welcome and informative.

As you now know we have opened up our thoughts to other areas and may now go further South, whats Colorado springs/Canon City (think this is south central area) like?

Everyone thanks for imput and please bear with me as we are only at the planning stage and this is were the chopping and changing takes place.

Hopefully, we will then hit a 'Eureka' moment....

Another thing you need to be aware of - some Colorado forests are experiencing extensive pine/bark beetle kill--which means whole mountain sides of dead trees. It is especially bad in the Lake Dillon area--and someone else on this board said it is also occurring around Grand Lake and Winter Park. So when you make your final decision, please factor that in.

As to Colorado Springs--it's another city (second largest in Colorado) in a magnificent setting at the foot of Pike's Peak. Colorado Springs does a good job of promoting its tourist attractions--Garden of the Gods Park (large red rock formations) is probably worth a couple of hours. I'd skip Seven Falls and Cave of the Winds--which, IMHO are "produced attractions" for the tourists. You can take the cog train from Manitou Springs (just west of Colorado Springs) to the summit of Pike's Peak or there is a toll road you can drive to the summit. Colorado Springs has the Broadmoor--a classic, expensive resort. It's great to have a drink on the terrace there if you cannot afford to stay there (which I can't). There is an Olympic Center in Colorado Springs that is interesting and the U.S. Air Force Academy in just north of Colorado Springs--it has a world famous chapel.

Canon City's claim to fame is the Royal Gorge--the gorge itself is interesting but all the other tourist stuff surrounding it is pretty cheesy--again, my opinion.

Just my 2 cents worth about the cog rail and Pike's PEak. Both my SIL and I got extremely ill taking the cog up to the top [altitude sickness]. We only stayed 5 minutes and came right back down. Felt poorly for the rest of the day.

At the time, I was still living on the East coast at sea level so that may have contributed. I also found that when we went above 12,000 feet I felt poorly.

Be careful and be prepared for high altitude adjustments. It doesn't bother everyone, and it should not discourage you.

See info on altitude:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34865407

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34935779

Deb

Will agree that the southwest part of the state (Ouray, Telluride, Durango) offers just about everything you have mentioned about what you want to get out of this holiday - authentic western towns with history, magnificient scenery, activities, dude ranches, horseback riding. Ouray has a nice hot springs pool. The Million Dollar Highway (U.S. highway 550 between Ouray and Silverton) is beautiful. If you choose this area, I would also suggest taking a 4-wheel drive jeep trip from Ouray to Telluride (or visa versa) over Imogene Pass.

That being said though...... there are places in your original area of interest to experience what you want. Besides, the trip from Denver to Ouray will take you AT LEAST 6 hours - maybe as much as 8, depending upon your speed and stops you make along the way. As mentioned before, there are dude ranches around Grand Lake and Granby (but as a previous poster has noted, a pine beetle infestation has decimated the pine forests in this area). A drive through Rocky Mountain National Park is usually a must-see for first time visitors. Hot Sulphur Springs has a quaint, yet supurb hot springs spa. Berthoud Pass offers outstanding scenery. Georgetown is the origin of a short, yet interesting narrow guage railroad excursion. There is a gold mine tour at the Argo Gold Mine in Idaho Springs.

You can drive to the top of 14,000 foot high Mount Evans from Idaho Springs. Glenwood Springs offers lots of western flavor as well as a supurb hot springs pool.

Noting what you want to experience, I would avoid Vail, in that it is a town built in the 1950's/1960's solely as the base of a ski area. It's lodging and dining are expensive, and it's nestled in a narrow valley with an expressway running down the middle. If you want to explore that area, I'd suggest making the town of Leadville your home base instead - it's an actual old western town with beautiful scenery.

Estes Park is a very touristy (in the bad sense) town at the eastern entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. Unless you're interested in buying t-shirts, and authentic western trinkets made in China, I'd suggest just driving through it on your way to the park.

Of note is the fact that you will be arriving on Monday, Sept. 3rd, which is a holiday in the U.S. (Labor Day). All government offices will be closed, and most everyone else will be off from work. You should NOT run into any rush hour traffic at the time of your arrival, in that most everyone will be home from work that day.

Also of note, you mentioned a train ride on a train with "glass-topped" train cars. The only train of that nature that I know of is the Amtrack passenger train that runs between Denver and San Francisco (I believe). Amtrack is the U.S. version of the Eurail system. I've often considered taking this train for the weekend from my home in Denver to spend a night or two in Glenwood Springs. Leaving Denver, it climbs into the mountains up to the ski area of Winter Park, then over to Granby, Hot Sulphur Springs, Kremmling, Dotsero, and then Glenwood Springs. From Granby to Glenwood Springs the tracks follow the Colorado River, including a very secluded stretch between Kremmling and Dotsero.

Hope some of this helps.

I'm not going back and reading all of this, but I am going to suggest a corollary to DebitNM's suggestions. Gunnison, very much known as a historically Western town, just like what you would picture as the old west and the college located there is even named Western State college. There is some kind of rodeo days there, but i am not sure when that happens.

And just 30 minutes up the road is Crested Butte, an old mining town that still retains its charm and has not gone all "aspen" or "vail" yet. Crested Butte is all that you want from Colorado.

Spend a day or two there, then drive on to Durango, Ouray, Silverton. (even Telluride though it is not my favorite) I am also going to suggest the train. Someone else help me out here, it goes from Leadville to Durango? Silverton? very famous narrow guage railroad.

September is glorious to be in the mountains, and I have seen it snow in early september but it wont' stick and only a few of the leaves will be starting to turn.

To clarify something furledleader said, Labor Day 2008 is actually on Sept 1.

My bad!

You are right....Labor Day is Sept 1st.

Oh well....disregard what I said about traffic.

It'll be rush hour when you arrive!