James
Austin (Texas)
One of my buddies recently moved to Denver and I'd like to go out there to visit him soon. The plan is to fly into Denver, maybe spend a day there, and then maybe take day or overnight trips to Georgetown and Breckenridge. Are there any others that you would recommend? The only catch here is that the longest I can stay is 7 days, but I'd still like to fit in as much nature as possible while I'm there. Another thing I'd like to know is when the best time is to visit weather-wise. I'd like to visit soon, but I haven't gotten plane tickets yet.
Colorado (CO) Denver (Colorado) Georgetown (Colorado) Breckenridge (Colorado)
The hardest part about Colorado is there's so much to do in different areas. The good news is there are wide open highways, and you can pretty much drive really fast. You should definitely stop by several breweries like the Boulder Beer Company, New Belgium Brewing, and Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey. These are a bit distant, but are awesome stops. If you have even more time to do a day trip down to the Garden of the Gods that's an awesome stop for some amazing scenery and cool rock formations. If you have some time to do a day hike, check out Mount Bierstadt in the Estes Park. Quick four hour hike to get to 14K feet. It's a bit strenous, especially if you're not used to that type of altitude, but hey it's worth it.
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Go south and see Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs! Although it's a registered National Landmark, I'm surprised at how many visitors to Colorado miss out just because it's south of Denver rather than straight west into the mountains. Don't forget Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre on your way up to the mountains. Fairplay is lovely, too, and not as far and difficult a drive in winter if it should happen to snow. (Please, if you're not an expert winter driver, find an option other than driving if you're heading to the high country in a snowstorm. It really takes several years of living here and driving daily in winter weather to be competent to do mountain drives in the snow. As a backup option if you aren't able to get into the mountains in the weather, hike North Table Mountain in Golden (Colorado) for a gorgeous view of Denver, and Lookout Mountain a little farther southwest for lots of wildlife.
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I really love Jelena's answer due in part to her mentioning her Garden of the Gods as a very under rated attraction. I wanted to thrown my own "most under rated National Park" into the mix as well. It's the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. It not only has the most rocking name EVER, but the views will literally take your breath away. While you're driving up to the park, it's hard to imagine anything there because it just feels like a high desert and then you get there and BAM! It's a shear cliff that you can walk right up to the edge. Not many people know about this place or visit it, but if you like great views, I highly recommend making a quick stop and taking it in.
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James,
If you are looking for a "scenic" tour of Colorado you'll probably want to visit in the summer. Mid June to September is best. It takes a while for the trails to dry up from winter snow. Things start to quiet down in early September although there are some good Oktoberfest celebrations mid Sept.
I would do at least one overnight in the Breckenridge/ Frisco (Colorado)/Keystone (Colorado) area. These resorts are a quick drive from each other. Copper Mountain is pretty close as well. Take a look at their summer events schedules and you might be able to hit a few festivals on consecutive days. Keystone has a great Beer and Bacon Festival for example. Breck events: http://www.breckenridge.com/events/events-calendar.aspx?cmpid=PPC116556704&year=2014&month=4
If you let me know what you like to do, I can give you more specific advice. Are you interested in hiking, biking, fly fishing, white water rafting, zip lining, paragliding or maybe just hanging out and drinking beers ;)
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Best time would be mid- to late-summer. Hiking is phenomenal during that time. Steamboat Springs has wonderful hiking and you could easily spend 2-3 days there. It's about a 3-hour drive from Denver, but scenic and absolutely worth it. Here's a suggested trip:
Day One: Denver
Day Two: Denver > Georgetown (Colorado) > Breckenridge
Day Four: Breckenridge > Steamboat Springs
Day Seven: Steamboat Springs > Denver
There isn't much in Georgetown worthy of a long stop, so you could hit it on your way to Breck. Stay in Breck for a day or two of hiking in that area. Then, leave Breck to head up to Steamboat Springs where you can hike, hit up Strawberry Park Natural Hot Springs, float in the Yampa River Botanic Park, Mountain Bike, Four Wheel.
Hope this helps!
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JR
Debbie
Courtney
James
Jillian
Wendy
Annemarie
Jelena
Colin
