Denver area 7-9 days end mid-end of May Help
 

Hello,
Two 71 year olds who enjoy easy hiking and outdoors (especially now) planning 7-9 days in the Denver area spurred on by visits to family. Please suggest itinerary ideas. We have been to the Telluride area and the Grand Junction areas in the past. Thanks, so much!

Are you staying in Denver every night, or do you want ideas for other places to stay?

We are totally open as to where to stay, no reservations have been made.

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Would you like a gorgeous mountain ranch resort, for a romantic and outdoorsy get-away for a few nights? With all the outdoor activities you could want, plus a spa, pool, amazing service and food? A very nice place you could stay to relax and rejuvenate? Horseback riding, hiking galore, zip lining, fishing, day-trips, special events hosted for guests at the Ranch. In case of bad weather, you can have a spa day or sit by the fireplace in your room, or fireplaces inside and outside the resort buildings.
Our favorite is Devils Thumb Ranch, in Grand County.
https://www.devilsthumbranch.com
DTR is pricey, but worth it. The owners have created an eco-friendly ranch, with homegrown cattle, vegetables, horses, etc. Interiors are authentic Ralph Lauren-esque, with actual Western artifacts, but not corny or overdone. Customer service is outstanding. I would not consider DTR 'touristy', given its wide open spaces and somewhat remote location. It is a stunning property, which goes as far as the eye can see.
You can take Amtrak from Denver to Fraser. The Ranch will send a driver to pick you up.
This sounds like an ad, but DTR has been a favorite of our family since it was a cross-country ski resort operating out of a barn in the 1970s. Our daughter chose to get married there a few years ago. It was perfection.
DTR is offering special springtime rates: "Receive your third night free when your stay falls between Sunday and Thursday nights, or your fourth night free when your stay includes a Friday or Saturday night. Based on availability from April 6 through May 27, 2021."

https://dayhikesneardenver.com/hikes-30-minutes-denver/

You could take a look at this site that may help with hikes.

I always think of Denver as more “big city” trip to see some sights. Golden is a cute town to walk around and was the original capital of Colorado. You could do Buffalo Bill’s grave and take a drive up Lookout Mountain. Downtown Denver has a pedestrian mall and the train station has some neat shops.

Thanks for these ideas; we will definitely consider them! Any other thoughts, such as itinerary ideas, are really welcomed. How long at RMNP? How about Great Sand Dunes NP?

Not to scare you off RMNP, but: May is mud season, higher elevation trails are snowpacked, lower elevations trails are beautiful but several of the best are closed due to last year's fires, there is a two-tier permit system this year, and given all that it will still be crowded. So at most a day or two.

Great Sand Dunes is beautiful in late May, the river should be flowing. Last time we were there in May we saw Western Tanagers and the forest smelled like clove currants. Lodging is limited near the Park, but you could work out a loop that includes Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs (also nice in May), the nice town of Salida, and Florissant Fossil Beds. For something different consider the detour out to Bents Old Fort in La Junta. Most people think the drive out there is beyond boring, but I don't. Expect crowds everywhere.

Safe travels.

I appreciate your honesty, and we do not like crowds, so this is definitely a consideration with RMNP. We are spurred on to go to see some relatives, one of whom is not well, so this timing is such. I like your idea about GSNP and that loop. Thank you Any other thoughts appreciated!

The mountains will still be late winter, early spring with lots of snow down to 6,700 feet. We had snow last night in the mountains. At this hiking anywhere in the mountains or foothills will be limited. There is a reason May is called mud season. A couple of the ski resorts are still open and you will see lots of snow if you hit Summit Cty. The road through RMNP will not be oen till Memorial Day weekend, if then. Same for some of the other high mountain passes. You will just have to hit some web sites to see what is open.

Thanks for that advice. I think we will head to the southeastern area:GSDNP, Colorado Springs, Gunnison, etc.

We went to DGD high school graduation a couple of years ago in Denver. It started to snow in the middle of the night and woke up to 4 inches. It was gorgeous. They swept the stands and chairs and wiped them down for a 10AM ceremony!!

Wow. We will come prepared. Thanks!

Do be aware of potential closures on Highway 50 between Gunnison and Montrose.

https://heartoftherockiesradio.com/s...art-next-week/

Thanks so much. This is helping in deciding not to go to Black Canyon...

We have a tentative itinerary in our 9 night trip in/out of Denver:
1st 5 days road travel: Colorado Springs to Buena Vista to Crested Butte to Aspen to Granite to Minturn to Boulder
4 nights in Boulder
We need help with where to stay, and how long to stay, for the first 5 nights. We have a reservation for the first night in Colorado Springs.
Thank you in advance!

Am I seeing double or do you have two threads? I just posted on your other thread - I suggest two nights Crested Butte, and three in Aspen.

4 nights in Boulder?

Yes, I posted two threads, since there was change in plans. In fact, we have decided the the high country may be too muddy/snowy/icey and uncertain for hiking. Our new plan is: Colorado Springs, Buena Vista, Black Canyon, Grand Junction, Glenwood Springs and Boulder for a lower elevation, "warmer" route where hiking may be more available. Really appreciate your help and we will have to return in a warmer time, although it's more crowded then I suspect.

Hi, The reason for 4 nights (3 days) in Boulder is because we have family in Denver and places to stay there were booked or very expensive and, also, not sure about RMNP and would just take a day trip from there. Boulder is off-season then, and some of the easier hikes will be less crowded, but not as muddy, etc. If you have any thoughts, though, they are gratefully appreciated.

We keep trying to tell you that hiking is going to be very limited if not impossible. Today, Monday, it is raining hard in Denver with snow showers. The foothills and mountains have received several inches of snow and more is in the forecast. May is tough month in this area. What are your exact dates of travel? Where is the family in the Denver area? As we indicated earlier RMNP is currently using a reservation system and Trial Ridge road over the pass will not be open till around Memorial Day or later depending on late snows.

I'll disagree with fmpden on that sentence only. May in the foothills can be stellar, but, yes, it is hard to predict. I'll probably be somewhere in the foothills north of Boulder on Thursday. Will report back on current conditions.

I also disagree with fmpden regarding hiking being "impossible". We spent five nights in the Durango area last week...hiking. Durango is at low elevation (6,500), but we spent most of our time near Purgatory, Coal Bank Pass and Molas Pass, which are much higher. Yes, we had to be selective and we had to bail on a few trails that we'd hoped to hike, but we also managed to hike at 10,000 feet - on hardpacked snow, but we hiked just the same. We also spent a full day in Mesa Verde, which was warm and dry as a bone (elevation 7,000-8,500), and a full day at Colorado Monument (elevation 4,700-7,000) near Grand Junction, which was a bit too warm for our tastes.

Right now where I live at 8,500 feet it's been snowing on and off all day, but it will probably be a distant memory by tomorrow and I'll be out taking my usual hike.

Just a word about GJ in May - it was 80 F there last week. By end of May it's already too hot for the likes of us, so be careful what you wish for. If the weather looks promising, I suggest you head for Grand Mesa, the largest flat topped mountain in the world, which is not far from Grand Junction. Yes, it may still have snow at 10,000 feet, but it might also be glorious, so just decide when you get there.

Have fun whatever you decide.

Seems like a lot of driving in CO.
Are you flying in and out of Denver?

Dear Fodorite Friends, We really appreciate your honest replies! Here is what we have decided to do.
Since the weather and road closures are such uncertain variables, we are going to:
Day 1: Denver airport to Garden of Gods (open until 11pm) to Buena Vista, sleeping in Buena Vista 2 nights
Day 2 & 3: Buena Vista
Day 4 & 5 TBD, possibly Grand Junction & Colorado National Monument & Grand Mesa
Day 6, 7, 8, 9: Boulder
We are leaving the middle days unplanned, based on weather, etc. as it appears is it low season and there will be somewhere to lodge
The last four days are in Boulder to visit family and possibly drive Peak to Peak and/or peek into RMNP.
We will look forward to hearing about the hiking report and ANY other comments.

We were in the foothills west of Fort Collins today, elevations between 5,500-7,000' Zero snow, zero mud. Not even any snow in the north facing shadowed areas, which surprised me.

That said, there were a LOT of muddy trails in the area, in fact some were closed due to mud, but we chose one that we knew would be OK. If there's doubt about conditions you'll have to talk to some locals. We are getting another storm in a few days so it will change again next week.

But today was a glorious day. We had a nice view of Mount Meeker and Longs Peak, site of various adventures for me.
There's plenty of snow up high. Note the middle distance ridge was burned in last year's Cameron Peak fire, which started 30-40 miles away.

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And back in town in plenty of time to say "Prost".

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Good luck on your trip.

P.S. You can check here for current trail closures. Right now a lot in south Boulder but the nice Flatirons trails are open.
https://trails.colorado.gov/map/@39.....278723,11.97z

It's getting to be tick season, don't spend much time off trail in grassy areas.
And there was a report of more rattlesnakes than usual, but that's below 5,500 feet.
Oh, and bears are waking up.

I'm a barrel of laughs today, aren't I.

Nelson--you are a barrel of laughs, but VERY helpful, as all our respondents have been. We are going with open minds and will just enjoy whatever seems suitable. So far, the itinerary I stated above. Maybe more time in Grand Junction (which appears to be warm and dry), stopping at hot springs on our way back to Boulder, and just being happy to have survived this past year and relax with some family.

Chautauqua Park in Boulder is one of our all-time favorites. Beautiful hiking beneath the gorgeous Flatiron mountains.
There are very quaint vintage cabins for rent at the park, owned by Boulder. You might check them out.
In any event, the Dining Hall is wonderful. We made a trip there this weekend for a Mother's Day treat, to eat on their front patio.
https://www.chautauqua.com

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Thanks, once again, for more great suggestions. Here is our final itinerary: 2 nights Buena Vista, 2 nights Creede, 1 night tbd, 4 nights Boulder. Road conditions with closures and construction, muddy trails, etc. influenced our decisions. Any more ideas of what to experience in these areas will be appreciated. I will do a trip report for sure!

Hello Fodorites, We are entering day 5 of our time in CO and it has been great so far. I will write a trip report, but briefly we spent 2 nights in Buena Vista and 2 in Creede, with scenic drives to Leadville and to Lake City, etc. Now, we have 2 days until we want to be in Denver Sat. evening. We want to go to Great Sand Dunes NP. Any thoughts on what to do in-between and should to drive up Pikes Peak? Thanks for any help.