Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire planning a vacation around Denver next summer - need some ideas

Was planning on a winter conference in Denver in January, we were going to Breckenridge but Covid 19 has ruined that (3rd vacation dicked because of this virus now)

so its been tentatively postponed to July 2021 which changes from Skiing to Hiking.

I know its early but I usually try to book a cabin or whatever 12 months in advance. I"d like to go hiking - something in the mountains but a little out of the way. I know Rocky Mountain National Park is right next door, but I would prefer to get away from the crowds.

I was thinking Wyoming or going further west of Denver - nothing more than 3 hours away. ideally I'd like to hit two 7-12 mile hikes with 8-13K elevation. Wind River? Snow Mountains? I'm not familiar with any of this area.

Pikes Peak? The air above 10,000 is getting kind of thin for those not acclimated to it. Maybe hike Garden of the Gods first to get a feel for it.

I'd probably be willing to pay a premium for NOT having to go to Denver!
Jerry

Can't help.The good country is more than 3 hours from Denver

Select a series of 14ers to hike around RMNP. I'd guess that any crowds drop off around 9000 feet.

Take oxygen.

https://www.theoutbound.com/theoutbound/rocky-mountain-national-park-s-15-best-hikes

You might look into summit county. Dillon has good hiking, restaurants and great rental options. Traffic gets a bit heavy between DIA and Dillon but it's not bad when you get there. I can recommend several hikes up there.

Aurora for some cultural excellence....

Denver is a good place to stay, and use as a base to operate out of, if you want to do some climbing and hiking...especially in the mountains west of Denver. Mount Bierstadt is a good hike up to 14,065 feet. It’s west of Denver, and south of Georgetown off of Guanella Pass Road. It’s beautiful up in there.
West Spanish Peak, just south of La Veta, is a good climb in a beautiful area...the Spanish Peaks Wilderness. It gets you up to over 13,600 feet, and the volcanic dikes...100 feet high...go out from the base of the peak like spokes of a wagon wheel. It’s off of Hwy. 12 over at Cordova Pass.
You could climb and hike every single day in Colorado, and live to be a hundred years old, and never even make a dent in the climbing and hiking opportunities out here.

Clive Cussler Museum.
14959 W. 69th Avenue • Arvada, CO
If you read his books.

Evergreen is a very cool little town worth visiting. Not far from Denver.

Boulder for a freak show.....

Unless you have your heart set on Denver. Avoid it. A mad house of people.
Estes Park west in the mountains. You can sleep with the elk.

Avoid Denver and Boulder if at all possible. Libtard heaven.

There’s some good climbing and hiking up at Boulder too. You can access many miles of hiking trails from the Chautauqua...you can hike below the Flatirons, behind the Flatirons, or on the Peaks above the Flatirons.

Take a look at the Flat Tops Wilderness area - hiking, fishing, camping, horseback outfitters, ....

Flat Tops

I don't have a choice about Denver, that is where the work conference will be

this is good stuff, and no I will not be acclimated to the altitude, so I may need to dial it back a bit.

This is clearly a question from someone east of the Mississippi

Can you hike Indian Reservation land? Or is it off limits (or you wouldn't want to anyways?)

Check out the 10th Mountain Division huts for hiking opportunities. Great experience when I did two of them with my sons in July one summer.

Honestly... go to RMNP and do Trail Ridge Rd over to Lake Granby. Look for moose and sheep along the way. Elk are like road kill possums here back east. You should at least a thousand on a good day, lol. Drive up to Cheyenne and go inside the Capital bldg. It’s pretty neat. Drive south and go to Pikes Peak. The Denver zoo is pretty cool also.

No res's close. Keep hydrated, do not drink alcohol, tums help with altitude.

Hiway 285 to pine junction, south to buffalo creek. Tame country, you can end up in bailey and return to denver.

Go north east to pawnee grasslands. Shortgrass prairie, antelope, heat. some of Centennial tv movie was set there.

Go to cheyenne, depot museum

Colorado and wyoming both will send tourist maps and info.

Be aware it gets cold at night and weather changes quickly. I have managed to get snowed on every month except August

I always like staying in Glenwood Springs before hunting, lots to do in that area including rafting.