Now, about those Mountains... (Denver, Aspen: ski resort, salons, renting)

[ANAPA]

I'm visiting Denver from July 11-14, and I'm going to be staying in the Hyatt Regency Tech Center. I am not going to be renting an SUV, but something small like a Chevy Cobalt.

If I wanted to go to the Rockies is there a particular road I should take that leads to certain trails, or a standard area where I should go because that's where people park their cars when they go to the Mountains?

And do I have to worry about bears? Any advice you can give to someone who's going in blind. For example, being a New Yorker I would naturally know which neighborhoods are good and which should be avoided but I would have to give this information to someone who had never been to NYC.

And has anyone eaten here?
Welcome to the Buckhorn Exchange

Oh, speaking of that... Are tehre any really nice coffee shops or great places to eat lunch, etc...

[Augie Daugie]

If the road is paved, you car will be just fine.

Bears aren't very abundant in Colorado and they really don't care to interact with humans. Just don't walk around smelling like something a bear would eat ;-).

There are lots of nice places to eat and get coffee - we are not that podunk around here. A good resource for finding what you might like is Denver Restaurants, Dentists, Bars, Beauty Salons, Doctors. One of my favorite coffee chains around Denver is Dazbog. I can't even begin to tell you what are the nice places to eat - we have plenty of them.

[DenverAztec]

I-70 is the main highway into the hills and there are tons of exits to pull off of and pleanty of trails. If you Google Colorado trails, you will find an abundance. Augie is right, bears don't bother you unless you bother them, mothers are vicious when they feel their cubs are theatened. More concern should be about mountain lions and I have only encountered one while jogging on a trail. Luckily there were other folks near by and it fled. Hiking alone is not recommended unless you are familiar with the area, cell phones don't work well if at all in the deep woods. There is no "standard" parking area as the Rocky mountains are vast, but the well traveled trails are usually marked and have parking available. The parks do have daily permits for about $15.00 a day, but well worth it. I like Rocky Mountain National Park, enter via Estes Park. Bear Lake, Nymph Lake and Emerald Lake have a great trail and wonderful views. Drive up to the top of Trail Ridge Road, I believe it is the highest highway in the country in addition to being the continental divide. You will be above the timber line, so expect wind and you will even see snow this time of year. It will be reddish from the wind and dirt, unless it snows again. Aspen reopen their ski resort last weekend because they had an unexpected late snow fall. Crazy mountain storms. The weather can change within minutes, so plan for rain even if it is sunny. The Mountains are so large and mixed with the tall trees, you don't see the clouds coming and can easily end up in a storm. For a quick trip, Mount Evan's is spectacular and you will absolutley see wild life. It is only minutes away from Denver up I-70 and I always seen big horn sheep, mountain goats and rams running on the hill side. If you are hiking on rocks and if it is hot out, watch for rattle snake as they like to sun themselves on the rocks. Dangerous run-ins with wildlife are rare but always good to know what can happen.

Denver's restaurants are underrated, you can find tons of various cuisine and many places that are only in Denver. Tech center has many places to eat, just check with the Hyatt, but downtown has many more. Really unique and great food can be found in the Highlands, 32nd and Lowell in specific. These places are not chains - Coral Room, Band, Julia Blackbird, Sella's, Swim Club 32, Meade Street are all wonderful places and you can get the feel of a historic Denver neighborhood. The Thin Man on east 17th is a great area to hang out and St. Mark's coffee house is a gem. For people watching, anything on the 16th Pedestrian Mall downtown.

Hope this helps and enjoy your stay!!!

DenverAztec

[ryanek9freak]

Yeah, there's one big giant parking lot just above timber line. YOu park there and hike all the rest. LOL!!

[ANAPA]

Wow, that was pleanty of info... Thanks!

I will be by myself. Is it safe to assume hiking by myself will be safe as long as I don't leave the trails? I'm hoping to take some pictures like these without getting myself killed...


Rocky Mountain National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park Camping



* <i>The Rocky Mountain Review</i> - The scholarly journal of the Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association



The not getting myself killed part is important to me.

[ryanek9freak]

I think you'll be ok.

[DenverAztec]

You should be fine and can easily get pictures like this off the trails in Rocky Mountain National Park. This looks a lot like the hike up to Emerald Lake. Maroon Bells in the Aspen area is my favorite for photos, but it is a four hour drive from Denver and not much of a hike as buses take you to the mountain views. You can hike to the mountain base, about an hour or little more, but well worth the climb. If you see a place to register your personal information at the begining of a trail, fill it out. Just in case you do go off the trail or get lost, the park rangers will at least know that you went for a hike and they will know to go look for you should you not return by the date and time you put on your registration. The registration boxes are at the begining of the trail and look like mail boxes. I especially encourage you do to this if you are hiking alone. Summer finds many hikers on the trails and you can very quickly and easily make friends by telling a few you are alone and would they mind if you hiked them. It is not like talking to stangers in the city as undesirables basically are not into hiking, photograph and nature in general. Have a wonderful trip!

[Katiana]

I have eaten at the Buckhorn Exchange. Ironically, my dad discovered it while researching a trip from PA to CO to visit us. I remember it as a nice place, nothing outstanding, but you have to eat somewhere. They have liquor license #1 in Colorado. It became a ritual for us when my folks visited. I haven't been there for a long time (folks now gone to a better place).

[ColoWeb]

Originally Posted by ANAPA

I will be by myself. Is it safe to assume hiking by myself will be safe as long as I don't leave the trails? I'm hoping to take some pictures like these without getting myself killed.

Everyone I know does not hike so I always hike by myself. I never had any issues or problems. Just watch the sky and the weather! Afternoon showers are common and can emerge very fast.