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A Travel Guide to Colorful Colorado

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Aug 18th, 2023
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This is an extensive traThis is an extensive travel guide as I’ve explored almost every corner of Colorado! Here are my favorite trails, restaurants, places to shop, bars, and things to see in the colorful state of Colorado! If you’re a nature lover, you’ll love this guide🥾🌲🏕.

General tips

  • Bring water!! High altitude is real people, several of my friends struggled with altitude sickness. Bring meds, stay hydrated, and don’t overdo it!
  • Annual National Parks Pass or Weekly Pass for RMNP, way better bang for your buck if you plan on entering the park multiple days or plan on going to multiple parks. It is only $80!
  • Brings snacks! Sometimes hikes end up taking longer than anticipated, bring some food to stay energized on the trail. I recommend food without any wrappers or small trash.
  • Sunscreen or a hat is always something I’ll recommend, you are so much closer to the sun when up on the mountains which makes the UV rays much harsher. You’ll always catch me with Super Goop Glow Screen and a hat on when hiking!
  • Plan, plan, plan. Colorado is a popular destination- do your research as to when the best times to visit attractions are.
  • Wake up early !! I’ll say this again and again, it’s so worth it to wake up at the crack of dawn and beat the crowds. I do this with every national park I visit.

The Great Outdoors

Rocky Mountain National Park

Must go
National park
A must see! You cannot go to Colorado and skip RMNP! I have yet to go during the timed entry implementation but I heard it isn’t too hard to get a pass! I’ve been to RMNP 5 times!

Garden of the Gods

Park
Nature & Parks
Hiking area
The Garden of the Gods is cool, it’s a very different vibe than the northern part of the state which is neat. We’ve hiked trails around there three times now and while it is cool it is not necessarily our favorite area of the state. Bring water as there isn’t too much shade.

Poudre Canyon

Hidden gem
Ravine
We actually stayed in Poudre Canyon the first time I took my friends to Colorado in 2018! Our Airbnb (which is sadly no longer rentable as the owner moved) was nestled in the canyon right along the river. It is a great place if you are wanting to fish or take a scenic drive.

Horsetooth Reservoir

Reservoir
Nature & Parks
Bodies of Water
Very neat, well kept, and dog friendly trail area. Definitely a must see if you have some time in the Fort Collins area.

Roosevelt National Forest

Hidden gem
Woods
I love Roosevelt !!! This is where we go whenever we hike with our pup as 99% of the trails are dog friendly! Definitely underrated and has some spots just as pretty as the national park nearby.

Golden Gate Canyon State Park

Hidden gem
Park
We visited Golden Gate and did several waterfall trails on one of our trips to Colorado. It was gorgeous and we were able to walk up and stand right under the waterfall!

Boulder mountain park

Park
Lots of longer and shorter trails that are great for both beginner hikers and more experienced like I am!

Eldorado Canyon State Park

State park
Nature & Parks
Canyons
Dog friendly trails not too far from Boulder, CO!

Gross Reservoir

Reservoir
The Gross Reservoir hike was gorgeous! You walk amongst the trees until you reach a clearing with the reservoir!

Lake Loveland

Lake
We love Loveland and while Lake Loveland is not a hiking trail necessarily it is lovely to stroll around during sunset.

Indian Peaks Wilderness

Nature & Parks
Hiking Trails
This area is in Ward, CO. We visited here in the summer and let our pup take a swim and did two hikes. I would say that there are much prettier surrounding areas that have nicer and less trafficked hikes. The hikes here are great for beginners but not too much of a challenge for someone who regularly hikes. A good area for older hikers or little kids who aren’t the most adventurous but still like nature!

Cave of the Winds Mountain Park

Hidden gem
Amusement park
Super neat place to stop by if you’re driving through Colorado Springs! Went with my friends in the spring and there was no wait at all and it was a really cool tour!
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Cool Towns

Fort Collins

Must go
Awesome college town with great restaurants, cafes, and shops.

Boulder

Must go
I may be biased as I am a CU Boulder student, but Boulder is a beautiful city. Pearl Street Mall is lively and full of activities while the campus of CU Boulder is beautiful to walk around as it is nested at the foothills of the mountains.

Denver

We aren’t too keen on visiting any cities but Denver is full of cool art installations, shops, and places to eat.

Loveland

We have stayed in Loveland twice and love it, we love it’s distance to Fort Collins, Estes Park, and Boulder. It is so close to all three of our favorite spots to explore. Very family friendly and safe area to stay in.

Longmont

I stayed in Longmont when visiting Colorado with my family for the first time. We really enjoyed how close it was to Rocky Mountain National Park.

Colorado Springs

Very unique city in Colorado! The geography differed drastically from the northern part of the state.

Estes Park

Must go
Sights & Landmarks
Neighborhoods
The entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park! This quaint little mountain town has my heart. We once stayed in a cabin on a hill overlooking Lake Estes and The Stanley Hotel, it was truly one of the best Airbnb’s we’ve stayed in.

Ward

Home to Indian Peaks Wilderness- good area for inexperienced hikers.

Nederland

Beautiful town with lots of trails near the Barker Meadow Reservoir.

Golden

Home to Golden Gate State Park.

Black Hawk

We stopped here to eat as we were driving through, cute little town that seems worth exploring.

Drake

Near Estes this is another great area for both hikes of short and long distance. Many trails are also dog friendly.

Bellvue

Beautiful quint little town nestled in the mountains, this was the town we stayed near while staying along the Poudre River.

Georgetown

Hidden gem
This town is a DREAM! I went here with my family in June one year and it was unreal. A town literally carved into the side of the mountains. Had the best cold brew coffee of my life at a coffee shop here.

Places to Eat

Alleycat Coffee House

cheap
Coffee shop
Best. Coffee. Shop. Ever. They know us by name and we don’t even live there, we visit EVERY time we go to Colorado, we even stopped on our drive to Yellowstone.

Pearl Street Mall

Shopping mall
Shopping
Points of Interest & Landmarks
Such a cool area, really great coffee shops, restaurants, street performances, crystal shops, and dispos. We visit almost every time we go to Colorado!

Cheba Hut "Toasted" Subs

cheap
Sandwich shop
Quirky little chain of sub shops in Colorado, very reasonably priced and yummy!

Gallo Italian Supper Club and Bakery

affordable
Italian restaurant
The BEST dessert pastries you will ever have. A true authentic Italian bakery and restaurant.

Shopping & Things to Do

Pearl Street Mall

Shopping mall
Shopping
Points of Interest & Landmarks
Such a cool area, really great coffee shops, restaurants, street performances, crystal shops, and dispos. We visit almost every time we go to Colorado!

CU Boulder

Public university
College
University
Beautiful campus to stroll around and picnic at!

Georgetown Loop Railroad

Tours
Museum
Scenic Railroads
One of the best experiences of my life, an open car train ride through the mountains. Absolutely unreal. I went with my family, super kid friendly.

Denver International Airport

International airport
Airport
We usually road-trip to Colorado but I stopped here for a layover once when on our way to Washington. There’s lots of interesting conspiracies and mysteries about this spot. Worth exploring but only if you’re flying into it, not necessarily worth a trip in itself.

Denver Botanic Gardens

Botanical garden
Shopping
Beautiful gardens! Very kid friendly, parking can be a little tricky.

Patagonia

expensive
Outdoor clothing and equipment shop
Huge Patagonia store! Spent a lil too much money here before lol!

The Stanley Hotel

Must go
Hotel
Resort hotel
Such a cool spot! Beautiful view and the architecture is stunning. I totally recommend the ghost tour as well, use your AAA card for a discount and purchase tickets beforehand. I’ve done it twice and loved it both times. Really cool to walk around the spot that inspired Stephen Kings “The Shining”.

Copoco's Honey

Honey farm
Sweetest little small business that sources local honey and other little treats.

Gulley Greenhouse and Garden Center

Garden center
Greenhouse
Discovered this place back in 2018 and I’ve gone back every visit since then!

Kind Coffee

cheap
Coffee shop
Store
Another favorite coffee spot. They open super early and we always grab a cup of coffee before hitting the trails. My boyfriend and I love to sit down by the river outback on the rocks and eat breakfast as well.

Peace, Love and Little Donuts of Fort Collins

Permanently closed
affordable
Donut shop
Another favorite spot, these little cute donuts are so good! Dog friendly as well, we took our pup inside and they gave her a doggy donut.

Dunraven at The Estes Park Resort

Permanently closed
affordable
Hidden gem
One of the best dates of my life was dinner with my honey at the Dunraven. Watching the sun set over the rockies and lake Estes is unexplainable. There was not a single soul in the restaurant either, we still talk about how wonderful of a date it was- and we’ve dined in some pretty darn cool spots!

Rocky Mountain National Park Trails

Dream Lake

Must go
Lake
Stunning lake! Definitely one of my favorite spots. I’ve visited in the spring, summer, and winter and it is beautiful in every one of those seasons! We even walked across it while frozen which was so cool! If you’re truly adventurous get out and hike it before sunrise and when there isn’t a single soul.

Gem Lake

Lake
Beautiful lake and easy hike. I’ve also walked across this one while frozen as well!

Nymph Lake

Lake
Nature & Parks
Bodies of Water
Gorgeous lake that is covered with lily pads in the warmer months!

Lake Haiyaha

Pretty lake that is just a short hike past dream like!

Alberta Falls

Must go
Park
Another one of my favorites! Usually pretty busy though, I reccomend going in the morning before the crowds hit.

Upper Beaver Meadows Trailhead

Hiking area
Beautiful hike through a Beaver Meadows, did this with my family and saw many other families along the route. Easy and great views. Not too much of an elevation change.
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