mugbuddy

We will be in CO for a few days in August. Here is our sample itinerary... Is this realistic or are we cramming too much in? Suggestions?
Fly into Denver. Drive to Colorado Springs. Spend night at Glen Eyrie.
Day 1) Focus on the Family tour/Nagivators Tour
Da y 2) Castle tour, Creation tour and tea at Glen Eyrie
Day 3) Pikes Peak railway; Segway tour of Seven Falls
Day 4) Drive to Aspen. Tour, spend night in Aspen or drive halway to RMNP to spend night
Day 5) Drive to RMNP and then to Denver to fly out next morning

mugbuddy

Forgot to add Garden of the Gods to the CO Springs area

martym

I would choose either Aspen or RMNP for the last two days and would not try to go to both.

Gretchen

Agree with marty--either/or. I'd cut a day off of COSprings also--lots of beautiful places in CO, more than the Springs.

mugbuddy

Should we try to spend some time in Boulder?

Nelson

Ditto to the above: either RMNP or Aspen.

Since you will be down by the Springs, I'd go to Aspen. That spends more time in the mountains instead of driving along the Front Range plains. Travel to Aspen via Buena Vista -> Twin Lakes -> Independence Pass, a spectacular drive.

Return to Denver has several options, probably I-70 corridor but you could stop in Vail or Summit County for a meal and to have a look.

I'd drop Seven Falls so you have more time at Garden of the Gods. Also, skip Boulder for such a short time, IMHO

Have a great trip!

Nelson

BTW, does anyone know what happened to PeaceOut? She used to provide great advice here. I've been in Colorado 35 years but still found her information useful!

mugbuddy

Nelson - why do you suggest dropping Seven Falls? We were planning a Segway Tour of Seven Falls(we love waterfalls!)... are you saying it is not worth it?
Also - between Aspen and RMNP, which would you recommend?
thanks in advance!

fmpden

Aspen by far especially if you enter via Independence Pass. I would also drop Focus on the Family.

Gretchen

While I would also drop Focus, I get the impression that that may be the reason for this person's trip.

Nelson

Re: Seven Falls. These places are clearly subjective. I went there with my parents when they visited many years ago. Neither my father nor I, both photography buffs, took any photos, so we must have been very underwhelmed. There's so much natural beauty in Colorado that it seems a shame to spend your limited time there, when you could be at a truly unique place like Garden of the Gods.

FWIW, TripAdvisor reviews of Seven Falls are just average, while Garden of Gods are excellent. Also, not sure how much water will be coming over the falls in August.

Anyway, that's my $0.02, your mileage may vary.

You can't go wrong between Aspen and RMNP, but as noted above the drive from Springs to Aspen is much nicer than the drive along the Front Range to RMNP. Independence Pass gives Trail Ridge Road a run for its money, though I do think the latter still has an edge.

If you want to do a lot of driving you could go to Aspen then back to Denver via Grand Lake and Trail Ridge Road. Those types of exhausting driving trips don't appeal to me. (I prefer to get exhausted on foot). I usually advise against them, but they work for some folks.

Hope this helps and that you have a great trip.

fmpden

Gretchen, I kind of missed the earlier reference to Glen Eyrie and forget it was tied into the Focus on the Family group. Probably the main purpose. We saw the creation tour a few years. It is interesting in it own, unique way.

To mudbuggy - if coming from the mountains along I-80 watch you timing. If possible avoid that area on a Sunday afternoon after 3 pm. Traffic back into Denver at that time is general bumper to bumper till you get into the foothills past Idaho Springs with major road construction just east of IS.

Gretchen

I am pretty sure fmpden means I70. The traffic eastward around Idaho Springs seems to be moving pretty well because it is still a 2 lane detour. The westward road was pretty backed up--this was during ski season.
Is the Sunday backup still bad during the summer months--I know CO is a year round attraction but I thought the Sunday aft was day skiiers.

mugbuddy

Not that it is relevant to my original question, but the purpose of our trip is to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary... and my husband has always wanted to visit Colorado. My husband is in need of knee surgery and we will not be able to do any hiking, so we're trying to see as much as we can via car - hitting the highlights with the intent of coming back and spending more time in our "favorite" areas.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond and give helpful information!

Gretchen

There is MUCH to enjoy in CO without hiking. While I might aspire to do it, I can't either. I just think there are more attractive places than CO Springs--accessible by car--and I would avail myself of them.
Near CO Springs is Woodland Park which has a really cool (to me) dinosaur museum/exhibit. It is not large, but very comprehensive in its educational qualities. Just for something else. The Denver area is a real prehistoric/dinosaur area--covered by oceans at one time!! Who knew!!

mugbuddy

Thanks Grechen! I'll definitely check that out! Our son loved dinosaurs before it became the "cool" thing, and now we have a new grandson who will probably have a love for dinos... gotta add that to the itinerary!

fmpden

You are correct it is I-70. But the construction around the tunnel east of Idaho Spring is in full swing with delays due to blasting. The day skier is not the problem on I-70, it is all the other people who live and work in the I-70 corridor. And the additional traffic from general use. The return to Denver in the summer is as bad as the winter. Generally do not have weather problems in the summer.

Tabernash2

You can go to http://www.cotrip.org/home.htm;jsess...D97285AB.node1
and find out about any delays in Colorado.

I drove down from Winter Park this Monday, mid-day and there was no blasting scheduled at the Twin Tunnels on I-70. The two-lane detour was moving nicely at 35 mph, so no problem there.

Yes, Sundays are big drive days to Denver year-round, so plan accordingly.

We love Aspen and would advise you stay there and drive Independence Pass, to the Maroon Bells for viewing, go through Glenwood Canyon, etc.

Gretchen

That is how I found it--took our 3 grands on a dinosaur trip around Denver. Morrison is another area, but the museum at Woodland Park is MUCH more complete--and has a lab where they are restoring bones that you can look in on.

sylvia3

Don't forget the Florissant fossil beds: http://www.nps.gov/flfo/index.htm (but be prepared for reality and truths...)