Sberg

Hi All,
My family (all adults) will be flying into Denver this July for 6 nights. I am trying to plan a loop trip that covers some of the beautiful sights! My first loop was way too big (as I included Durango as we would have loved to stay at Blue Lake Ranch) and I realized I was trying to cover too much area. I live in NH which is so small compared to the states out west! Looking for suggestions for a doable loop which would allow us to do some shorter hikes (5 miles or under), see some beautiful scenery and enjoy the trip. I think I would like to go to the Garden of the Gods and Rocky Mountain National Park. Any suggestions for a loop drive and where might be a few places to stay along the trip? Or should I base somewhere and do day trips? Any and all suggestions would be welcome. Thanks.

MoBro

I always prefer to stay at a great base, and do day-trips from there, just because I hate spending vacation time in packing/unpacking and checking in/out of places.

Since you were interested in a ranch, I highly recommend Devil's Thumb Ranch (DTR) in Tabernash, CO.
http://www.devilsthumbranch.com

We have lots of experience there, going back to the 70s, and can't say enough about what a gorgeous & authentic ranch it is, with great service, wonderful animals on site, Ralph Lauren-esque furnishings, amazing locally-sourced food, eco-friendly throughout.
Expensive, but worth it. There are often summer lodging specials. The bunkhouse is least expensive, lodges next, cabins most expensive.
It's about 1.5 hr drive from Denver, over Berthoud Pass, past Winter Park ski area and town.
Or, you could stay at their less expensive sister properties in Winter Park:
Vasquez Creek Inn Home - Vasquez Creek Inn, or the Trailhead Inn, Trailhead Inn
From each of those lodges, you have access to DTR facilities and free shuttle.
There are plenty of summer activities in Winter Park, including at the ski area base.
From DTR you can easily day-trip to Steamboat Springs (about 2 hour drive each way) and Grand Lake (about 45 minutes away), at the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park.

If you don't want to stay all nights at DTR or in Winter Park, you could drive to Grand Lake, for breakfast. Then drive the stunning Trail Ridge Road into RMNP and spend the night someplace there. Return to Denver from RMNP.

MoBro

(Sorry-- I ignored your Garden of the Gods idea. Too much driving IMHO, and Grand County/RMNP much prettier)

Sberg

Thanks for the information MoBro. I am not tied to the Garden of the Gods idea it was just a place a friend of mine mentioned. There is not much availability at Devil's Thumb Ranch the week we will be in Colorado. They did have a few nights open so maybe we will splurge and stay there for a few night then head to RMNP. It's tough to pick only a few places when there are so many that I want to see!

Melnq8

RMNP is a tourist magnet, so you may already find most places booked for a busy weekend in July.

I think a loop incorporating RMNP and Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs is completely doable - you could drive via I-25 one way and return via 67 or vice versa. We live near Colorado Springs and made the trip up to RMNP last year, using the back roads to get there. It was a great trip, all the more so because it was off-season.

I wrote a report - it's here if you're interested:

Rocky Mountain High...king

Sberg

Thanks so much Melnq8! Very helpful.

tomfuller

If you wanted to go west of the Continental Divide in Colorado, you could take either the Amtrak California Zephyr or the Colorado DoT Bustang bus west to Glenwood Springs. Some of the best daytime scenery on any Amtrak route is the Glenwood Canyon east of Glenwood Springs. The train (or bus) arrives about 2 PM leaving Denver station shortly after 8AM. The new light rail system comes to the Intermodal station from the Denver airport.

Gretchen

A loop of the big sights is very doable. I'd leave Garden of the Gods to another time. Get a map and look at RMNP (spend at least a night in or near. Then exit by west entrance and drop down to I70 at Silverthorne. From there you could base yourself in Frisco (cute little town, lots of restaurants). Then do day trips as you would like to.
Aspen and environs including the Glenwood Springs and the Million dollar highway just east of that. There's the Maroon Bells.
Leadville and its mining history not far from Frisco.
OR you might want to base around Edwards for a little further into the mountains. LOTS to do in 6 days!! And beautiful
I

Sberg

Thank you tomfuller and Gretchen! I think I may be leaving Garden of the Gods off the list as it seems like there is lots to do without traveling that way. Where is a good place to stay to visit RMNP? Winter Park? Granby? I heard Estes was much busier and not as fun in summer?

WhereAreWe

Estes Park

The east side has the best scenery and hiking. Staying in Winter Park or Granby to visit RMNP is a huge waste of time with the driving back and forth. Estes is busy and touristy so it's best to come up with a strategy to deal with that - namely, avoid town as much as possible and get to RMNP early to avoid the crowds. Pack a lunch so you aren't going back and forth between the park and Estes for lunch, you will sit in traffic and waste time waiting at restaurants. Far better to have a picnic in the park somewhere.

Pick one day to drive Trail Ridge Road to the west side and visit Grand Lake that day. Depending on your itinerary/route, it probably makes sense to do that on your last day visiting RMNP and continue on your journey to the next destination to avoid backtracking over Trail Ridge Road. It's spectacular enough to do twice, but there's no need to do it multiple times on a short trip.

fmpden

When do you land in Denver -- date and time? And when to you depart?

MoBro

Just saw this:
https://www.winterparkresort.com/dis...CEBOOKINC3_PID

You need to decide how much driving do you want to do, and how much moving in/out of different places to stay?

You have good suggestions here: RMNP, Grand County (i.e. my idea), Summit County (i.e. Frisco, Breckenridge), Vail, Glenwood Springs/Aspen.

Sberg

Thanks again MoBro! I think we are going to drive right to Estes after we land (we land at 8:00am on a Sunday). Stay 3 nights in Estes then drive out the west entrance. Maybe stay a night or 2 in Frisco or in Vail. Having trouble figuring out the distances at Google maps will not go on the Trail Ridge Road (I am assuming it is closed now). The last night we will probably spend in Denver as we are flying out the next day. Suggestions for the last 2 nights after leaving RMNP? I haven't even made the first three nights reservations (but I have found some places). Do you think 3 nights is too long for the Estes area? We will have half of Sunday and all day Monday and Tuesday there.

MoBro

Personally, I do think 3 nights is too long in Estes. One night would be plenty for me.

As I recommend above, we prefer Grand County, because we like its more open vistas, and it is generally less crowded and less developed than Summit County.
Plus, it is closer to Trail Ridge Road. There's really no need to drive all the way to Frisco, which is a rather plain setting IMHO and offers no more than Grand County.

You could stay in Grand Lake a few nights. The Grand Lake Lodge is a very cool, historic place. Or stay in Winter Park. (Not Granby- that's a very simple, small town.)

If you do drive from Trail Ridge to Summit County, there is a prettier route than going to I-70. It is slower driving, but it goes along the Blue River and is quite beautiful. From Craig, you take US-9.

Gretchen

Agree that 3 nihts in RMNP is too much unless you have a 2 week trip. Two is plenty and then move on. There's a lot more to see in Colorado/
And definitely go through the Park to the west and down route 7 to Silverthorne to access I70 to head on west.

WhereAreWe

What's your elevation in New Hampshire? Read up on acclimating to higher altitudes so you're ready to deal with that.

re: Estes Park. 1 night is not even worth it. Stay 2 nights or not at all. Sunday will be very busy in town, but you aren't visiting Estes to explore the town (I hope).

RMNP - there is a shuttle system for the Moraine Park/Bear Lake corridor. From about 8 am to 4 pm, you can plan on having to use the shuttle in those areas because the parking lots will be full. East side hikes tend to be shorter/steeper, west side are longer and more gradual (that describes the mountain scenery pretty well too). Afternoon thunderstorms are pretty common in summer so be prepared for those.

Sberg

Where we live the altitude is 200’. I know we will have to deal with the altitude. That’s why I thought we should spend 3 night in RMNP. My husband and son have been to Peru and were fine with the high altitude. The other two of us not so sure. We were in the Tetons years ago and I remember it being difficult on the top of the mountains but luckily had no headache. Maybe we should do the trip in reverse and do RMNP at the end?

Melnq8

Where would you start? Vail and Frisco have high altitudes, as does Granby. Heck, even Denver, which is a mere 5,200+' may be problematic.

I think three nights in Estes is perfect. It's not as if you're spending your time in town - it's a good base for the park.

WhereAreWe

Estes Park is 7500 feet. The other locations you've mentioned are all higher than that, so Estes makes sense as the first stop. Your only other realistic option is Denver or Boulder for the first night.

You will not adjust to the altitude on such a short trip, so just do what you can to minimize the effects.

mabella101

Hello Sberg, we did a similar trip a few years back. We arrived in the morning , had lunch in Boulder and drove to our rental in Estes. Our rental was near Lake Mary and allowed to avoid Estes park to enter the park. We stayed 4 days; 2 days we hiked, 1 day we went rafting near Ft. Collins, and the last day we went horseback riding. Since we had a house we only went into town as needed. Our rental had a view of rhe lake and was quite serene. We had deer visits every day. We then crossed the park via trail ridge road. Allow at least 3 hours with stops. We stayed 3 nights at Grand Lake lodge, which we loved. We rented a boat and went around the lake, took a day trip to Devils Thumb ranch where we zip lined , played an improptu game of volleyball, and the kids learned how to shoot a bow and arrow. On our last day we drove direct from Grand lake to Denver via i40. It was a relaxing trip with just the right amount of activities so that we weren't stressed or rushing anywhere.
Hope you have a good time! Colorado is gorgeous.