Hello Fodorites,

There's so much I love about Colorado, it's hard to pick my favorite things. But I'd like to hear the highlight of your last trip, whether it's skiing the champagne powder or an Old West experience or touring breweries. What was it about Colorado that was most memorable?

Thanks!

I may have a slight bias as I live here, but I have to give a shoutout for SW Colorado.

This a beautiful place anytime of the year. TFall is my favorite time of year, with cool, crisp, sunny days with crystal clear blue skies, but winter with equally sunny days and blue skies but with a frosting of snow all around is pretty special too. Summer is time to get out and enjoy the water based activities and hiking is grand all year long.

Drive the San Juan Skyway and circle from Durango, to Silverton, Ouray, then on to Telluride, down to Dolores and Cortez, over to Mancos and Mesa Verde National Park to see centuries old cliff dwellings that will take your breath away, before heading back to Durango. See dog mushers race, river runners sail by, have some locally brewed adult beverages.

Hike, bike, kayak, raft, take a train, walk, swim, climb, ski, tube, toboggan, horse-drawn sled, fish, boat, explore, eat and drink and be merry. Friendly folks with lots of things for every age group and $$ friendly too.


Like I said, I just might have a bias!!
Deb

I love the YMCA of the Rockies at Estes Park. It is the perfect place for a family vacation. You can chose between self catering cabins and hotel like rooms. Activities range from guided hikes to next door Rocky Mountain National Park, to bug classes and swimming. They offer hay rides, craft classes, bird watching, and numerous nature hikes for all ages. You could spend weeks just at the YMCA and not run out of things to do.

Nearby the is an excellent selection of places to eat. From fine, but relaxed, dining to burders and fries, there is something for everyone.

Estes Park itself is touristy with your typical small Rocky Mountain town shops, but it is a fun place to walk around on a nice afternoon with the family or just your significant other. There are spas and horse rides from other operators.

From Estes Park, you can hit numerous places for a day trip, including Fort Collins, Denver, Boulder, Grand Lake, and SW Wyoming. Whether you are into beer, culture, sports, or hiking, you can do it all within an hour or two of Estes Park.

DanM - Estes Park sounds like a great family getaway and a good base for exploring.

DebitNM - I understand your bias, what a beautiful place to live!

Just about everything. No kidding. No many great memories.
I guess my favorite was a winter sleigh ride outside of Durango. Jingle bells, crisp air, moonlight on the snow, tall evergreens on both sides of the trail, brilliant stars overhead. The dinner at the little cabin without electricity was surprisingly good.
Love Estes Park & surrounding area.
Love the SW corner and Mesa Verde.
Love Great Sand Dunes NP.
Love camping beside a river.
Love snowmobiling with the Austrian ski team.
Love it all.
Almost moved there a few years ago.

Standing at the top of Winter Park and seeing the Continental Divide.
Flying down my favorite run when it has fresh powder.
Soaking in an outdoor hot tub after a day of skiing.

I loved Ouray. Especially loved a jeep trip into the mountains to have a barbeque dinner.

Riding horseback through golden aspen trees in mid-September, near Vail, on a crisp, cold, blue-sky day.

My son would say fishing in a mountain lake. My brother, probably top of Pike's Peak. I would say horseback riding up among the peaks at Breckenridge (although it was late summer not fall). My daughter would be hardpressed to decide between the horses and the dinosaur museum.

I love floating the Gunnison River, fly fishing along the banks of the Palisades.

I love Crested Butte and its great Arts Festival.

I love hiking from Crested Butte to Aspen. It's the best of all the worlds of Colorado, funky classic mining town of Crested Butte, a beautiful hike over the mountains through the Maroon Bells into the cosmopolitan town of Aspen followed by drinks at the Hotel Jerome or the Little Nell.