Colorado Road Trip

 

A Colorado road trip is perfect any time of the year but is a dream come true for a winter sports lover.  Snowboarding and skiing are idea anchor activities that you can enjoy in the Rocky Mountain National Park.  Colorado has over 300 days of sunshine each year and although the snow will likely be flying you can plan for cooperative winter weather.  You can also make your way into Cripple Creek for some gambling or check out a professional sporting event in Denver as part of your downtown city adventure.  Colorado has it all and is absolutely worth checking out.

 

Colorado City Adventures

Aurora is only 70 minutes from the Denver airport and there is actually a lot to do in this town.  There are over 100 ethnic restaurants in the city and you can also check out the Aurora Symphony Orchestra while you are in town.  Aurora was a 19th century trolley town and there are many historic buildings you can visit that will tell the story.

Colorado Springs is the home of Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, the Winter Olympic Training Center, and the U.S. Air Force Academy.  If you love skiing then you need to plan your trip to this amazing town soon and begin enjoying the 300 days of annual sunshine they get each year.   At Pikes Peak you can camp, hike, rock climb, whitewater raft on the Colorado River, Golf, bike, fish, take a hot air balloon ride, or go horseback riding.

Denver has so much to do and much of it can be done for very little cost.  These are some great ideas for your Denver Downtown Adventure:

• Coors Brewery (Located at the intersection of 13th and Ford Streets in Golden, CO.) The brewery provides free tours and if you are over 21 you'll get to enjoy three free samples of beer at the end of the tour!

• Red Rocks Amphitheatre is an absolutely amazing place to check out an outdoor concert!

• ZOO (it's fun for the entire family)

For more information and to plan your Denver Downtown Adventure you'll want to check out this website.

 

Theme Parks

Lakeside is located in Denver and has many different levels of thrill rides and various entertainment.  You'll absolutely want to check out the Cyclone Coaster which has been ranked as a Great Classic Coaster by ACE (American Coaster Enthusiasts).  They have two steam trains that travel around the lake and one of them was at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.  The ZO-OM is a 140 drop tower and the Chipmunk is a steel coaster that is recommended only for the true thrill seekers.

Santa's Workshop is a Christmas based theme park in Cascade and does offer some variety for the entire family around the holidays.  You can ride the Christmas Tree Ride or on the carousel.  The kids can hang out with Santa Claus and the elves and the adults can get an early start on the Christmas shopping.          

Six Flags Elitch Gardens in Denver has an amazing diversity of great activities for every type of traveler.  There are regular concerts, events, a great water park, and amazing thrill rides.  All together there are 14 thrill rides at this park and here are some highlights:

• Sidewinder-Steel Roller coaster that takes you on a loopy journey

• Thunder Bolt This ride whips you back and forth and much much more

• Twister II-This is a 10 Story Wooden roller coaster that has a 90 foot drop into a pitch black tunnel

• Halfpipe is a snowboard ride that lets you thrash your way to the rim of the half pipe.

• Mind Eraser is a suspended roller coaster that takes you through a corkscrew and lots of dips and dives with speeds over 60 mph!

 

Colorado Wineries are concentrated in the Grand Valley of the Colorado River and the West Elks along the North Fork Valley of the Gunnison River and this is due to the microclimates that are a result of the weather patterns.  Temperatures can fall well below freezing and winds can blow over 100 miles per hour and that makes growing difficult.  The Grand Valley and North Fork Valley produce peaches and apples which are idea for wine making.  The rivers also provide some protective areas for grapes which typically grow at elevations of 4000 to 7000 feet.  The cool evenings in Colorado actually help their grapes retain acids which are critical for the wine making process.

 

National Parks are a playground for the outdoor enthusiast in Colorado.  Rocky Mountain National Park will provide you with every possible outdoor activity that you could imagine.  The one thing you will need to do is give yourself a day to acclimate to the high altitude and explore the city of Denver before embarking on your adventure.

Surprise Beach in Grand County will not offer lots of showers or toiletries but there is plenty of hiking and exploring that you can do in the area.