End of our Colorado Vacation...Salida/Buena Vista or Colorado Springs
 

We are traveling to/from Denver for 10 days - doing a loop Denver-Aspen-Ouray-Durango...and? Have two more nights - was thinking Buena Vista/Salida but now I am thinking maybe Colorado Springs or even Breck?

Where should we spend the last two nights? Have 11yo children.

Thanks for your input

When are you going? Reports indicate the hotels in Colorado Springs are full due to the evacuation of 32,000 residents due to the wildfires.

Many tourist attractions on the north and west side are closed.

My opinion, I would choose Breckenridge first, Salida second and Colorado Springs third.

I would choose Breckenridge first for these reasons-- it is 2 hours from DIA (though not on Sunday afternoon), is a real town with restaurants and shops, is in the mountains, and there are lots of activities in town and surrounding area.

thanks - I am going August 1-11th to answer the question above. I'm happy with our itinerary so far - the only thing I couldn't fit in was RMNP but I really wanted to see SW Colorado.

So I guess our final itinerary is
Denver - 2 nights
Aspen - 2 nights
Ouray - 1 night
Durango - 3 nights
Breck? - 2 nights

Any further input for where to spend last 2 nights is appreciated!!

Do you have your airline tickets yet?? Maybe fly home from ABQ and if so, do Santa Fe/ABQ after Durango?

I already have tickets - it was least expensive to fly in/out of Denver.

ok, just a thought :)

If your 11 year old likes dinosaurs--or even if not--there is a wonderful exhibit at Woodland Park, just outside CO springs.
With a longish day's drive you could loop back through rMNP.

My 11yos are not into dinosaurs at all...mostly sports and I think they'll love the mountains.

I'm sure they will. Just suggesting something available in the Springs area, which is NOT the mountains.

Now I am thinking Colorado Springs - actually seems the closes to Denver airport when I put in thru AAA triptik. And I'd like us not to have to drive too far to go to airport.

So itinerary is:

Nights 1/2 Denver
Nights 3/4 Aspen
Night 5 Ouray
Nights 6/7/8 Durango
Nights 9/10 Manitou/Colorado Springs

I'm thinking though maybe I should spend one more night in Durango? If we wanted to do some kind of float/whitewater trip, is it better in Durango? I know it's been very dry and we may not be able to do it, but maybe by August you'll get some rain?

Thoughts?? Thanks!!

If you are making the decision based on travel to the Denver airport on the last day, IMHO, I wouldn't--there isn't that much difference mileage- or time-wise. Breck to DIA 100 miles--approx. 2 hours; and depending on where you are in Colorado Springs/Manitou Springs--85-90 miles -- 1 1/2 hours.

You should think about what you want to do those last two days, and make your decision based on that.

As Gretchen says--Colorado Springs is not in the mountains so it will be hotter than Breckenridge. Also it is a city of about half a million people--Breckenridge's population is about 4,500. So depends on what you want.

If we are getting rain by August [and I hope and pray we do]--it will be the afternoon showers and thunderstorms (i.e., the monsoon)and will not change the river conditions much, if at all--barring a flash flood.

(The North American monsoon, variously known as the Southwest United States monsoon, the Mexican monsoon, or the Arizona monsoon, is experienced as a pronounced increase in rainfall from an extremely dry June to a rainy July over large areas of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. These summer rains typically last until mid-September when a drier regime is reestablished over the region.)

Did you see all the info I put on your "Durango" thread??

I will also say that between driving on I70 to the airport (as from the west/Breck) and from Co Springs on I25/225 from the South, the I70 could be much more certain not to be in gridlock traffic.

OK - I just need to decide!!!! Thanks all!

And yes, DebitNM, I did see all that info about Durango, Thank you!

Any other thoughts are appreciated!