Help with Colorado vacation this summer

[Frwinkley]

We are planning a 8 night stay in June. We will be attending a concert in Red Rocks. Since we are coming from the east coast, I’d like to give us some time to get used to the higher elevation. My plan is this:

Fly into Denver. Drive to CS and spend 2 nights there. See sights in the area, while also taking in the concert. I realize CS is about an hour away from Red Rocks, but I’d like to be in an area that allows us to see as much as possible. Since we are interested in Garden of the Gods, etc., I thought this made the most sense.

Next we would move onto Durango for 2 nights. We’d like to do the train one way to Silverton and take the bus back.

From there we would move onto Telluride for 3 nights. Visit Ouray and surrounding area.

From there return to Denver (I realize it’s about a 6 hour drive). We’d take our time, spend one final night in Denver and fly back the next day.

Does this sound ok?

I’d love any other suggestions and even be open to doing the Red Rocks concert at the end of our trip (we haven’t booked flights yet). I do want to give ourselves some time to get adjusted to the altitude a bit.

We are interested in lots of scenery, easy hiking, walkable towns.

 

[mom2rtk]

I wouldn't miss Rocky Mountain National Park.

 

[monsterkitty]

I would fly into Denver the day before the concert and spend the night in the Denver area. I would then travel to CS the day after the concert, hitting Garden of the Gods that day. I would not travel back to Red Rocks from CS because I hate the drive - you can have great traffic or you can be stuck in traffic for a really long time and there are no rest stops. Garden of the Gods can be done in a few hours, maybe hit up Manitou Springs and Pikes Peak. Have lunch or even stay at the Broadmoor Resort while in the Springs. You can do a lot in the Springs in a day and a half.

I would skip RMNP in favor of Durango, Telluride, and Ouray. The SW portion of our state is the most gorgeous.

 

[Frwinkley]

I too am much more interested in the SW portion of the state.

Are you suggesting 2 nights in Denver (one the day of arrival and another the evening following the concert) and 1 night in CS?

I really am trying to make the best use of our time. Would we better off doing the concert at the end of the trip?

 

[OhMari]

Book your car rental now.
Drink tons of water and stay hydrated.
Take Tylenol for altitude sickness, I rarely take anything for headaches or body aches, it took me 3 days to stop feeling queasy and light headed.

Have fun, we were in Breckenridge in the end of July and we got 6 inches of hail and they plowed the roads. Be prepared and stay alert to the weather.

 

[Toolulu22]

I agree with monsterkitty about staying in Denver the night of the concert. Also, you may find some things to do in the city or the nearby foothills. Even if not, driving from Red Rocks to CS after a concert will be a long haul, more than one hour on flat quiet road- a sleepy ride late at night.

It’s dry- drink water and bring moisturizer.

 

[GreatLakes]

Red Rocks is beautiful. I was there in August a few years ago and went to Red Rocks just to explore. I want to go back for a concert but the band playing there that night wasn't one we were interested in.

I never had a problem with the altitude and other than drinking a lot of water and having a slower than normal race (I did the Rocky Mountain 5k and Half Marathon at 7,000 feet) I never really noticed the altitude. You itinerary sounds fun. We did RMNP, Fort Collins, a few days up in Cheyenne, then Red Rocks on our last day before flying out. We were there to do the race and visit friends in Wyoming so we didn't spend as much time in CO as I'd like but we plan to go back.

 

[pens4821]

Sounds like a good plan. I have family in CO and have seen quite a bit of the state. Unfortunately I've never made it to the SW, but thats somewhere I really want to go. With family in Grand Junction it's not far, but with family spread from the western side to the eastern side, the SW just hasn't made it in or itinerary, but its going to happen hopefully next year. It looks amazing.

I've not had altitude problems, but I'd play it safe and maybe spend the first night in Denver. Downtown is nice, and it's not that far from CS.

On your way back to Denver, take the Loveland Pass. It's a nice drive and won't add too much time. The Independence Pass would be nice too, but that seems like it'd be too much out of your way.

 

[monsterkitty]

I too am much more interested in the SW portion of the state.

Are you suggesting 2 nights in Denver (one the day of arrival and another the evening following the concert) and 1 night in CS?

I really am trying to make the best use of our time. Would we better off doing the concert at the end of the trip?

Yes, I would fly in the day before the concert, sight-see in the Denver area that day, go to the concert, and then drive to the Springs the morning after the concert. You can see Garden of the Gods on your way into the Springs, then check into a hotel. Seriously, I would look into the Broadmoor for one night. On your drive to Durango, I would go through Alamosa and stop at the Great Sand Dunes. Then finish the drive to Durango.

If you can do the concert at the end of your trip to save time, I would do that. Nosy people (me) want to know, which concert? Red Rocks is amazing!

Someone mentioned extra moisturizer because it is so dry here. I highly suggest extra sunscreen because you will burn faster. Sunscreen, Gatorade, and water will be your best friends.

 

[Klayfish]

Red Rocks is stunning, I loved visiting. If you're looking for something else to do in that general area, some really nice state parks. Roxborough State Park has breathtaking scenery (at least I thought so). Golden is beautiful.

As others said, just drink plenty of water and be reasonable and you'll be fine.

 

[jsmith]

I live in Colorado Springs and absolutely agree with those who say not to plan an overnight stay in CS the night of your concert. We impose on our son and daughter in law who live in Highlands Ranch when we go to an event at Red Rocks rather than drive home after. What looks like an hour drive is 75ish miles in heavy city traffic. We allow two or more hours travel time for any event in the Denver Metro area. My thought would be fly in, pick up car and drive to CS. Spend 1st full day sight seeing in CS ( Garden of the Gods, Cave of the Winds, AFA chapel if the renovations have not started). That will be enough if you do not want to drive up Pikes Peak. If you can afford to stay in the Broadmoor absolutely do it. Then go south-to Sand Dunes and over highway 160 to Durango, Telluride, Ouray-then back to Denver-Plan the concert for the night before you fly out. That will give you the easiest flow of travel and probably the most time to see things. Have fun and enjoy our state!

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

Another voice chiming in to not stay in the Springs after the concert. Find a nice hotel in Golden or the western part of the Denver Metro area (there are tons along C-470 or you could make a much shorter jaunt up to Evergreen if you're looking for mountain views).

If you're looking for things to do in the center of the state, you could go up to Mt. Evans, you can basically drive to the summit, or Pikes Peak, although the road there is dirt.

I would also recommend going to the zoo in Colorado Springs while your there. It's a really nice zoo and the view from the parking lot is gorgeous!

While you're down in the southwest part of the state, stop off at Sand Dunes National Park on the way to Durango, and if you have time make a trip to Mesa Verde National Park. They're both pretty amazing but won't really take a full day to see. The train ride to Silverton is lovely as well.

Make sure you drink lots of water, and also have a jacket, it will be much chillier up in the mountains, especially after the sun goes down. The dry air doesn't hold the warmth like humid air does.

 

[Frwinkley]

Monster kitty: We are going to see Umphrey’s McGee. They are actually playing 3 nights (Friday-Sunday), June 21-23. We’ll only go 1 night.

I’m intrigued by going to the concert at the end of our trip. However, given that the drive from Ouray to Red Rocks is over 5 hours without stops, I’m not sure if that’s reasonable, unless we left very early in the morning. Is that manageable? Is there somewhere we should consider staying in between Ouray and the Denver area that would be worthwhile? That would at least break the drive up.

jsmith: I like your travel idea. It absolutely makes the most sense!

Thank you everyone!

One last question: since we have a choice of concert days, which one should we pick? I’m thinking of traffic as we approach the Denver area.

 

[Nornster]

We went to Durango, Silverton, Ouray and Rocky Mountain National Park last summer as part of our big Western Adventure last summer. I would second only taking the train to Silverton one way - it's a cool trip, but it's long, and you don't really need to see it both ways. We actually took a guided tour bus to Silverton, and then the guide gave us a ride in a Jeep on the mining roads up in the hills above town. We had some time to wander around downtown Silverton before heading back on the train. Downtown Ouray is nice and walkable, and there's a neat brewpub with a rooftop beer garden, you should have fun! We didn't do any of the hot spring spas, but we went to the municipal pool, which is also naturally heated, it was super cool. Have fun!

 

[monsterkitty]

Monster kitty: We are going to see Umphrey’s McGee. They are actually playing 3 nights (Friday-Sunday), June 21-23. We’ll only go 1 night.

I’m intrigued by going to the concert at the end of our trip. However, given that the drive from Ouray to Red Rocks is over 5 hours without stops, I’m not sure if that’s reasonable, unless we left very early in the morning. Is that manageable? Is there somewhere we should consider staying in between Ouray and the Denver area that would be worthwhile? That would at least break the drive up.

jsmith: I like your travel idea. It absolutely makes the most sense!

Thank you everyone!

One last question: since we have a choice of concert days, which one should we pick? I’m thinking of traffic as we approach the Denver area.

I would try to avoid driving back to Denver on a Sunday because of the insane mountain traffic. Friday or Saturday would better traffic wise.

 

[Frwinkley]

Thank you all for your help!

I think I finally have a plan:

Fly into DEN, drive to CS for 1 night

Nights 2 and 3, spend in Durango

Nights 4 and 5, 6, spend in Telluride

Night 7, spend in Golden (or somewhere else in Denver region)

Night 8 - concert at Red Rocks, stay in Golden again

Fly home the next day.

How does this sound?

I realize it’s an awful lot of driving (and lots of hotel moving, but we want to see as much as possible of this beautiful state).

Is there somewhere other than Golden that we should consider staying in at the end of our trip?

 

[Frwinkley]

My goodness—I’m sorry to be a pest!

For a few different reasons, we have no choice but to see the concert at Red Rocks at the beginning of our trip.

Night 1, fly into Denver and stay in area

Night 2, stay in Denver area and go to concert

Night 3, Salida or CS (or do we drive straight through to Telluride?)

Night 4, and 5, Telluride (this is the destination that I’m most looking forward to).

Night 6-7, Durango

Night 8 - back to Denver and fly out the next day.

Tips or suggestions?

 

[jsmith]

accomodations in Salida may be problematic in the summer so book early-its a small town.

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

I would actually swap around your itinerary, so more like this:

Night 1, fly into Denver (depending on when you land, you could easily get to Golden, Arvada, Lakewood, any western metro area to stay before the concert)

Night 2, Concert, same hotel

Night 3, Alamosa - this would let you hit Sand Dunes on the way (Go down I-25 to Walsenburg and get on 160, it will go to Durango

Night 4 and 5, Durango, do the railroad, see Purgatory, whatever you like, Mesa Verde national park is just 37 minutes away too, and it would be on your way to Telluride

Night 6 and 7, Telluride, when you leave, if you cut over to 550, then to 50 up to Grand Juction, you can jump on I-70 to get back to Denver

Night 8, Denver then home

This would let you do an easy drive in and out while allowing for wandering around south-west Colorado in the middle. It's about 2 1/2 hours from Telluride to Grand Junction, and then 4 hours from Grand Junction to DIA, so less if you're staying on the west side of town night 8 and flying out in the afternoon.

 

[Frwinkley]

Thank you so much! This sounds wonderful.

Any recommended towns west of Denver?