Colorado suggestions/info

Mueller State Park is a really nice campground. You have Cripple Creek, Victor and the Fossil Beds close by.

Jim

You can only leave Salida, you can never go there.

Creede, Colorado is a neat and beautiful area. We went there to a Born Free National Rally in June of 2011 and stayed for five days. Creede is located at near the headwaters of the Rio Grande, which flows through the San Juan Mountains. It's a tiny old silver mining town, has an underground mining museum, wonderful Creede Repertory Theatre, neat quirky downtown area with great shops and dining to explore, jeep tours, fishing, rafting, etc.

We stayed at Mountain Views at River's Edge RV Resort/Park which was very nice.

http://www.mountainviewsrv.com/

Elk Meadow used to be great but has deteriorated a lot over the last few years; we refuse to stay there any more. Paradise is VERY tight and not sure how badly they were affected by the severe flooding this last Sept that did a lot of damage in Estes down along Hwy 34. I understand Hwy 34 is open but will be years before it is fully repaired. There are - as I understand it from former neighbors there - that still sections without guard rails and RV's might have some tough times with it. Don't know about Hwy 36 as to repairs there.

Last time there we stayed at Riverview in Loveland which is / was a nice park - but it had severe damage from the flood; not sure of it's status.

Busskipper wrote:

4runnerguy wrote:
I'm with Lauren on this one -- Salida, Buena Vista, Leadville, and the upper Arkansas River Valley. Lots to see and a variety of activities for all ages and levels. Do a search here on Salida and you'll get a lot of info.

If you want to do RMNP, I'd suggest Moraine Park CG in the park if you can do w/o hookups (it's cool enough not to need a/c). While Fall River Rd. is closed this year, you can still do Trail Ridge road plus many, many hiking opportunities on the east side.

Camping near Central City would not be near the top of my lists of places to go in CO.

These two, Lauren and 4runnerguy (Ken) Have it right!

Not to contend but this is my sort of stock answer for the many friends I have given advice to over the years on Colorado is;

Here is my suggestion for a Colorado Road trip, it became our second home for about five years and every time we leave, we can't wait to get back.

Colorado and the many options for a trip. (written in 2011)

Let me start off by saying that IMHO Colorado offers as much Adventure and Beauty as any part of the country – add to that that is very close to the center of the US and it’s exceptional weather make it a great destination vacation.

In my first dozen plus trips to Colorado I usually traveled to RMNP and Colorado Springs, as these were the names I had heard of. Having spent most of my life either on the left coast or the right coast, I actually only did the touristy drive through when going from one coast to the other (11-12 times before I graduated from High School). I never really was able to spend much time just being immersed in the culture or the people and land of the state. Having seen the Coors commercials I was under the impression that Golden was a town located deep in the Rockies – not just 15 minutes from downtown Denver. You can imagine my surprise when I discovered this and so much more about the state, when my son moved there in 2002.

With my truth in a very limited knowledge, on the state of Colorado I will move forward with my personal suggestions for a week or two in Colorado – a sort of 7-17 days to see the state.

As I write this the price of fuel is at an all-time high so the thought is to try to park the RV or create a Base Camp and travel out from there in the Toad/TV. (While not as high as it once was it is still a good idea to conserve)

Most people will start in Rocky Mountain NP – I am sure most are aware of the Pine Beetle Kill – it has decimated the beautiful green forest of RMNP – making it a very different trip from what it was just 5-6 years ago. Still it is RMNP and it does have some very impressive natural features and hikes to offer. IMHO Estes is (the east side of the park – where most visit) just not that attractive in the tourist season. The Camp Grounds leave much to be desired and the town is much too crowded for my personal taste (Still in its off season it is hard to beat the mountain hikes available-once you leave the road, you leave behind the tourist and the traffic and it is truly spectacular). With that said I love to visit and spend time on the other side of the park – WEST- at Grand Lake a smaller town with still a sort of quaint feel about it, much more family oriented and not nearly as crowded. The drive from one side of the park to the other over Trail Ridge is not to be missed – the many hiking areas away from the crowds are many and varied – from Longs Peaks- 14,000’+ to many of the hikes to lesser known peaks and lakes, more than enough to spend the entire trip on and only scratch the surface. (Today after the Biblical floods of 2013 it is also very hard to access-check with the local’s for currant road info)

Peak to Peak drive is the next thing I would insist that you experience – for me I would base camp in Golden and make this drive a couple of times, or make the loop across Trail Ridge and Berthoud Pass – not a drive for the faint of heart as both offer switch backs and areas free from guard rails on some very impressive grades to get over and down from these Passes.

With Golden Clear Creek CG as my base you could option to go into the town of Denver or Boulder both are full of adventures on their own. Leaving Golden I would head out Rt 6 to I-70 getting off at Rt 91 and heading to Leadville, Highest incorporated Town in the US 10,000’and home of Quincy’s Steak House for a Leadville dinner. (Line starts at 5) Turquoise Lake, 4X4 trails, historic town, and base for a day trip over Independence Pass and a dash to Maroon Bells in Aspen. This trip is good anytime the pass is open but is truly spectacular in the last week of September when the Aspen turn GOLD. (Independence Pass is Length RESTRICTED Drive the TV or Toad)

From Leadville down to Buena Vista – home of the Arkansas River Rafting adventures – great in the early summer with the snow melt. If you have missed the rafting at its peak not to worry as the trails and drives in the Collegiate Peaks are again very special, you can get all the way over to Crested Butte – a very neat little ski town – by 4X4 or gravel road. (Here there are many trails and off road adventures Crystal Mills is a fav that you can catch here or later)

Just a note here – the beetle kill is starting to leave its mark in this part of the state – so my advice is to see it NOW, before it changes forever.

Now for some difficult decisions – Gunnison area – Lake City – Ouray – Silverton – if you have the time all of the afore mentioned areas are special.
Lake City just takes you back in time, IMHO, as it seems time stopped 50 years ago in this area. Just a special little town that still has a western charm that is hard to match – 4X4 trails to die for – hikes – lakes – 14ers – fish – Creede and on and on – it is just located in something close to an unspoiled paradise (Not to mention the Cool Crispt nights). JMHO.
Ouray feels like you left the country, in the views, but it is just a Beautiful little Colorado Mountain town to visit. It would be the logical base camp choice – central location – hot springs – CG – Near Silverton – more trails – Telluride just over the mountain – Hikes -- 4X4 trails just a great location and neat little town. Silverton is in the middle of all and is just a place to remove yourself from all the stress of Today – if you are really into the back country this might just be for you – they have CG’s in town but you can easily Boondock in the NF – train – 4X4 trails – quaint – beautiful – And isolated.

Gunnison – Crested Butte – Gunnison Lake – Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP – Fly fishing – hikes -- 4X4ing. This area is often just flown through, but each and every spot deserves more of your time.

Now if the weather is really cool you can always bounce over to Utah and warm up if its great and you need more Colorado head up to Delta and Rt 133, catch Marble and Redstone before getting back on I-70 two interesting areas with neat little history’s. If you did not get over to Maroon Bells catch it now – this is a great treat that I will never visit too often.

Now if you are headed west just follow the route into Moab (we always take Rt 128 along the Colorado River, one of my all-time favorite drives)– if you are headed back to Denver just take I-70 back – the over and under highway along the Colorado River just East of Glenwood Springs is considered one of the most beautiful parts on the Interstate Highway system and it will head through Vail and right back into Denver – If you can remember to get off at the exit just east of Idaho Springs you can take Rt 6 back to Rt 58 into the City.

Enjoy your trip -- hope this is of some help.

Wow! That's a lot of good info. Thank you. Ok, Central City is out and it looks like Estes/RMNP area will be the second leg of the trip. We are looking at CG's in Estes Park area with full hook up. Anyone stay at Elk Meadow or Pardise on the River or any other CG in this area with FHU? Thanks again!

4runnerguy wrote:
I'm with Lauren on this one -- Salida, Buena Vista, Leadville, and the upper Arkansas River Valley. Lots to see and a variety of activities for all ages and levels. Do a search here on Salida and you'll get a lot of info.

If you want to do RMNP, I'd suggest Moraine Park CG in the park if you can do w/o hookups (it's cool enough not to need a/c). While Fall River Rd. is closed this year, you can still do Trail Ridge road plus many, many hiking opportunities on the east side.

Camping near Central City would not be near the top of my lists of places to go in CO.

These two, Lauren and 4runnerguy (Ken) Have it right!

Not to contend but this is my sort of stock answer for the many friends I have given advice to over the years on Colorado is;

Here is my suggestion for a Colorado Road trip, it became our second home for about five years and every time we leave, we can't wait to get back.

Colorado and the many options for a trip. (written in 2011)

Let me start off by saying that IMHO Colorado offers as much Adventure and Beauty as any part of the country – add to that that is very close to the center of the US and it’s exceptional weather make it a great destination vacation.

In my first dozen plus trips to Colorado I usually traveled to RMNP and Colorado Springs, as these were the names I had heard of. Having spent most of my life either on the left coast or the right coast, I actually only did the touristy drive through when going from one coast to the other (11-12 times before I graduated from High School). I never really was able to spend much time just being immersed in the culture or the people and land of the state. Having seen the Coors commercials I was under the impression that Golden was a town located deep in the Rockies – not just 15 minutes from downtown Denver. You can imagine my surprise when I discovered this and so much more about the state, when my son moved there in 2002.

With my truth in a very limited knowledge, on the state of Colorado I will move forward with my personal suggestions for a week or two in Colorado – a sort of 7-17 days to see the state.

As I write this the price of fuel is at an all-time high so the thought is to try to park the RV or create a Base Camp and travel out from there in the Toad/TV. (While not as high as it once was it is still a good idea to conserve)

Most people will start in Rocky Mountain NP – I am sure most are aware of the Pine Beetle Kill – it has decimated the beautiful green forest of RMNP – making it a very different trip from what it was just 5-6 years ago. Still it is RMNP and it does have some very impressive natural features and hikes to offer. IMHO Estes is (the east side of the park – where most visit) just not that attractive in the tourist season. The Camp Grounds leave much to be desired and the town is much too crowded for my personal taste (Still in its off season it is hard to beat the mountain hikes available-once you leave the road, you leave behind the tourist and the traffic and it is truly spectacular). With that said I love to visit and spend time on the other side of the park – WEST- at Grand Lake a smaller town with still a sort of quaint feel about it, much more family oriented and not nearly as crowded. The drive from one side of the park to the other over Trail Ridge is not to be missed – the many hiking areas away from the crowds are many and varied – from Longs Peaks- 14,000’+ to many of the hikes to lesser known peaks and lakes, more than enough to spend the entire trip on and only scratch the surface. (Today after the Biblical floods of 2013 it is also very hard to access-check with the local’s for currant road info)

Peak to Peak drive is the next thing I would insist that you experience – for me I would base camp in Golden and make this drive a couple of times, or make the loop across Trail Ridge and Berthoud Pass – not a drive for the faint of heart as both offer switch backs and areas free from guard rails on some very impressive grades to get over and down from these Passes.

With Golden Clear Creek CG as my base you could option to go into the town of Denver or Boulder both are full of adventures on their own. Leaving Golden I would head out Rt 6 to I-70 getting off at Rt 91 and heading to Leadville, Highest incorporated Town in the US 10,000’and home of Quincy’s Steak House for a Leadville dinner. (Line starts at 5) Turquoise Lake, 4X4 trails, historic town, and base for a day trip over Independence Pass and a dash to Maroon Bells in Aspen. This trip is good anytime the pass is open but is truly spectacular in the last week of September when the Aspen turn GOLD. (Independence Pass is Length RESTRICTED Drive the TV or Toad)

From Leadville down to Buena Vista – home of the Arkansas River Rafting adventures – great in the early summer with the snow melt. If you have missed the rafting at its peak not to worry as the trails and drives in the Collegiate Peaks are again very special, you can get all the way over to Crested Butte – a very neat little ski town – by 4X4 or gravel road. (Here there are many trails and off road adventures Crystal Mills is a fav that you can catch here or later)

Just a note here – the beetle kill is starting to leave its mark in this part of the state – so my advice is to see it NOW, before it changes forever.

Now for some difficult decisions – Gunnison area – Lake City – Ouray – Silverton – if you have the time all of the afore mentioned areas are special.
Lake City just takes you back in time, IMHO, as it seems time stopped 50 years ago in this area. Just a special little town that still has a western charm that is hard to match – 4X4 trails to die for – hikes – lakes – 14ers – fish – Creede and on and on – it is just located in something close to an unspoiled paradise (Not to mention the Cool Crispt nights). JMHO.
Ouray feels like you left the country, in the views, but it is just a Beautiful little Colorado Mountain town to visit. It would be the logical base camp choice – central location – hot springs – CG – Near Silverton – more trails – Telluride just over the mountain – Hikes -- 4X4 trails just a great location and neat little town. Silverton is in the middle of all and is just a place to remove yourself from all the stress of Today – if you are really into the back country this might just be for you – they have CG’s in town but you can easily Boondock in the NF – train – 4X4 trails – quaint – beautiful – And isolated.

Gunnison – Crested Butte – Gunnison Lake – Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP – Fly fishing – hikes -- 4X4ing. This area is often just flown through, but each and every spot deserves more of your time.

Now if the weather is really cool you can always bounce over to Utah and warm up if its great and you need more Colorado head up to Delta and Rt 133, catch Marble and Redstone before getting back on I-70 two interesting areas with neat little history’s. If you did not get over to Maroon Bells catch it now – this is a great treat that I will never visit too often.

Now if you are headed west just follow the route into Moab (we always take Rt 128 along the Colorado River, one of my all-time favorite drives)– if you are headed back to Denver just take I-70 back – the over and under highway along the Colorado River just East of Glenwood Springs is considered one of the most beautiful parts on the Interstate Highway system and it will head through Vail and right back into Denver – If you can remember to get off at the exit just east of Idaho Springs you can take Rt 6 back to Rt 58 into the City.

Enjoy your trip -- hope this is of some help.

I'm with Lauren on this one -- Salida, Buena Vista, Leadville, and the upper Arkansas River Valley. Lots to see and a variety of activities for all ages and levels. Do a search here on Salida and you'll get a lot of info.

If you want to do RMNP, I'd suggest Moraine Park CG in the park if you can do w/o hookups (it's cool enough not to need a/c). While Fall River Rd. is closed this year, you can still do Trail Ridge road plus many, many hiking opportunities on the east side.

Camping near Central City would not be near the top of my lists of places to go in CO.

Thank you everyone. We will use all of your info to decide what we want to do. We are still trying to figure out where to stay for our second leg of the trip. It's shouldn't be this hard but we want to make sure we make a good decision for a CG, town/city, area and attractions and sightseeing stuff. Thanks again.

We have been all over Colorado several times. Our favorite town is Ouray. Located in the southwestern part of the state, it is absolutely beautiful.