Denver/RMNP vacation ideas

[MUEng92]

Looking for ideas we may not have thought of yet.  My wife and I are planning a week vacation in late July to Denver.

I'm most looking forward to the Rocky Mountain National Park area.  I'm an amateur photography enthusiast and love "Wisconsin hiking". We are late 40's and relatively in shape for Wisconsin people but it's not like we run 3 miles a day.   I'm a little unsure how long/difficult of a hike to plan not knowing how what I've called hiking translates to Colorado hiking. My wife has agreed to some hiking because I want to.  She would prefer the more traditional sightseeing spots.

We do have tickets to a concert at Red Rocks and are planning on checking out Estes Park.  Other than meeting up with my childhood friend who lives south of Denver, none of our other plans are set. 

Any suggestions?

[Cheeks]

Golden, CO at Heritage Square has the Alpine Slide during the Summer...Plus shops and stuff. Winter Park has one also.    Red Rocks is cool.

[Babybluejeans]

There are loads of hikes you can pair with visiting fun mountain towns. If you're planning to do day-trip type stuff, St. Mary's Glacier is an easy hike and then go eat/craft-beer-drink in Idaho Springs. If you're into staying overnight in the mountains (other than in Estes), stay in Breckenridge, an excellent and charming mountain town with tons to do, and do all manner of outdoor activities nearby (for instance, hike to Blue Lakes). If you and your wife are in reasonably good shape by July, you could pull off hiking to the summit of a 13er or even a 14er like Mt. Quandary - you'll get unbeatable views of entire ranges, just make sure you start early. As a bonus, it will impress your friends back home. If you like to camp, but don't want to rough it too much, you can get a nice camping spot on Lake Dillon if you reserve one ahead of time (the massive REI in Denver will rent you camping gear).

You should also consider a day trip to Manitou Springs, where you can walk or take a funicular up the famous Incline and then poke around a really neat, offbeat foothills town.

Finally, if you and your wife are craft beer fans, you should absolutely spend a day doing a brewery crawl, either around Denver (in the RiNo neighborhood) or around Boulder. If you want, feel free to PM me and we can get into deeper cuts and specific hike/brewery/restaurant suggestions.

P.S. some of the easiest hikes in RMNP happen to yield the best views, so you'll be fine there. 

[NYWarrior]

Glad you're making it here - summer is an excellent time:

Denver proper:
Dine/drink in RiNo (more breweries, distilleries than any zip code in America; excellent restaurants). Central Market is a nice food hall to start with;
Fine dining: Tavernetta;
Explore other food halls: Avanti & The Source;
The science museum has an excellent DaVinci exhibit -- might still be there in the summer;
Explore one of the other arts districts for local fare and culture: Santa Fe & Tennyson are really nice, Baker too.
if you have young kids the tiger exhibit at the zoo is cool;
Dine at the Ship's Tavern in the Brown Palace Hotel (get the barrel aged Old Fashioned, and eat the prime rib)
Rockies game are fun

Surrounds:
Red Rocks
downtown Golden is fine but consider heading to Boulder or up to Longmont or Lyons
Garden of the Gods (lots to do in CoSprings and surrounding towns. Fair warning on Manitou Springs: it's ok  ut note it's a lot like you'll find anywhere w craft stores, burgers, chocolate shops-- think Lake Geneva; really, get to a real mountain town instead)
whitewater rafting out of Idaho Springs - when you are done get pizza at BeauJo's
Drive up to the top of Mt Evans
St Mary's Glacier (go early in the day, out by Idaho Springs -- 45 mins from Denver)
Pick a hike - any hike - and go do it (beyond RMNP);
Spend a day at another mountain town like Leadville

IM me for anything you need ... we live in Denver

[jsglow]

I would definitely hit RMNP.  There are many hikes that are reasonable.  The Visitor's Center can help you out.  They helped me put together a reasonable 7-8 mile dayhike when I passed through.  Do remember that hiking at altitude is different than a walk in the park in southeast Wisconsin.

On the way back from Estes Park, I'd recommend taking the Peak to Peak highway south until you can cut down slope east through Boulder where maybe you can grab dinner.  Overnight there or back to Denver.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

leave some room in the trunk for "souvenirs."

[Jockey]

I would definitely hit RMNP.  There are many hikes that are reasonable.  The Visitor's Center can help you out.  They helped me put together a reasonable 7-8 mile dayhike when I passed through.  Do remember that hiking at altitude is different than a walk in the park in southeast Wisconsin.

On the way back from Estes Park, I'd recommend taking the Peak to Peak highway south until you can cut down slope east through Boulder where maybe you can grab dinner.  Overnight there or back to Denver.

Agree with this. I have taken dozens of shorter hikes in RMNP - 2-3 mile range - and a lot are fairly level. Pretty easy. Also taken a lot of longer more strenuous ones, but don't know if you are up for that.

A pretty good combo hike is Lily Mountain. Short (about 2 miles round), but it will definitely give you an idea what mountain hiking is like. You'll find yourself stopping every couple hundred yards or so to catch your breath. I think it is about a 9,000 altitude for this one, so give yourself a couple days to acclimate to the height. Overdo it at this height before letting your body adjust will give you a migraine-like headache. Once in the area for a couple days, it will be fine.

Also take Trail Ridge Road end to end. Great viewing and lots of short treks on the way.

Check out the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park. It was the hotel Stephen King used for The Shining - although the movie wasn't filmed there.


Aside to Glow - did you get the feeling on some of the longer hikes that you were in prime cougar territory? With the rock formations along the trails, it got a bit spooky sometimes.

[MUEng92]

Wow.  Thanks for all the suggestions.  I going to have to print out this thread to digest them all

[MUEng92]

leave some room in the trunk for "souvenirs."

Okaaayyy....I guess I cou... oooooohhhhh

[DegenerateDish]

leave some room in the trunk for "souvenirs."

Nodding in agreement.

[jsglow]

Agree with this. I have taken dozens of shorter hikes in RMNP - 2-3 mile range - and a lot are fairly level. Pretty easy. Also taken a lot of longer more strenuous ones, but don't know if you are up for that.

A pretty good combo hike is Lily Mountain. Short (about 2 miles round), but it will definitely give you an idea what mountain hiking is like. You'll find yourself stopping every couple hundred yards or so to catch your breath. I think it is about a 9,000 altitude for this one, so give yourself a couple days to acclimate to the height. Overdo it at this height before letting your body adjust will give you a migraine-like headache. Once in the area for a couple days, it will be fine.

Also take Trail Ridge Road end to end. Great viewing and lots of short treks on the way.

Check out the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park. It was the hotel Stephen King used for The Shining - although the movie wasn't filmed there.


Aside to Glow - did you get the feeling on some of the longer hikes that you were in prime cougar territory? With the rock formations along the trails, it got a bit spooky sometimes.

[/b]

Don't recall thinking that even though I certainly got places where I didn't see other hikers for awhile.  What I absolutely remember clearly is the 9,000 ft elevation.  Up there, O2 is at about 75% sea level. Huuuuggggee difference.  Much more challenging.

Some of you know that my daughter has started to do 14ers.  The two words 'Longs Peak' came out of her mouth last year.  I don't like to do this as she's 27 but I know her experience level.  My response, 'No'.  Since then she's read up and understands.  They're doing grade 2 Mt. Massive.  All good.

[Lighthouse 84]

Definitely agree with Red Rocks and Estes Park.  Regarding Red Rocks, if you're into working out, you could also go there during the day and get in a great workout.  The hiking is a very short loop (about a mile or so if I remember correctly) but the workout is on the stairs of the arena.  If you go to the Stanley Hotel, be sure to check out the bar.

Another great hiking place is the Flatirons in Boulder.  It's a great hike with beautiful scenery.

[Jockey]

[/b]

Don't recall thinking that even though I certainly got places where I didn't see other hikers for awhile.  What I absolutely remember clearly is the 9,000 ft elevation.  Up there, O2 is at about 75% sea level. Huuuuggggee difference.  Much more challenging.

Some of you know that my daughter has started to do 14ers.  The two words 'Longs Peak' came out of her mouth last year.  I don't like to do this as she's 27 but I know her experience level.  My response, 'No'.  Since then she's read up and understands.  They're doing grade 2 Mt. Massive.  All good.

Since she has already started on the 14k peaks, she should be OK on Longs Peak as her body should be acclimated to the oxygen levels above 10k. As long as everyone has experience, it's challenging but definitely  doable.

As long as you and Chuck don't try it.

[SERocks]

My wife and I got married at Red Rocks a few years ago.  Our first night out we went to the Estes Park area.  Second day we drove up into RMNP with the goal of getting to where the CDT crosses the road.  We got to 11K and my wife was definitely feeling the impact of the altitude.  That changed our plans and we turned around and immediately drove to lower elevation and she was fine again.  If you can plan it, plan on a couple of days out there acclimating until you go up in elevation.  We did not have that luxury with the way our days were scheduled and it impacted what we were able to do.

After that we headed down to Red Rocks for a couple of days.  Got married at the chapel and then Tom Petty played our wedding reception.  It was awesome.  Love Red Rocks.  Who are you going to see?  We almost scheduled a multi-day trip this summer to take in three shows out there, but it just has not come together.....

[Henry Sugar]

There's a great graffiti tour in downtown Denver in the RiNo district as well. It's a nice way to explore. Also, I generally recommend food tours when visiting any city, and the ones in Denver are no exception. We've done several here. Pick one, and spend a few hours exploring a neighborhood.

If you are up in RMNP, there are other tour experiences. We did a 4x4 sightseeing tour. There are bike sightseeing tours, including one for all levels that has you mostly going downhill. Hell... hire a rock climbing guide and spend half a day climbing in a National Park.

Definitely do a hike. Just pick one.

Last, remember to drink lots of water. It's good life advice, but it'll make all the difference at elevation, especially if you enjoy drinking or want to try legal recreational weed.

[jsglow]

Since she has already started on the 14k peaks, she should be OK on Longs Peak as her body should be acclimated to the oxygen levels above 10k. As long as everyone has experience, it's challenging but definitely  doable.

As long as you and Chuck don't try it.

Have you summitted?  Helluva an accomplishment.  I think a legitimate goal at my age would be the Keyhole.  The thing that's great about Massive is that she'll do her first legit Grade 2 scramble at altitude.  The other good news is that she's the rookie in her group and they all watch out for each other.

[Jockey]

Have you summitted?  Helluva an accomplishment.  I think a legitimate goal at my age would be the Keyhole.  The thing that's great about Massive is that she'll do her first legit Grade 2 scramble at altitude.  The other good news is that she's the rookie in her group and they all watch out for each other.

Nope - highest I've gone on a climb was a bit over 12,000'

[CreightonWarrior]

Thing I like about Denver is all the fun places outside of Denver make for great easy day trips. RMNP is gorgeous.

If you are into craft beers:

Breweries wise, day trip to FtCollins is recommended, brewery tour at New Belgium. Try some Odell at their tap room.

RiNo mentioned above is a must go to for beer people. Lots of great breweries all in walking distance from each other, don't count out Stem for great cider (i'm not a big cider guy but still love it).

In Estes Park, don't waste your time at Estes Park Brewing, go to Rockcut, not too far away.

Also in Denver, Denver Biscuit Co. is a must for breakfast/brunch.

[StillAWarrior]

Well, I'll let my bias show and tell you that you're vacationing on the wrong side of the mountains.    I'm a western slope guy. 

But, you're getting great advice here, so there's honestly not much to add.  You mentioned that you'd be south of Denver visiting friends, but you didn't say how far south.  I wouldn't necessarily make a special trip, but if you're in the Colorado Springs area, I'd stop at the Air Force Academy.  I've always enjoyed my visits to the academies (Air Force and Naval -- never been to West Point, but I've heard it's fantastic).  The AFA is beautiful and I think it's worth a visit.

Have a fantastic trip.  I'm jealous.  In the unlikely event that you guys want to venture a lot farther from your home base and head down to Durango, let me know and I can give you some more ideas.

[Spotcheck Billy]

Well, I'll let my bias show and tell you that you're vacationing on the wrong side of the mountains.    I'm a western slope guy. 

But, you're getting great advice here, so there's honestly not much to add.  You mentioned that you'd be south of Denver visiting friends, but you didn't say how far south.  I wouldn't necessarily make a special trip, but if you're in the Colorado Springs area, I'd stop at the Air Force Academy.  I've always enjoyed my visits to the academies (Air Force and Naval -- never been to West Point, but I've heard it's fantastic).  The AFA is beautiful and I think it's worth a visit.

Have a fantastic trip.  I'm jealous.  In the unlikely event that you guys want to venture a lot farther from your home base and head down to Durango, let me know and I can give you some more ideas.

Our last trip to CO we liked the Ouray/Ridgeway area quite a bit, took a very nice hike on Bear Creek trail just south of Ouray. Google shows Bear Creek trail in Telluride but this one was just out of Ouray.

[jsglow]

Well, I'll let my bias show and tell you that you're vacationing on the wrong side of the mountains.    I'm a western slope guy. 

But, you're getting great advice here, so there's honestly not much to add.  You mentioned that you'd be south of Denver visiting friends, but you didn't say how far south.  I wouldn't necessarily make a special trip, but if you're in the Colorado Springs area, I'd stop at the Air Force Academy.  I've always enjoyed my visits to the academies (Air Force and Naval -- never been to West Point, but I've heard it's fantastic).  The AFA is beautiful and I think it's worth a visit.

Have a fantastic trip.  I'm jealous.  In the unlikely event that you guys want to venture a lot farther from your home base and head down to Durango, let me know and I can give you some more ideas.

SW corner ROCKS but that's a looong way as you know.

[Jockey]

SW corner ROCKS but that's a looong way as you know.

Love Mesa Verde all the way up to Grand Junction. Ouray and Silverton are great towns. Then the good news is that Grand Junction is less than two hours from Moab. My favorite area of the country.

[reinko]

Bump.

Headed to Denver in about a week for a conference, so will be stationed near the convention center.

Unfortunately will not have a bunch time to venture out of the city center, but any restaurant, bar, airport/transportation tips are welcomed. 

Thanks

[rocky_warrior]

Unfortunately will not have a bunch time to venture out of the city center, but any restaurant, bar, airport/transportation tips are welcomed. 

Well, unless you've already insisted on a rental car, just take the A-Line directly from the airport to Union Station ($10.50).  From there you can Uber/Lyft or walk the ~1mile to your lodging.

After the past few years, not up on the scene in downtown Denver at all.  But I know one of my favorites (Falling Rock Taphouse) is gone.  Freshcraft, nearby is still around.  For complete (but fun) dives, with GREAT beer, stop by Star Bar.  I guarantee you won't regret it.

[Goose]

Eng92

A lot of good suggestions here. My wife and I went there last June and only thing I would change is not staying downtown. We hiked and rafted everyday and staying outside of town would have been easier. Will add, Ziggy offered sound advice.