I'm planning a weekend trip to Colorado.
We are going Memorial Day weekend and would love to see the beautiful mountains everyone raves about.

I want to enjoy the natural scenary and mountains. I will probably fly into Denver and rent a car. Need a recommendation on where to go, the mountainous areas within driving distance (3-4 hours)

SOme place like this looks BEAUTIFUL and what we would like to see
http://www.ouraycolorado.com
but it is too far of a drive from Denver, where we will most likely fly into (best fares)

Definitely go to Rocky Mountain National Park, with a stop in Boulder either going up or coming back.
You better makes reservations now, as I assume that it'll be busy over the holiday weekend.
Nearby Estes Park would be an ideal location for you to stay. There are plenty of accommodations available there.

I'll answer to the 'newbie' part. Your post, as you see, goes onto the general United States board... so it sometimes helps you get better answers if you include "Colorado" or "Denver" in yout title.

Thanks for the tip!

The Rocky Mountain National Park is quite big. Which area should we go to? And how far is it a drive from denver

RMNP is great. I agree with Howard. Drive to Boulder first, maybe stay a night there - that's about 1.5 hours from the airport. Then go to Estes Park and stay there for the duration of your trip. You can explore RMNP using Estes as your base. You can get a map of trails and conditions at the ranger station at the entry.

I'm curious as to what constitutes a "newbie." This poster has been posting on Fodors for over a year. Maybe that should make her/him an "oldtimer"???

I'm not sure why yale wants you to go to Boulder first. I'd go straight to Estes Park. There are lots of cute little cabins, condos, motels, etc. there.

Alternatively, you could drive up to Summit County and stay in Breckenridge or Keystone. Lots of beautiful mountains up that way, hiking, biking, swimming... And more restaurants.

I'm with Grasshopper - skip Boulder. Either RMNP or Summit County will be great, especially if you are wanting something more like Ouray. Boulder is a good-sized city with a major university, and if you are only here a few days, it isn't the best use of your time.

since you don't want to do too much driving, i have to agree that straight to estes park and rmnp is the way to go. it's a big park but you have to use trail ridge road

bear lake area very pretty. lots of places just outside of town (estes) on the way into rmnp.

there is no need to stop in boulder on the way, it's a reasonably easy drive from denver. compact car will be fine to rent too. (budget was the cheapest when i went)

I only suggested Boulder because kitty mentioned she wanted to see the "beautiful mountains everyone raves about". The flatirons are a must-see, in my opinion. If you don't want to make the stop, then Estes is a great destination. I also love Summit County. Breckenridge is a good all-around town with something for everyone.

I only suggested Boulder because kitty mentioned she wanted to see the "beautiful mountains everyone raves about". The flatirons are a must-see, in my opinion. No offense taken. If you don't want to make the stop, then Estes is a great destination. I also love Summit County. Breckenridge is a good all-around town with something for everyone.