Colorado

We have made several trips to Colorado. In this post, we look at several destinations we have covered so far. A trip to Colorado is always exciting. There are so many places to visit across this beautiful state. Even through the three trips we have made so far, I believe we have barely scratched the surface. The massive Rocky mountains range has so many varied landscapes layered between them. Also, the state has a huge number of interesting towns with great eating out and recreational options.

Breckenridge

Although Breckenridge is a place known for it’s ski resorts, we traveled in the summer for a conference. The timing was actually good, the landscape was lush and it was a great time to hike in the mountains. Breckenridge has several really good restaurants as well.

Places:

Blue Lakes, very close to Breckenridge
Mayflower Gulch, about a 30 minute drive away, beautiful hike
Chief Mountain Trail, an hour away, closer to Mount Evans, an easy, yet beautiful hike with brilliant views
Biking along the river
Hoosier Pass: we passed the Hoosier Pass to reach Breck. /the drive from Colorado Springs was great, especially the views through the pass at sunset.

Favorite restaurants:

Blue River Bistro: good soups and burgers
Tin Plate pizza: great pizza with a really good crust and cheese
Piante Pizza: amazing vegan pizzas
Aurum: good high end italian
Sauce: good Italian

Aspen

We visited Aspen on Fall weekend, in time for the fall foliage on Aspen trees. Maroon Bells was the highlight of our trip. The landscape is fairly similar to the Breckenridge area. Fall is good time to visit.

Places:

Maroon Bells: no doubt a must visit, especially during the Fall. We hiked up to the Maroon Bells Lake, which was the highlight of our trip
Glenwood Springs: thermal springs, we loved the experience
Aspen Gondola: Good views at the top, but no hiking, and way too much crowd for our taste
Aspen town: nice, walkable town with art galleries, nice streets, plenty of good restaurants
Castle Creek Road: good views, worth a drive, there are a few hikes off the road
Independence Pass: good views, we did a couple of small hikes at the top of the pass, though it was a bit tiring because of the altitude

Restaurants

Mawa’s Kitchen: great breakfasts and plenty vegetarian options
Campo Di Fiori: good, pricey Italian, loved their trout preparation
Paradise Bakery: good breakfasts, ice cream

Colorado springs and the south

We were supposed to visit the Rocky Mountain NP, but a late season snowstorm made us change our plans. We visited Colorado Springs instead. Spring or early summer is a great time to visit this area, when it’s not too hot and there’s a lot of snow on the peaks.

Places:

Pikes Peak: We drove most of the way up, followed by a shuttle at the end. Views are phenomenal. Take care of your car while driving down, read up on precautions to take while driving down slopes.
Garden of the gods: Beautiful rock formations, we did a few small hikes around the park, some nice view points as well, definitely a good idea to wait until sunset
Great Sand Dunes National Park: Fabulous sand dunes, the drive the NP is great too, with huge mountains all the way. We would have liked to climb one of the dunes, but the sudden thunder storm stopped our progress. Plus, it’s much harder to walk on sand than you think. This park is definitely worth an entire day.

Denver

We haven’t stopped much in Denver ever, but here are a couple of recommendations.

View points:

Lookout Mountain Park, for the views

Red Rock amphitheater: a must visit, for the views

Restaurant:

Tamayo, brilliant Mexican food

Pictures