Nelson

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.

Melnq8

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.

MoBro

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

virginiafish

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.

Nelson

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.



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



Good luck on your trip.

Nelson

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.

virginiafish

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.

MoBro

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

virginiafish

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!

virginiafish

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.