paulpalmer9946

We recently had Estes Park recommended as a great spot to take in Colorado's. beauty.
and it does look perfect for what we want, 7 days to relax and sightsee, light hiking, some nearby exploring of the surrounding area,
without too much driving. Basically get a taste of parts of Colorado that we haven't seen. Doing a little research we've learned
there's an ongoing construction project affecting the town of Estes Park, adding noise etc.(at night!) which has us looking for suggestions.
We've seen Durango/Mesa Verde and Black Canyon areas, looking for peaceful beauty without the National Park craziness.
Our usual road trips are a night or three in one spot then on to the next spot for more, trying to see everything. We want this to be different
Any suggestions are appreciated.

Gretchen

YOu could take some fly fishing lessons in Dillon and maybe catch a huge fish in the tail waters of Dillon Dam. Outfitter right there for everything.
Do a loop driving on I 70 to Aspen/Carbondale. See the exhibit of the million dollar highway just outside Carbondale. Hot springs. Return via Leadville.
Grand Lake is often recommended here for a nice stop.
Be prepared for any kind of weather--we had 75*on Saturday in Denver, 6 inches of snow on Sunday and 17* on Monday to do that fly fishing described above.

PrairieHikerI

Manitou Springs might fit the bill. Wander around Manitou Springs eating saltwater taffy exploring art galleries and the historic Cliff House hotel. Nearby are Garden of the Gods, Cave of the Winds and Pikes Peak. There are hiking trails at Woodland Park. During the off-season some businesses may be closed and snow is always possible.

Melnq8

Are you flying into Denver?

Estes Park is a zoo, as is RMNP which now requires timed entry permits.

Have you been to Buena Vista, Salida and Leadville?

Manitou Springs isn't remotely peaceful, it's a full on city (I know, I live in the area).

Pikes Peak requires a timed entry permit these days.

You say you've been to Durango and Mesa Verde, but have you been to Ouray and Ridgway?

tomfuller

Check out Winter Park - Fraser. You can get there without a rental car by riding on the westbound Amtrak California Zephyr from the Denver station. There is good light rail from the Denver airport to the Amtrak station/transportation hub. When on time (sometimes), the train leaves Denver shortly after 8AM.

Gretchen

I agree about Manitou Springs and I don't live there but went-once.
I will say that in Woodland Park there is a wonderful dinosaur exhibit where they also have a lab doing fossil recovery.

PrairieHikerI

Crested Butte--"Authentic, open and free of crowds, Crested Butte is a quaint 1880s mining town, a Registered National Historic District — and the celebrated wildflower capital of Colorado.” It is also a mountain biking capital with hundreds of miles of mt. biking trails nearby. It features rows of pastel Victorian storefronts which house boutique shops and restaurants. Crested Butte's Creative District encompasses the Center for the Arts, and 16 artist-owned studios and galleries. It is a major ski resort in the winter, but during the rest of the year there are lots of outdoor activities such as hiking, kayaking, and horseback-riding.

paulpalmer9946

I appreciate all the advise being offered, very much! Crested Butte sounds wonderful. This is a road trip from San Diego.
We're trying to see the fall colors as well. Ideally we would like to stay in 2 places, but see all we can (in a perfect world!)
Possibilities we have come up with are: Grand Junction(CNM), Grand Mesa, Crested Butte, Leadville and Aspen.
This is probably way to ambitious and needs some fine tuning, but it's a start. A round about would be ideal without too much back tracking.
I know snow is a possibility we be forced to deal with but only if we have to. Thanks in advance!.

PrairieHikerI

I would skip Leadville. It's the highest town in the America and its weather is BAD year-round. You might substitute Buena Vista for Leadville.