I was hoping to cover myself in honey and play tag with a bear, but it didn't work out this time. F'ing park rangers were all over my ass.
Denver this summer
- Thread starter bigred
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I was hoping to cover myself in honey and play tag with a bear, but it didn't work out this time. F'ing park rangers were all over my ass.
Re: Denver this summer / Winter
So as to keep from derailing the other thread about gofundme:
If we end up doing a similar trip this winter (summer we did a few days camped out in Denver and hit a bunch of cool stuff in the area then drove up to GTNP / Jackson / Yellowstone ), is there anything specific we should see or do, aside from the obvious skiing / snowmobiling?
So as to keep from derailing the other thread about gofundme:
If we end up doing a similar trip this winter (summer we did a few days camped out in Denver and hit a bunch of cool stuff in the area then drove up to GTNP / Jackson / Yellowstone ), is there anything specific we should see or do, aside from the obvious skiing / snowmobiling?
Yellowstone is shut closed except for the road in the North that passes through Mammoth Hot Springs.
Great food in Jackson; I am looking forward to some awesome cross-country skiing at Tetons' base.
Great food in Jackson; I am looking forward to some awesome cross-country skiing at Tetons' base.
I grew up in Denver many cool places to go. For a day trip not far out of town, head up I 70 to St. Mary's Glacier for a short hike to play in the snow in the middle of summer. Also beautiful lake. If you want easy four wheeling with beautiful views there are several trails that can take you anywhere, buy a Colorado Atlas to see where you are going. Also can head back to Denver on I 70 and stop in Idaho Springs for Beau Jo's pizza or Tommy Knocker brewery. If interested I can tell you more places.
Wintertime wheeling can be tricky - it's best to know the route and what you're getting into ahead of time. I will speak from first hand experience that the Colorado Atlas does not have the level of fidelity necessary for offroading (what was marked as a thru-route was in reality a dead end for vehicles and foot/horse-only for the remainder). I've settled into using Forest Service maps on my phone's SD card via Backcountry Navigator Pro.
Just about every winter someone from out of state decides to go on a hike, makes a mistake and (if the family is lucky) the body/bodies are found next spring once the snow melts. Just be smart.
Tubing is fun for those who don't want to ski/board. Some climb frozen waterfalls. Snowshoeing is an option as well. There's always ice fishing. You can race your vehicle on a frozen lake, too.
Just about every winter someone from out of state decides to go on a hike, makes a mistake and (if the family is lucky) the body/bodies are found next spring once the snow melts. Just be smart.
Tubing is fun for those who don't want to ski/board. Some climb frozen waterfalls. Snowshoeing is an option as well. There's always ice fishing. You can race your vehicle on a frozen lake, too.
You'll see shorts in winter. Don't know how those people do it... my chicken legs don't care for it.
There's plenty of water all around in winter... just be sure to melt it first. Eating snow to hydrate is tough/rough on the body, or so I've heard. Haven't had to do it myself, but it makes sense.
Phones - Don't count on having service off the beaten path, unless you're on top of a mountain which is within view of a populated area/highway (which is why all maps best be downloaded onto your device). The best, or worst case, device to have is a PLB, but the casual explorer typically doesn't carry one. I've heard you can rent them. I've also heard avalanche backpacks have them built in and are triggered if the pack has to deploy... pretty cool. I've not become so adventuresome that I have such things... the desire is there, but I haven't acted upon it. I've been toying with the idea of getting my HAM license, if for nothing else than to have a radio with some reach (particularly if hiking). My problem is I'll leave my "plan" with someone (if I'm going out alone), get bored with that plan, then deviate to find new things. Hasn't left me in a pickle yet, but it's just a matter of time.
I like photography, so getting out to see the big horned sheep in fall and winter is fun. I usually combine that with a flexible ski schedule, so that if I happen upon the sheep when heading to the ski area, then I'll spend as much time as I like taking pics.
I go to Loveland. Many folks continue through the tunnels to go to Breck, Copper, etc. My skills do not surpass the terrain at Loveland, so it works for me. It's a ski "area" versus a "resort" which works for me, too.
PMsent - just realized where Aurora is.
We'll check out Loveland. My (and my kid's) skillsets don't need a major western ski resort.
My brother lived in Frisco for 5 years (lives in Denver now). He had a pass to just about all of the places (and worked at Breck). His favorite was/still is Loveland. Much less duchebaggery.
They still do the winter tours on the old tracked buses I'm assuming. We did a snowmobile tour with a private guide up to Old Faithful and the main lodge there. I believe the lodge was open too. It's been a few years. But it was pretty cool since all the bison are docile and not really moving, so you have to slowly go by them on the road as they are just lying there.
Town is kinda cool that time of year too as it's not packed like it is in the summer. Amazing to see that much snow and things operate as normal.
Everyone seems to have their favorite ski area out there of course and we frequented Cooper, Vail and Breckenridge - mostly Vail isnce my buddies lived and worked there. And our annual Minturn Mile run was always fun. Hike to the summit and ski down to the pub in Minturn. We had our little hang outs in Vail village too.
Hard to go wrong at any place you hit up out here.