Colorado

[Didi_beee]

Hi everyone,

So my bf and I just recently found out we can get about 6 days off from July 4-9 or July 6-11. We are thinking of some places we could go and Colorado is an option as we love the scenic outdoor things.

Just checked flights on kayak and I'm getting $380-$410 all in for those dates to Denver from Buffalo. This sounds pretty decent for a 6 hour flight. However, car rental is about $400-500 for almost 5 days which looks pricey. I'll probably do Priceline to knock it down by 30-40%.

I've just started researching on Colorado today and was wondering what are some must see scenic areas to visit. I've read up on the Sand Dunes 400 miles south of Denver which seems pretty cool. Then there is the Rocky Mountain National Park. Are there hostels along the way? Is Colorado comparable to the Canadian Rockies in terms of drives, scenery, accommodations? We don't mind staying in hostels like we did for our Alberta/BC Rockies trip. Also, just heard there was a huge forest fire a bit north of Denver. Will some of the roads leading up to RMNP be closed? Wouldn't want to have to turn back and have to stay in Denver for the whole trip.

Thanks!

[Didi_beee]

^bump...

no one here has been to Colorado???

[l69norm]

..... However, car rental is about $400-500 for almost 5 days which looks pricey. I'll probably do Priceline to knock it down by 30-40%. ...!

I think there's suppose to be a shortage of rental cars right now. Denver got hit by a big storm last week. I'm told that one agency reported that they had over 100 cars damaged, many of them are a total loss (hail was large enough to blow out the back window). Over all the rental agencies in Denver, they probably have serveral hundred cars out of action.

The current fire map(High Park Fire) shows the area as follows: If you take a line directly west of down town Fort Collins until you get to Hwy 14. All the area north of that line to Hwy 14. About the right 1/3 of the shaded area is in the fire zone, but the roads are closed much further west. (Roosevelt National Forest). It looks like the area south of Hwy 34 where your park is located is unaffected


http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee149/l69norm/col.jpg

See http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2904/

[Truemana]

I worked in Colorado in and out for six months. The site was in the Rockies near Leadville.

The fires shouldn't affect where you're going to. The I70 goes just north of Downtown Denver and into the Rockies. Fort Collins is apparently where the fire is and that's a bit further north.

I stayed in a town called Dillon, which is right next to Silverthorne. The entire area is absolutely beautiful and there's plenty of places to stay, albeit I have a feeling there aren't many hostels in the area. I never got a chance to make it to Vail or out east more, but the area really is fantastic.

Altitude: keep in mind that most areas you'll be in are at considerable altitude (8000 or 9000 ft even the hotel towns). Any hiking you'll be doing will be even higher (up to 12,000 ft). You will sleep terribly for the first two or three days, sometimes waking yourself gasping for air. You'll be fine, but it's just that your body needs to adjust its breathing rate. You won't be there long enough to build all the red blood cells to acclimatize. That means lots and lots of water. The air is dry so that's a compounding factor for the altitude. Also, the rental car will consume a lot of gas because of the altitude. Lots of car companies do prototype testing in the area. For god sakes, wear sunscreen. The UV rays are intense at altitude and you can burn much quicker than you are used to.

Like I said, I didn't get a chance to meander a whole lot. Loveland pass from dillon to the I70 along US6 is really fantastic and you can stop at the 12,000ft pass and walk even higher. There's some beautiful drives and I know there are some awesome hiking areas. Lots of little towns to see along the way. Get off the I70. For food, Frisco's main street has some awesome, awesome one-off restaurants. Dillon/Silverthorne is just a bunch of chains for the most part.

There will be very little snow there. This past year was incredibly dry and so you probably won't see anything.

Denver is a pretty cool city. Downtown, anyway. They have a pedestrian mall full of shops and stuff. A few sports teams right downtown if you're looking to catch a game.

Have fun!

[Truemana]

Oh and theres lots of river rafting adventures in the area. Take a look online. River rafting guide is a typical summer job for all the local snow bums in off season.