Summer vacation ideas

[Chow_Hound]

I am thinking of bringing the family to CO in the summer. Thinking about renting a car and just touring around the state - do some fishing, hiking, site seeing (and of course checking out some hunt units). Looking for cool places to stay/fun things to do.

Thanks

 

[txhunter58]

LAST EDITED ON Mar-03-10 AT 04:22PM (MST)[p]Durango area makes for a nice family vacation. Narrowgauge railroad runs from Durango to Silverton, always a fun family outing. Mesa Verde to the west. Exploring old mining areas north of Silverton. Hot springs in Ouray. Telluride is a nice place to visit. Lots of jeep roads in the area. Some good camping and fishing areas.

Bottom line is you can make a circle from Durango west, to Mesa Verde, Telluride, Ouray, Silverton,and back to Durango. Lots of shopping for mom too!

And lots of good hunting areas in that circle.


Another circuit that we have done that is fun with both town and camping stops: Aspen, Basalt, Redstone (great fishing in the Crystal river and great side trips up to Marble and Crystal), McClure pass, Kebler pass with a stop at "lost lake", Crested Butte, Gunnison, Salida, Buena Vista, Twin lakes and Independence pass. That circuit holds some of the best scenery in Colorado, so neat towns, good camping and fishing.

A great book to get if it is still in print is "backroads of Colorado". Some great info on interesting places to go.

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)

 

[sealer]

If you do the Durango area you'll enjoy checking out the Lake Vallecito area.

Devasted by a fire some years back, the character of this area's locals and establishments reminds me of the days when we didn't worry about our "portfolio" or our "401K".

We spent a long weekend there back in '07 and neither of us will forget it...coming over Wolf Creek Pass (from Denver); Pagosa Springs; and everything that Durango has to offer.

We spent 3 days on the lake and wished we had more time to enjoy everything in the area.

The funny thing about this part of the state is most Colorado natives have no clue how beautiful this part of the state is. I'm assuming the majority of the locals would prefer to keep it this way which separates it from the typical vacation areas.

This is a "can't miss" vacation for the family IMO, but listen to what txh58 has to say. He's a good source of overall info.

Drew

 

[elkhunter49]

RMNP and Estes Park was always fun for my family when my kids were young. The fishing in Marys lake was decent and hiking throughout the park was always an adventure for my kids and I. Estes Park has enough dinning and shopping to please the wife but it's been years since I've been there because the kids like the beach these days, (Destin Florida).
I like exploring the mining country around Leadville,Silverton,Climax area but I'm not sure the kids would enjoy that too much. Anytime you can get alone with your kids away from the TV is a good thing. I hope you have a great vacation wherever you choose to go. Take Care Baker