Posted by Bruce Painter on August 2, 2006 at 9:54 PM
MY wife and I will be flying into Denver on Saturday Sept. 16th and flying back out on Saturday the 23rd. We have plans to stay around RMNP, probably Estes Park, and visit it for two to three days so I can photograph the elk and also some scenics. After that we really are not sure where we will stay or try to see. This will not be just a photo trip but that will be one of my main goals. My wife does enjoy the outdoors but not really waiting for hours at a time on me to take photos. This will be our first trip to Colorado so any suggestions on things to see?
Places to stay for a day or two to make see those things easier?
Bruce
Posted by Les Barstow on August 2, 2006 at 11:40 PM
Take some time in RMNP; hike some trails, see the scenery.
Estes is a good starting point for driving the Peak-to-Peak highway. Take CO-7 out of town, to CO-72, to CO-119; just before Black Hawk (about 1.25 hours), turn on CO-46 and take a tour through Golden Gate Canyon State Park for even more Aspen - if you're not too nervous about narrow, steep roads... Continue down CO-119, up US-6 to I-70, maybe detour up Mt. Evans for Mountain Goats, Bighorn Sheep, and (more) Aspen, then up US-40 and around the west side of RMNP, or use this opportunity to detour up to Steamboat Springs...
You'll be coming towards the start of Aspen season (as opposed to the end of it...). If you go over Rabbit Ears Pass and around Steamboat Springs, even if the Aspen aren't turned yet, the ferns should be in good color... This trip might take you through Walden for fall Moose viewing, too (the west side of RMNP is also good for Moose if you want to see them but don't want to take this long side-trip)...
Or, if you want to venture a bit further afield for a couple of days, head down to Buena Vista (pronounced Beyuna Vista) and take the Cotttonwood Pass road (part twisty dirt road, driveable by car) over to Crested Butte; stay the night there and drive over Kebler Pass (and then McClure Pass) the next morning. There's good and interesting shopping in the town of Crested Butte, too. Visit the Maroon Bells outside of Aspen on your way back after McClure Pass; best photos are in early to mid morning, so you might want to slow down, stay the night somewhere like Glenwood Springs - or even in Aspen. Drive over Independence Pass (stop at the ghost town of Independence on your way) and head back toward Denver. There's lots of short (and long) scenic hikes to be had in both the Bells and Independence Pass areas if you want to get out for a walk...
If you want a break from Aspen and Elk, you might cruise on down to Colorado Springs to see the Garden of the Gods, with its many hiking trails among unique redrock formations. It's a bit far for just the GotG scenes, though, so stay a while and visit the (not cheap) Cave of the Winds, or take the cog railway up Pike's Peak if you're so inclined (sorry, pun not intended). More redrocks and hiking at Roxborough State Park just south of Denver (closer than GotG, but not as spectacular), or if you're interested in fossils, a trip to Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument might be in order.
There's lots to do here, and no way to cover all of it in either one post or one week's trip. Pick one or two (at most) of the side trips I mentioned above, or you'll be overwhelmed with driving. Garden of the Gods and RMNP have entries in the Hot Spots pages (see link at top of page); check them out for more details.
Posted by Bruce Painter on August 3, 2006 at 9:25 PM
Thanks Les,
This is just the sort of info I was looking for. with routes and places given. You have mentioned a few that I had been thinking about like the Crested Butte area, so I'll have to try and include that. I like the idea of the sheep and goats. I will be in a rental car so just how steep and narrow are we talking about on the roads, I think I could handle it but not sure if I would have to leave my wife and pick her up on the way back.
I would rather cover an area well than to just drive through and see a lot but do and photograph nothing so I'll get out the map and check this out.
Thanks again
Bruce
Posted by Les Barstow on August 4, 2006 at 3:04 AM
All of the roads are driveable with a rental car, though the Cottonwood Pass road is sometimes a bit bumpy. If you've done mountain driving before, you'll be fine with the twisty-windy stuff; if not, just take it easy, 'cause some of the turns sneak up on you. The really "interesting" bits are:
* Mountain Base Rd. in Golden Gate Canyon has nice Aspen, but also a 19% grade and some hairpin turns (no RVs allowed) with moderate drop-offs; it is paved.
* Mt. Evans Rd. (paved) has some severe dropoffs, twists, and is narrow towards the top - but also has great wildlife and scenic viewing. Beware the "tundra roller-coaster" just before Summit Lake - it's worse than any speed bump you've ever seen.
* Independence Pass is also paved, but has a couple of 1.5 lane chokepoints and is twisty with steep dropoffs in spots; it offers a couple of nice short hikes to places like the ice caves (at Grottos day use area) and the ghost town of Independence, as well as Aspen.
* Cottonwood Pass Rd. is a part-paved, part-dirt road; the dirt part is sometimes a bit rutted, and the west side of the pass is a little windy, but no real steep dropoffs that I can remember. Lots of nice Aspen, some beaver ponds, and possibly wildlife along the way...
Discussion
3 repliesPlaces to stay for a day or two to make see those things easier?
Bruce
Estes is a good starting point for driving the Peak-to-Peak highway. Take CO-7 out of town, to CO-72, to CO-119; just before Black Hawk (about 1.25 hours), turn on CO-46 and take a tour through Golden Gate Canyon State Park for even more Aspen - if you're not too nervous about narrow, steep roads... Continue down CO-119, up US-6 to I-70, maybe detour up Mt. Evans for Mountain Goats, Bighorn Sheep, and (more) Aspen, then up US-40 and around the west side of RMNP, or use this opportunity to detour up to Steamboat Springs...
You'll be coming towards the start of Aspen season (as opposed to the end of it...). If you go over Rabbit Ears Pass and around Steamboat Springs, even if the Aspen aren't turned yet, the ferns should be in good color... This trip might take you through Walden for fall Moose viewing, too (the west side of RMNP is also good for Moose if you want to see them but don't want to take this long side-trip)...
Or, if you want to venture a bit further afield for a couple of days, head down to Buena Vista (pronounced Beyuna Vista) and take the Cotttonwood Pass road (part twisty dirt road, driveable by car) over to Crested Butte; stay the night there and drive over Kebler Pass (and then McClure Pass) the next morning. There's good and interesting shopping in the town of Crested Butte, too. Visit the Maroon Bells outside of Aspen on your way back after McClure Pass; best photos are in early to mid morning, so you might want to slow down, stay the night somewhere like Glenwood Springs - or even in Aspen. Drive over Independence Pass (stop at the ghost town of Independence on your way) and head back toward Denver. There's lots of short (and long) scenic hikes to be had in both the Bells and Independence Pass areas if you want to get out for a walk...
If you want a break from Aspen and Elk, you might cruise on down to Colorado Springs to see the Garden of the Gods, with its many hiking trails among unique redrock formations. It's a bit far for just the GotG scenes, though, so stay a while and visit the (not cheap) Cave of the Winds, or take the cog railway up Pike's Peak if you're so inclined (sorry, pun not intended). More redrocks and hiking at Roxborough State Park just south of Denver (closer than GotG, but not as spectacular), or if you're interested in fossils, a trip to Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument might be in order.
There's lots to do here, and no way to cover all of it in either one post or one week's trip. Pick one or two (at most) of the side trips I mentioned above, or you'll be overwhelmed with driving. Garden of the Gods and RMNP have entries in the Hot Spots pages (see link at top of page); check them out for more details.
This is just the sort of info I was looking for. with routes and places given. You have mentioned a few that I had been thinking about like the Crested Butte area, so I'll have to try and include that. I like the idea of the sheep and goats. I will be in a rental car so just how steep and narrow are we talking about on the roads, I think I could handle it but not sure if I would have to leave my wife and pick her up on the way back.
I would rather cover an area well than to just drive through and see a lot but do and photograph nothing so I'll get out the map and check this out.
Thanks again
Bruce
* Mountain Base Rd. in Golden Gate Canyon has nice Aspen, but also a 19% grade and some hairpin turns (no RVs allowed) with moderate drop-offs; it is paved.
* Mt. Evans Rd. (paved) has some severe dropoffs, twists, and is narrow towards the top - but also has great wildlife and scenic viewing. Beware the "tundra roller-coaster" just before Summit Lake - it's worse than any speed bump you've ever seen.
* Independence Pass is also paved, but has a couple of 1.5 lane chokepoints and is twisty with steep dropoffs in spots; it offers a couple of nice short hikes to places like the ice caves (at Grottos day use area) and the ghost town of Independence, as well as Aspen.
* Cottonwood Pass Rd. is a part-paved, part-dirt road; the dirt part is sometimes a bit rutted, and the west side of the pass is a little windy, but no real steep dropoffs that I can remember. Lots of nice Aspen, some beaver ponds, and possibly wildlife along the way...