One month in Colorado

Fun Valley Family Resort is about 15 miles north of Wolf Creek Pass, near South Fork.

Bionic Man wrote:

kennethwooster wrote:
We've been staying in Fun Valley for the last 6-7 years. We stay from 2 to 3 months. We do make a lot of day trips and go to the lakes to fish. We really enjoy the mountains in the area, and not being in a high populated area.

I'm from Colorado. Lived here all my life but I have to ask. Where is "fun valley"?

Start at the base of the foothills and go west.

:B

kennethwooster wrote:
We've been staying in Fun Valley for the last 6-7 years. We stay from 2 to 3 months. We do make a lot of day trips and go to the lakes to fish. We really enjoy the mountains in the area, and not being in a high populated area.

I'm from Colorado. Lived here all my life but I have to ask. Where is "fun valley"?

RedRocket204 wrote:
A comment on staying in Silverton. Silverton is unique and definitely a place that one should visit, but be prepared for it to be cold, even in the summer. Silverton is definitely a high altitude area and with that can easily be cold, rain and especially wind. The town is great but for first timers in CO, I would recommend staying at a lower elevation and making day trip(s) into Silverton.

In addition to this, for Silverton or any other high altitude location, altitude sickness could be a very real possibility. Since the OP is from NJ and not a whole lot higher than sea level, a gradual transition to higher elevations is generally recommended. Yes, there's a gradual climb in travelling from NJ west to CO, but once arriving here, it's a good idea to stay at an elevation of ~5000 feet prior to going to a higher elevation, such as South Fork at ~8300 feet or Silverton at ~9300 feet. Stay a couple of days at some location along the I-25 megalopolis (Fort Collins-Denver-Colorado Springs-Pueblo) before moving to higher elevations.

A comment on staying in Silverton. Silverton is unique and definitely a place that one should visit, but be prepared for it to be cold, even in the summer. Silverton is definitely a high altitude area and with that can easily be cold, rain and especially wind. The town is great but for first timers in CO, I would recommend staying at a lower elevation and making day trip(s) into Silverton.

We've been staying in Fun Valley for the last 6-7 years. We stay from 2 to 3 months. We do make a lot of day trips and go to the lakes to fish. We really enjoy the mountains in the area, and not being in a high populated area.

4runnerguy wrote:
Fun Valley is the one that come's to mind if you're looking for places where there are lots of organized activities. But there's so much to do in SW Colorado, you may find plenty to do on your own. In fact, you might be better off picking a couple of places for two weeks each, as it would mean a lot of long days if you're wanting to see much of SW CO. Many of the roads are high speed, often with speed limits well below 55. For instance it's a minimum four hour drive one way from Fun Valley to Ouray, at that's assuming you don't stop for pictures or get stuck in slow traffic (very common with lots of RV's and semi's on these roads).

If you feel you must stay at only one CG for the month, I'd look at something around Durango, as it's somewhat centrally located. Durango also has more stores etc. than some of the smaller towns in the area. If you're there for a month, you should be able to meet others in the CG who maybe would like to join you in sightseeing in the area.

Fun Valley is the only place that comes to mind - but while it might work for you it, as Ken says is just not the way to ENJOY Colorado.

Look at maybe a week or two In Buena Vista for the Collegiate Peaks, Colorado, then bump over to Montrose or Ouray to enjoy the San Juan Mountains - ask/call ahead to see if you can find a CG that meets your needs. There are Many activities that run the gamut -fishing - rafting - 4x4 travel - ghost towns wildlife - As a last resort you could head into any of the many Ski towns as most are now filled with summer FUN.

or

2gypsies wrote:
We've stayed at Lake City - a very small town as is Pagosa Springs. They were fine for us as we enjoy Jeeping and fly fishing.

We've stayed at South Fork but not much for our interests there. It's the smallest of the surrounding towns.

Durango or Ouray have more stores to choose from and even a movie theater if you're staying long-term.

Our first choice of all of them is Silverton - another small authenic western town in a gorgeous setting with awesome 4-wheeling.

It just depends what kind of activities you enjoy and if you really need shopping nearby.

Just sooooo much to do in Colorado you really need to move around,

JMHO,

donkeydew wrote:
i would suggest maybe one week in each park. move around and discover this great state.

Great idea! If you've never been in a particular area, why commit to staying a month?

i would suggest maybe one week in each park. move around and
discover this great state. this year we spent a week in estes park,then 10 days in colorado spring ,a week in montrose area and a few days in grand junction.
we already did the same in the south western area a previous year and will return for more

We've been spending a week in Lake City for the last,15 years and find plenty to do . They have a movie theater and a large craft show each year. We jeep and ride Atv's there are old mines, cabins and ghost towns every here. The alpine loop is well worth the drive . The main reason we like it is because it dos not have the tourist trap feel.
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