Current Events > Visiting Colorado next week. Any recommendations?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I heard Denver is kind of a shithole nowadays. Lots of crime and huge homeless population.

so we may just stick to the Colorado springs area.

i know were going to a wolf sanctuary. Id like to get a few hikes in, maybe some horseback riding

any recommendations on activities?

Boil the water just to see if it really does boil faster

I'm only familiar with summity county and that's about 2 hours from where you will be.

Rocky mountain national park

Garden of the gods

Royal Gorge Bridge and Park. They have hiking and wall-climbing esque activities, as well as crossing the bridge

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/5/5/AAPw6aAADn_v.jpg

Got this shot at the bird show there

The DAM is sick

Take the open ceiling train from Durango/Silver Springs...was amazing

Hit the slopes?

Keep em comin

MedeaLysistrata posted...

Boil the water just to see if it really does boil faster

It does. At a lower temperature too. Research "vapor pressure" to learn why.

Wait, we have a wolf sanctuary out here?

The cog railway to the top of pikes peak & driving thru "garden of the gods" can be done in the same day, as they are really close to each other. You can also drive up the to the peak if you're not scared of the switchbacks. Just be careful not to overheat your brakes on the way back down or they'll force you to pull over at a halfway station to let them cool off.

wackyteen posted...

Royal Gorge Bridge and Park. They have hiking and wall-climbing esque activities, as well as crossing the bridge

I've done that, I couldn't imagine building that thing. The bridge that is. They still let people drive across when I went.

lww99 posted...

I heard Denver is kind of a shithole nowadays. Lots of crime and huge homeless population.

People say this kinda shit about every city. I don't spend a lot of time in the city proper, but yeah, there are homeless people... just like there were a decade ago. That's not really a problem as long as they're minding their own business, which they usually. As for crime, I hear it's more of a problem with property crimes than violent crimes. Honestly I think the same advice that applies to most cities applies, as long as you aren't walking the streets or riding public transit by yourself late at night, you shouldn't have much to worry about

random_man9119 posted...

Wait, we have a wolf sanctuary out here?

yep its in Divide! They have different tours.

the least expensive is just seeing them as you would at a zoo. Next level up is small groups getting meet and greets, thats what were doing. And then the most expensive are private sessions

Imit8m3 posted...

The cog railway to the top of pikes peak & driving thru "garden of the gods" can be done in the same day, as they are really close to each other. You can also drive up the to the peak if you're not scared of the switchbacks. Just be careful not to overheat your brakes on the way back down or they'll force you to pull over at a halfway station to let them cool off.

ill check out the rail way. Were trolling about horseback riding through the garden of the gods

How long and where exactly are you staying? The Springs and Denver are an hour and a half away from each other, so unless you're just planning your lodging day-by-day, there are better options based on the main area you're staying in.

With that said, I live in Denver Metro, and would absolutely rather spend my time in the Springs and surrounding areas there.

If you're staying in Denver - you can check out the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge, which is like a drive-through zoo; the actual Denver Zoo is also pretty neat and fairly large. For hiking/biking/trails in the Metro area you have the Cherry Creek State Park, and my favorite Castlewood Canyon State Park which is a bit further to the south next to Castle Rock which has some fun stuff to do/places to eat after hiking.

About an hour west is St Marys Glacier which is a pretty easy mile hike that opens up to a stunning lake and glacier, easy peasy early morning day trip and then you can get back to the city by 10-11am and have the rest of the day for whatever, or head to Blackhawk and do some gambling at the casinos.

About an hour and a half - two hours north west is Estes Park, where you have The Shining Hotel (The Stanley) if you're into that sort of thing, and Rocky Mountain National Park.

If you're staying in Colorado Springs, I highly recommend the Cave of the Winds tour. Garden of the Gods park, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, walk around Manitou Springs, and tour the Olympic Training Center. Cheyenne Mountain State Park is also there, but I've never been - I assume it's very nice, of course. Seven Falls is a cool little place to see, nothing super special but it's neat and easy to get to. Have some drinks/food at Ivywild School which has a nice whiskey distillery and at least one brewery inside, as well as some decent pizza, empanadas, and they usually have food trucks outside. Pikes Peak of course is amazing, but I believe they've already closed off the top of the mountain, and if you're at all nervous about driving down an extremely steep mountain side with sharp turns and very few guardrails, I wouldn't recommend driving past the first rest stop anyway.

Itll be Colorado Springs area! Were staying Tuesday through Saturday.

That all sounds really fun, I think well be able to squeeze quite a bit in. Really appreciate the detailed recommendations!

Gonna check all of this out now

lww99 posted...

Itll be Colorado Springs area! Were staying Tuesday through Saturday.

That all sounds really fun, I think well be able to squeeze quite a bit in. Really appreciate the detailed recommendations!

Gonna check all of this out now

In that case I'll recommend a few more places to eat; in Downtown Co Springs check out The Rabbit Hole, if you can, and Jack Quinn's Irish Pub. In Old Colorado City (which is also a nice little area to get out and walk around for an hour or two on Colorado Ave.) check out Alchemy, which is another Irish pub, but has incredible and unique cocktails, the main reason to go, and Paravicini's Italian Bistro if you like Italian. And in Manitou Springs, Mona Lisa Fondue is fun, The Loop has decent and cheap Mexican food, and The Cliff House for fancy upscale dining.

Lordddd the green out here is expensive as hell.

Traffic is very weird

The views omg. Red rocks everywhere. Just gorgeous

If you go to the Denver subreddit, thats the overwhelming theme

Weeeeeeed

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/5/8/AASrCoAADsqO.jpg https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/5/9/AASrCoAADsqP.jpg
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/6/0/AASrCoAADsqQ.jpg

lww99 posted...

Lordddd the green out here is expensive as hell.

no way dude. you must be at a tourist spot.

Idk I checked out a few dispensaries online. Much more expensive than Michigan, or even ohio lol.

any suggestions?

Been considering moving to COS for a while. Still need to actually go there and see if I like it tho.

https://manitousprings.org/where-to-play/manitou-incline/ if you're looking for a workout hike.

lww99 posted...

Lordddd the green out here is expensive as hell.

Traffic is very weird

The views omg. Red rocks everywhere. Just gorgeous

I'm going 2nd week of October and that's the first thing I wanted to know: how costly are the herbs?

so I went to the highest rated spot in the area, maybe thats why they were charging so much.

but I got 3 disposable pens and 1 pack of edibles for like $150.

they were selling weak halves for around the same price

Voodoo doughnuts in denver

lww99 posted...

Idk I checked out a few dispensaries online. Much more expensive than Michigan, or even ohio lol.

any suggestions?

its been forever since i've been there (2014), but i remember dispensaries having sales with zips for like $75 or less.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/2/4/AASrCoAADs3w.jpg

Gonna check out Cereberus brewery for lunch

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/3/2/AAPw6aAADnA4.jpg

Copped this from the top of Pikes Peak a month ago.

Evening with clouds was a great choice

Damn thats gorgeous

did you do the railway or drive?

lww99 posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/2/2/4/AASrCoAADs3w.jpg

How far up in the mountains is this?

The town of Divide is 9000 ft above sea level. Were like 30 mins into the mountain from town, so maybe 10k

Tomorrow were gonna check out the lantern tour for Cave of the winds, and then horseback riding in garden of the gods after

Denver is great for the food and drink scene. Colorado Springs is too for the same reason, but I prefer the food and drink scene in Denver more. The hiking in CS is where its at though.

weed

Mile high stadium

lww99 posted...

Tomorrow were gonna check out the lantern tour for Cave of the winds, and then horseback riding in garden of the gods after

Cave of the Winds was disappointing iirc. I could be wrong as my memory is terrible, but dont expect too much.

Denver has a much better bar scene and breweries than Colorado Springs if you are into that, check out the Highlands or Rino/River North. Its more of a younger crowd tho, 20s.

McGregor Square by Coors field is also awesome, and a slightly older more relaxed crowd

Ive felt kinda sick since getting here, so havent been checking out many restaurants

Altitude sickness is no joke, drink tons of water and a snickers bar actually works wonders, the sugar helps a ton

The highways out here are wild. Driving from Colorado Springs to Divide

I think it was US-24 maybe. Just nothing but blind, tight curves back and forth lol

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/7/4/AASrCoAADtAW.jpg https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/7/5/AASrCoAADtAX.jpg

lww99 posted...

The highways out here are wild. Driving from Colorado Springs to Divide

I think it was US-24 maybe. Just nothing but blind, tight curves back and forth lol

i used to go do target shooting off rampart range road and definitely got up to divide a few times. i know those roads well. i'll second the manitou incline. it's a beast!

lww99 posted...

Ive felt kinda sick since getting here, so havent been checking out many restaurants

The altitude will do that to you.

Especially in the higher places like Divide.

My mom wound up in the hospital after we went up to Rocky Mountain National Park. Unsure if it was food poisoning (ate at a restaurant at the Park) or altitude but she's Diabetic and getting sick triggered DKA and nearly put her in a coma <_<

So yeah, stay extra hydrated and don't skip meals. They don't have to be large meals but make sure you're getting sustenance