Nicknamed the “Mile-High City” because it sits exactly a mile high in altitude above sea level, Denver is Colorado’s capital and largest city. Located just east of the Rocky Mountains, Denver is a popular winter sport destination that celebrates its mining and cowboy history. The city also boasts a lively arts and culture scene with many distinguished museums, such as the Denver Art Museum, and the Denver Performing Arts Complex, one of the nation’s largest performing art centers.
Daily bus service into Rocky Mountain National Park is available weekends beginning in Memorial Weekend and then daily from June 27, 2016 to September 7, 2016 and weekends until the end of September, 2016. There are two more routes to help you once you are in the Park for Moraine Park and Glacier Basin (Bear Lake). Sorry, there are no bus routes for Trail Ridge Road or Horseshoe Park.
Get away for a weekend of pampering, relaxation and fun outdoor activities at one of these great hotels, inns and lodges near Denver, Colorado. Quick weekend trips from Denver include Estes Park, Evergreen, Minturn, Idaho Springs, Niwot and other beautiful Colorado towns. You may also like: Boulder, Crested Butte, Steamboat Springs, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins and Aspen, CO.
Lawn Lake Trail climbs to Lawn Lake and Crystal Lake, one of the parks deepest lakes, in the alpine ecosystem and along the course of the Roaring River. The river shows the massive damage caused by a dam failure in 1982 that claimed the lives of three campers. The trail is a strenuous snowshoe hike in the winter.[42] Ypsilon Lake Trail leads to its namesake as well as Chipmunk Lake, with views of Longs Peak, while traversing pine forests with grouseberry and bearberry bushes. The trail also offers views of the canyon gouged out by rampaging water that broke loose from Lawn Lake Dam in 1982. Visible is the south face of Ypsilon Mountain, with its Y shaped gash rising sharply from the shoreline.[42]
Tucked away in Wondervu in the heart of Golden, Colorado, Eldora Lodge is a lovely mountain ski lodge and retreat that offers comfortable accommodation and a plethora of outdoor activities. Guests can enjoy bed and breakfast lodgings in cozy log cabins, which are fully equipped with en-suite bathrooms and modern amenities, including climate control and flat-screen televisions.
Overlooking the scenic Beaver Creek Mountain, Park Hyatt Beaver Creek is a luxury Colorado resort and spa where guests can experience the vacation of their dreams. From breathtaking mountain views to championship golf courses to exquisite cuisine, Hyatt’s Beaver Creek ski resort offers the perfect year-round Vail Valley mountain escape with premium amenities, such as ski in and ski out access, a year-round heated outdoor pool, and an outdoor fire pit for roasting s’mores.
One of the country’s most beautiful natural area’s to explore in the United States, the Rocky Mountain National Park is an ideal vacation destination for those who crave outdoor adventures and awe-inspiring vistas of mountains, lakes and valleys. With 355 miles of hiking trails, ranging from flat lakeside strolls to steep mountain climbs, there are corners of this park that appeal to everyone. Take a scenic drive and spot diverse wildlife, such as Elk, Mule Deer and Bighorn Sheep, or go hunting for one of the 30 postcard-worthy waterfalls views. While there is no lodge inside the park, visitors can find campgrounds to pitch a tent and spend a night under the stars.
Dinosaur National Monument, in northwest Colorado, combines dramatic scenery with natural and cultural history to create one of Colorado's most interesting sites. Dinosaur remains embedded in exposed rock walls reveal evidence of the giants that once roamed these areas. Petroglyphs offer insight into the cultures and people that lived here long ago, and surrounding it all are cliff walls and the Green and Yampa Rivers snaking through the otherwise dry landscape.
The Elk are bugling and Fall is coming. What a perfect time to come to Estes Park to see the Elk in their natural surroundings of Rocky Mtn National Park. Within the boundaries of Rocky Mountain National Park, more than 100 peaks rise above 11,000 feet in altitude, including Longs Peak at 14,259 feet. These amazing mountains cradle the Estes Valley, providing residents and guests with incredible beauty and inspiration.
With majestic mountains, tundra wildflowers, abundant wildlife, Trail Ridge Road (the highest paved road in the US), and over 350 miles of trails, Rocky Mountain National Park is spectacular! From flat easy hikes around a mountain lake to challenging multiday backpack trips and climbs, Rocky Mountain National Park offers trails for hikers of every level - let us help you plan your adventure! Find the best ways to take in the majesty and serenity of the park. It's YOUR Rocky - explore it!
From 9,000 ft (2,700 m) to 11,000 ft (3,400 m),[72] the montane forests give way to subalpine forests.[69] Forests of fir and Engelmann spruce cover the mountainsides in subalpine areas. Trees grow straight and tall in the lower subalpine forests, but become shorter and more deformed the nearer they are to the tree line.[72] At the tree line, seedlings may germinate on the lee side of rocks and grow only as high as the rock provides wind protection, with any further growth being more horizontal than vertical. The low growth of dense trees is called krummholz, which may become well-established and live for several hundred to a thousand years old.[72]
Aspen is a lovely town, best known for phenomenal skiing, but Aspen offers a host of other outdoor activities, such as cycling, hiking, kayaking, fly fishing, and horseback riding. Celebrate your romantic connection with a spectacular hot air balloon ride over the four mountain areas of Buttermilk, Snowmass, Aspen, and Aspen Highlands at sunrise or sunset while sipping champagne and indulging in chocolate-covered strawberries. Pamper each other with a customized couple’s massage at the Remede Spa at the St. Regis Hotel, then luxuriate in the hot tub where three waterfalls tumble down a stone wall. Enjoy some French cuisine and ample wine choices at the Rustique Bistro.
Take advantage of The Mining Exchange MX Spa Couples Retreat massage, perfect for newly married couples celebrating wedded bliss, long-time couples enjoying their anniversary, or simply a needed romantic Colorado Springs getaway. This massage also offers special add-on features including a soak in one of their Kohler VibrAcoustic Bubble Massage Chromotherapy Tubs, chocolate covered strawberries and champagne.
Keystone is the ultimate year-round outdoor playground. Families will discover a wealth of things to do to keep the kids, and themselves happy, with everything from a Kidtopia Play Park, Keystone Science School Day Camps and the summer snow tubing hill to stand up paddle boarding and boating on the lake, miniature golf, GPS Geo-Cache Adventures and dinner wagon rides. Then there are the festivals, like the Model Boat Regata, the Snake River Festival, and Cirque D’Wheels. If you stay at Keystone Resort, the Kidtopia Children’s Theatre hosted in the Quaking Aspen Amphitheatre is free every Friday.
A comfortable reading and DVD library serves as the perfect place to relax with a book and a glass of wine, and there is free high-speed Internet throughout the property. The Wild Horse Inn is surrounded by incredible natural landscapes that offer an array of activities to partake in, from hiking, mountain biking, and climbing to boating, rafting and fishing, and various snow sports in the winter. The inn is located 1 hour and 30 minutes from Denver.
Colorado is the perfect destination for an extra-special weekend getaway, especially since it’s home to numerous exciting cities and nature spots. Admire panoramic views of the sweeping, majestic Rocky Mountains, and plan an afternoon hike and picnic. Book a stay at a gorgeous Colorado vacation rental near a historic national park to conveniently enjoy the great outdoors. Here are eight of the most romantic weekend getaway locations in Colorado.
Region 2 is the alpine region of the park with accessible tundra trails at high elevations—an area known for its spectacular vistas.[35] Within the region are Mount Ida, with tundra slopes and a wide-open view of the Continental Divide, and Specimen Mountain, which has a steep trail and the opportunity to view bighorn sheep and marmots. Forest Canyon Pass is near the top of the Old Ute Trail that once linked villages across the Continental Divide.[40]
We love Colorado Springs staples like the Garden of the Gods Park, The Pike’s Peak Cog Railway, U.S. Olympic Training Center and Manitou Cliff Dwellings but the big news this summer is Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s new $13.5 million exhibit Encounter Africa. Highlights include an amphitheater that will allow guests to see elephant training, enrichment and husbandry, a new exhibit for the African lion pride and a “Skybridge” that will take guests from the exhibit to the barn, enabling them to see the elephants from above. www.cmzoo.org. For a thrill, check out the Cave of the Winds’ Wind Walker Challenge Ropes Course that is located on the rim of a 600-foot drop into Williams Canyon. Colorado Wolf Adventures have teamed up to host “Up Close with the Wolves” this summer. The new 4,400 square-foot Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument’s Visitor Center offers more fossils on display and interactive exhibits. If a train ride is on your bucket list, the South side of the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park takes on a new look with the addition of Pinon Ridge Play-Land, a 2,000-square foot playground built specifically to blend into the natural surroundings.
Rocky Mountain National Park is an American national park located approximately 76 mi (122 km) northwest of Denver International Airport[4] in north-central Colorado, within the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The park is situated between the towns of Estes Park to the east and Grand Lake to the west. The eastern and westerns slopes of the Continental Divide run directly through the center of the park with the headwaters of the Colorado River located in the park's northwestern region.[5] The main features of the park include mountains, alpine lakes and a wide variety of wildlife within various climates and environments, from wooded forests to mountain tundra.
^ This article incorporates public domain material from the Library of Congress document: "Majestic view from the old, one-way, dirt Fall River Road in Rocky Mountain National Park in the Front Range of the spectacular and high Rockies in north-central Colorado". Library of Congress - Prints & Photographs Online Catalog. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
Aspen is a lovely town, best known for phenomenal skiing, but Aspen offers a host of other outdoor activities, such as cycling, hiking, kayaking, fly fishing, and horseback riding. Celebrate your romantic connection with a spectacular hot air balloon ride over the four mountain areas of Buttermilk, Snowmass, Aspen, and Aspen Highlands at sunrise or sunset while sipping champagne and indulging in chocolate-covered strawberries. Pamper each other with a customized couple’s massage at the Remede Spa at the St. Regis Hotel, then luxuriate in the hot tub where three waterfalls tumble down a stone wall. Enjoy some French cuisine and ample wine choices at the Rustique Bistro.
If you’re planning to visit Breckenridge this summer, plan plenty of time to fit it all in. Local fan favorites include fishing or biking the paved trail along the Blue River, a scenic drive over Boreas Pass road accessing 1,000 miles of mountain biking across Summit County, hiking countless miles of trails or climbing a nearby “14er.” The entire family will love the Breckenridge Peak 8 Fun Park’s Gold Runner Coaster, 4X4 off-road tours, climbing wall, Alpine Superslide, hiking tours, Superputt Mini Golf and free scenic gondola rides with spectacular views of Cucumber Gulch. The 2013 Kingdom Days/Outhouse Races June 14-16, 2013 are a must. It’s not every day Outhouse Races, old-fashioned games like potato sack races, magicians, blacksmithing demos, gold panning and historic hikes are the star attractions. http://www.gobreck.com/events/kingdom-days. If you want a date night, drop the kids (ages 5-12) off at the Recreation Center Parents’ Night Out. As your kids, climb, swim and play, they won’t even notice you’re gone.
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ItineraryThis is a typical itinerary for this productPass By: Fall River Visitor Center, Rocky Mountain National Park, ColoradoEnter into Rocky Mountain National Park for the day of adventureStop At: Alluvial Fan, Rocky Mountain National Park, ColoradoWalk down the trail and take in the fresh air withness the power of destruction along your walk to a waterfall and alluvial fan. See boulders the size of cars deposited onto the valley floorDuration: 35 minutesStop At: Horseshoe Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, ColoradoEnjoy a picnic lunch nestled into a picturesque mountain valley next to a streamDuration: 40 minutesStop At: Trail Ridge Road, Rocky Mountain National Park, ColoradoTravel 11 miles into the Alpine along this scenic drive on the highest paved road in North America stopping to take photos and walk down the overlooks and enjoy the majestic views and wildlife sightings.Duration: 2 hoursStop At: Alpine Visitor Center, Rocky Mountain National Park, ColoradoVisit the Ranger Station and Gift shop or enjoy a walk up to the highest point on Trail Ridge Road taking in the 360 degree breathtaking mountain viewsDuration: 40 minutesStop At: Many Parks Curve Overlook, Rocky Mountain National Park, ColoradoSee the many sides of the park on this short walk with views of Long's Peak and the mountain valleysDuration: 20 minutesPass By: Beaver Meadows Visitor Center, Rocky Mountain National Park, ColoradoExit the park through Beaver Meadows looking for wildlife along the way.Stop At: Downtown Estes Park, Estes Park, ColoradoStroll down Elkhorn Avenue grab a drink or ice-cream and pop into the local shops or visit the historic Stanley Hotel while in this quaint mountain town.Duration: 45 minutes
^ Jump up to: a b "Landscape Climate Change Vulnerability Project; Using NASA Resources to Inform Climate and Land Use Adaptation; Ecological Forecasting, Vulnerability Assessment, and Evaluation of Management Options Across Two US DOI Landscape Conservation Cooperatives" (PDF). montana.edu. Montana State University. August 2011. pp. 2, 5. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
The park has a total of five visitor centers[9] with park headquarters located at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center—a National Historic Landmark designed by the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture at Taliesin West.[10] National Forest lands surround the park including Roosevelt National Forest to the north and east, Routt National Forest to the north and west, and Arapaho National Forest to the west and south, with the Indian Peaks Wilderness area located directly south of the park.[5]
Below 9,400 feet (2,865 m), temperatures are often moderate, although nighttime temperatures are cool, as is typical of mountain weather.[49] Spring comes to the montane area by early May, when wildflowers begin to bloom. Spring weather is subject to unpredictable changes in temperature and precipitation, with potential for snow along trails through May.[49] In July and August, temperatures are generally in the 70s or 80s °F during the day, and as low as the 40s °F at night.[49] Lower elevations receive rain as most of their summer precipitation.[48]
Alta Lakes is a pristine and secluded wilderness setting situated 30 minutes outside the charming mountain town of Telluride, Colorado. The Observatory is nestled underneath the 13,000-foot peaks of the San Juan Mountains – it is one of only a few homes in the United States at 11,000+ feet! The backcountry cabin with charming rugged details serves as the perfect romantic mountain getaway for couples.
Would you like to stay in a historic red barn, a former milk room, or an original historic log cabin and get an idea of how the original Colorado settlers lived? Converted to the luxury Four Mile Creek Bed and Breakfast, this former 1885 homestead is a quaint reminder of the area’s adventurous past. With its main lodge building, old converted barn, and two log cabins, the Bed and Breakfast today offers rustic luxury and unparalleled comfort. The rooms are furnished with antique pieces and fireplaces, with luxurious bathrooms featuring claw foot tubs, conveying a sense of times gone by while providing entirely modern comfort and amenities.
If you are looking for romantic mountain getaways in Colorado, Taharaa Mountain Lodge in Estes Park, Colorado is a beautiful country lodge just minutes from the Rocky Mountain National Park. Set on five acres, the lodge offers vacationers nine rooms and nine suites with stunning views of the surrounding mountains. Guest room decor incorporates natural elements from the region. Each room and suite has floor-to-ceiling windows, fireplace and a panoramic outdoor deck, perfect for savoring the view. Ask for one of the suites with a Jacuzzi tub if you are planning a romantic getaway or a honeymoon in Colorado. The lodge has a sauna and a cozy massage room where guests can enjoy a variety of treatments, such as aromatherapy, hot stone massage and facials. Rooms start at $159 per night. Delicious morning breakfast and evening happy hour are included in the cost of your stay.
Castle Mountain Lodge got its start in the late 1950s and became the first new cottage to be built and rented annually. Soon after the first building was built, five more cottages were constructed. Today, the dog-friendly lodgings feature one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom options and include access to the public hot tub, rooms with private, indoor hot tubs and rooms with private, outdoor hot tubs. Get all the details and make your reservation online here.
