I'll be heading over to Co in October for an elk hunt and plan to have a few spare days to get to know the place.
Is there anything I shouldn't miss in Denver Durango or maybe Boulder?
Cheers.

Dear Express:

My wife and I lived in Longmont and Berthoud, Colorado for three years.

You probably won't find much in Boulder. Durango is a neat town.

If you are near them, Creed, Silverton and Ojai are cool old silver and gold mining towns in western Colorado.

Of course Denver is worth a day of just walking around, and seeing the city.

My favorite place on the front range (meaning east of the mountains) is not even in Colorado, but close, Cheyenne, Wyoming. Like Creed and Silverton, you will feel like you walked back in time to a cowboy town.

But, if you really have a bit of time, don't miss taking a tour of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. It is spectacular.

Lastly, driving up to and into Rocky Mountain National Park is a treat, and some of the restaurants in Estes Park are pretty decent, particularly the Stanley Hotel, but its a bit expensive.

Sincerely,

Chris Bemis

Don't forget the narrow gauge steam railroad day trip from Durango or Antonito. Also the Great Sand Dunes at Alamosa, the gorge bridge at Canon City or the one near Taos NM.
The Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs and the zoo there as well as some "famous" hotel where Peggy Fleming practiced.
A long day trip to Ship Rock NM or west of Durango to Mesa Verde.

Plenty of things to do, just some (bunches) miles between them

You’ll find the nightclubs and restaurants in lower down town Denver interesting. There are some really nice ones. City Park with its zoo and museum is a popular place for the locals.

A cruise down Colfax Ave. through the hart of down town is a freak show that shouldn’t be missed. There are some good restaurants and nightclubs in the Capital Hill area of Colfax. The historical museum is down by the capital, it’s a great place to spend an afternoon learning about Colorado history. The Capital and civic center at Colfax and Broadway is something to see.

Boulder is a world onto itself. We call it the “Greater Republic of Boulder”. The Pearl street mail is a good place to visit.

In the Durango area, the Cliff Dwellings and Four Corners is a good place to spend a few days. Hell, the drive from Denver to Durango is worth the price of a rental car.

Colorado.com should give you a lot of information.

http://www.colorado.com/?gclid...j3pqACFRJWagod4RxkZw

If you want to travel about an hour south into NM and enjoy fly fishing you have to fish the quailty waters just below Navajo Dam. Best trout waters you will find.

Why not stop by the Colorado School of trades gunsmithing school it is in Lakewood just west of Denver. I am an instructor there and we offer tours.

Colorado is a beer drinkers heaven if you're so inclined. Down town, the Falling Rock taphouse can't be missed, as well as some of the breweries like Breckenridge and Wynkoop. In Boulder I suggest Mt. Sun, especially the Colorado Kind Crippler IPA on nitro.

Heck just taking a drive around the front range is something to see. Especially on a nice crisp fall morning, the air is so clear you'd think the mountains are just a few yards away. You might take a drive up to Rocky Mountain National Park and see the elk to get your motor turning for your upcoming hunt!

One place I've always been fond of is The Fort restaurant. It is a replication of the more famous Bent's Fort on the Arkansas during the fur trading days.
The restaurant serves wild game and traditionnal time period southwestern dishes, not necessarily Mexican, along with some old fashioned recipes for drinks. Amazing what you can squeeze out of junitpers.
On the south end of town (used to be south) take Hampden west to the mountain front going towards Morrison. Hang a right at the I-410 dispersal loop and you are practically at the parking lot. Look carefully because the fort restaurant is the same brick color as the sandstone it's built on.
Nice view of the city lights at night.

If you are near Colorado Springs drive to the top of Pikes Peak if the road is still open, tour the Air Force Academy, go to the Molly Kathleen mine in Cripple Creek, drive Eleven Mile canyon, Bents Fort, drive through the town of Wild Horse and get a ticket from the locally famous cop there (speeding not required). Further west go to the Mt Princeton Hot Springs, go see Mesa Verde, drive through Ouray, go to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison(north rim)drive on Grand Mesa, go to the Colorado National Monument (Grand Junction) go to the Dinosaur National Monument, go to Trappers Lake in the Flat Tops, drive over Independence Pass if its still open.
There is much much more to do just depends on what part of the state you are in, some of the things listed are for tourists but they are worthy sites to visit. Pikes Peak and Independence pass may be closed for the season by October. What kind of stuff do you want to see? Mountains, tourist destinations, man made, canyons, history?

quote:

Originally posted by Snellstrom:
drive through the town of Wild Horse and get a ticket from the locally famous cop there (speeding not required

LMFAO!!! I've met that guy TWICE and received warnings both times!!! Knocking on wood now!!!

If in Denver, go to the Buckhorn Exchange. It has liquor license #1 in Colorado and is now considered a living museum. They serve wild game and dependent if you have guests who share their plates, you can easily have 8-9 different species once appitizers are included.

IF in CO Springs and the drive up Pikes Peak is closed, take the cog railroad, which is the longest cog railroad in the world. It takes about 3 hours roundtrip to complete. Also, go over to Cripple Creek. A neat old historic gold mining town on the backside of Pikes Peak.

As someone mentioned if you're a beer drinker, also take a day and head up I25 to Fort Collins and visit some of the micro-breweries. Some of my favorite micro-brews come out of there.

There is some much to do, you'll have fun deciding.

A little over an hour north of Denver is Estes Park, a small resort town on the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park. After having hunted for days for a fleeting sign of an elk, give yourself a treat at RMNP by driving through, watching, and photographing hundreds of rutting elk in the meadows just outside of Estes Park. You can see some of the big boys going at it as they try to protect their harems from dozens of would-be interlopers. You'll also stand a good chance of catching the Big Horn sheep coming down to the meadow to graze and water.

The huge meadows are carved by glaciers and there are a lot of geological features to see and appreciate.

If the highway to the summit is still open, definately take it. It is some of the most spectacular alpine scenery you'll ever see. The altitude tops out above 12,000 feet in permanent tundra, perhaps the southmost tundra in the world.

Nothing to do here...I wouldn't bother.

We have no good hunting, no tourists spots, nothing fun to see, no beautiful mountains, no mountain streams, no good fishing, no good places to eat.....I'd suggest Kansas, they have everything there.

There is no real cop in Wild Horse. A stater hides behind the trees just south of the cool little Post Office on occasion though. Its 55 thru Wild Horse and 65 on either side...you'll get popped any time day or night speeding there.

Yeah, I think the trooper lives around Kit Carson or maybe Eads. I see him somewhere within the 94 turn north of Wild Horse and Eads almost everytime I head to Oklahoma.

Another thing to see is the Royal Gorge.

Where are you going to be Hunting? I assume around Durango since you asked about it. If so, definitely take the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad trip. It's a full day commitment but well worth it. Also realize that Durango is a six hour drive from Denver so that is a day of driving right there but if you travel on highway 285 south to highway 160 it is quite scenic.

When in Denver I would go to Red Rocks Amphitheater. Then you could check out The Fort restaurant as Yellowstone suggested since its just down the highway. And if your into geology/mineralogy check out the geology museum at Colorado School of Mines. It's only bested by the Smithsonian's collection and it's free! And if your on that side of town (Golden) you might as well drive up Lookout Mountain and survey the view of the entire Denver metroplex from above.

quote:

One place I've always been fond of is The Fort restaurant. It is a replication of the more famous Bent's Fort on the Arkansas during the fur trading days.

I grew up in Lakewood. I basically left there in '64 after graduating from HS. I still have family there, including my Mom who lives a mile or two south of The Fort. I go back there 5 or 6 times a year to visit family.

I've eaten at The Fort many times, but will not again. Their ribs are good, but everything else is grossly overpriced, and the last time we were there, the service was terrible.

As Graybird said, go to the BuckHorn restaurant !!!!!

There are some GREAT trophies hanging from the walls and plenty of wild meat dishes.

Good hunting
L

+2 on the Buckhorn. There are some mounts in there that you won't see anywhere else.

Sam Arnold used to own The Fort. I have no idea whether he's still around or not, but I believe that he sold the restaurant, but it certainly used to be a great place to sample the southwestern fare.

But Sissy the Bear died some time ago (probably high fat diet and hear disease) and I don't see goats and chickens and other stuff wandering around in the courtyard anymore.

Buckhorn is good too, and damned near as old as the original Bent's Fort.

quote:

Originally posted by graybird:

quote:

Originally posted by Snellstrom:
drive through the town of Wild Horse and get a ticket from the locally famous cop there (speeding not required

LMFAO!!! I've met that guy TWICE and received warnings both times!!! Knocking on wood now!!!

I got a warning this year myself, has to be the same guy as it was in Wild Horse

quote:

Originally posted by graybird:
As someone mentioned if you're a beer drinker, also take a day and head up I25 to Fort Collins and visit some of the micro-breweries. Some of my favorite micro-brews come out of there.

If you make it up this way give me a shout, I dont drink but I'll buy you one

Drummond

Yeah my last time thru there (Wild Horse)he gave me a warning for my license plate light being out. I'm pretty sure he's fishing for bigger violations like DUI's, illegal aliens, drugs etc. He has been fairly friendly each time I've dealt with him and no tickets for me but I know a lot of people who've had a visit with him!
Drummond, maybe Graybird and I will come on up and have a beer with you and BS about big bucks one of these days?

That's interesting. I've probably been through Wildhorse a thousand times and never seen a cop right there. Now the Highway Patrol WILL nail you on 40-287 anywhere between US-50 (Lamar) and Limon. The Ports-to-Plains Highway (40-287) is a primary truck route with heavy freight traffic. In my experience the only place you really have to watch out for is Hugo. There's a creepy Lincoln County deputy there that's just plain weird. He's kind of pasty white, always has a bead of sweat on his face and slithers around your vehicle with his hand on his gun. The guy is a freak. Hugo is a speed trap. It's 30 mph hour through there and most unsuspecting travelers have been behind semi trucks for miles and miles. They get to Hugo, decide to pass the trucks since it's 4-lane and ...wham...they get you right on main street. They also drop the speed limit down from 65 to 45 about a mile outside of town. It's a real setup.

The highway patrol cop at Eads is Officer Williams. He's about 5'5" and all attitude. If you're local, you usually get a warning. If you're not, well....thanks for the donation from all of us in Kiowa, Cheyenne and Prowers counties.

quote:

Originally posted by Snellstrom:

Drummond, maybe Graybird and I will come on up and have a beer with you and BS about big bucks one of these days?

Sounds great! I'd even come down to Denver and buy you all dinner, just let me know when!

I'm in Mexico till Tuesday and am going to see a friend of mine in Florida next week sometime, he's in spring training and I've been trying to get out for a couple years and haven't gotten it done yet. Other than that I'm wide open, can't wait to meet yall!

Drummond

quote:

Originally posted by drummondlindsey:

quote:

Originally posted by Snellstrom:

Drummond, maybe Graybird and I will come on up and have a beer with you and BS about big bucks one of these days?

Sounds great! I'd even come down to Denver and buy you all dinner, just let me know when!

I'm in Mexico till Tuesday and am going to see a friend of mine in Florida next week sometime, he's in spring training and I've been trying to get out for a couple years and haven't gotten it done yet. Other than that I'm wide open, can't wait to meet yall!

Drummond

Well, we might need to play rock-paper-scissors to see who'll pick up the tab, with the WINNER getting to do so. I'm in!!!

Heck, I stayed in Greeley last night, because I had a meeting up there this morning. Looks like I'll probably be doing more research trials just east of Greeley this summer,, so I'll be in your neck of the woods every couple of weeks.

We'll make good things happen and set us up a time to meet for supper.

Sounds good! I live in Windsor in Water Valley. If you play golf maybe you've played Pelican Lakes?

Anyway, next time your up let me know, I'm in Mexico till tuesday but I'll be around most of the summer

Drummond

i've only heard this strange, wild, erie,
call only once before...
the death knell of a hunting guide
"do you play golf"? WTF???
oh drummond,do you need an intervention?

Is Shotgun Willie's still open? I met a girl there once but that is for the hunt report forum

Express,
I live in Durango and would love to show you around. Durango and the entire southwest CO are great. PM me and I'll give you all my contact info. Cheers, Rob

Express;
Just so you know, it will 30 days or more to take in the sites of Colorado and be able to enjoy the beauty and splender of this state. I have spent 30 plus years doing just that. Things change over time and it worth going back and see alot of places time and time again.

quote:

Originally posted by ravenr:
i've only heard this strange, wild, erie,
call only once before...
the death knell of a hunting guide
"do you play golf"? WTF???
oh drummond,do you need an intervention?

I'm good but thanks for the offer! I'm not a golfer, I just live on a golf course. I like to bowfish the lakes on the course, we've smacked hundreds of carp out of them.

As soon as the snow melts I'm making a trip up to your neck of the woods, can't wait to buy ya dinner and swap stories, it's been way too long!

Drummond

well come'on cowboy
i got a guest room that has your name on it
some great trails open up in YNP
june 1st, we'll spend a day dodging griz
never know, might reduce your dinner costs!!!

Around the 19th of June I will be in Breckinridge for a week. Was going to take the travel trailer but leaning toward just taking the pickup so I can haul the motorcycle up there.
Okie