What are some of the best places and hidden gems to visit? (Durango: insurance, hotels)

[radiolibre99]

Wow. Colorado is a truly a magical place.

[Sonic_Spork]

I can think of a hidden gem, but it's not your typical mountain vistas, though it is in the middle of nowhere in the forest. It's a man made thing.

Bishop Castle.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishop_Castle

I've never seen anything quite like it. And it's a powerful testament to what one very determined man can accomplish with his own hands. You have to do quite a bit of climbing, to really appreciate it, up the uneven rock and iron staircases inside, and it can be a little scary for those sensitive to heights...but it's something that I advise anyone who visits Colorado, to take the time to go see. And the drive out there is pretty, too.

If you like big concert events, then Red Rocks can not be beat. It's this amazing outdoor amphitheater, and many big musicians consider it to be their favorite ever venue. I saw Primus there once, that was a blast!

Red Rocks Entertainment Concerts | About | Photos

If you've got cash to burn, there are some very cool places you can stay. I once got a cabin at the Cabins at Country Road, in Kittredge, CO. This is convenient to Red Rocks, just up the road (and THAT is an AWESOME drive.) These are luxury cabin retreats and run in the ballpark of $300/night, but are very much worth it if you can afford it. There is an outdoor hot tub on the creek, they bring you a gourmet breakfast, you can do a "make and bake" pizza dinner in the outdoor stone ovens, and at night they have green "fairy lights." I didn't know what this would be and assumed strings of lights... No, they have powerful green LED beams split to a bazillion tiny green points of light all over the lawn, the trees, the creek water, and YOU. It made me wish I still did drugs. Alas. But it was super cool anyways.

These cabins really are a hidden gem though, you could drive by the place and never know they were there, it looks like just a little rustic country restaurant, but there is a security coded gate you have to get through to see the cabins.

Photos

All of this isn't quite "Swiss Alps" style stuff but it sure is awesome.

For mountain scenery though, if you have a mind to travel and see what the Rockies have to offer, I personally like the Pacific Northwest. You'll see more singular huge mountains that stand alone and dominate the landscape, massive trees and ferns...it is actually one of the world's more rare ecosystems up there, a temperate rainforest. And of course, wacky funky Seattle and Portland. Worth checking out, as far as America's best scenery is concerned.

[jim9251]

Ouray

[brightdoglover]

and Ridgway!

[smdensbcs]

Sangre de Cristo range is a hidden and underappreciated gem. Almost empty trails every time I hike there, which is fairly often!

[StealthRabbit]

note: Most of the hidden gems are "western slope" / plan / live / work / visit accordingly.

Doing the "weekend" or semi annual commute to Western Slope for a semblance of paradise can be very evasion / impractical, "burst-of-the-bubble" for those seeking 'magical Colorado'.

It is there, just need to dig to find it, then you need to implant yourself in the midst of it PERMANENTLY, not as a 'weekend' / infrequent 'visitor'.

Pack up and MOVE!

Jobs? figure it out.. might mean a change of lifestyle / no college funding for your kids. Probably worth it!

[Phil P]

Just got back from visiting the Alps. Sorry Rockies, the Alps are just more scenic because:

1. The valley floors are temperate and are intensely green and the mountain tops have more snow and glaciers.
2. The mountains are bigger and steeper, due to glaciation. Jungfrau is only 13K feet, but the valley floor is 2-3K feet, so in relative elevation, it's bigger than any CO mountain.
3. The rocks are prettier and there's waterfalls.
4. The Swiss do a phenomenal job at keeping things clean and making the human environment merge with the natural. In the Rockies, it seems like all the time, effort, and money flows to individual houses.
5. No miles and miles of dead trees.

That being said, I can see why some people like the Rockies more. They are much more open, wild, cover a much larger area, are not visited by hoards of tourist buses... The Rockies aren't as "classically" scenic, but they're much more open and you can do what you want for the most part.

The SW corner of CO is the prettiest, but that's a hell of a drive. I'd say go to Summit county, canoe on the resivour, do some road biking, then rent an ATV and go up above timberline above Keystone and see the top of the Rockies and the sheeps that live there.

[TCHP]

Originally Posted by Phil P

Just got back from visiting the Alps. Sorry Rockies, the Alps are just more scenic because:

1. The valley floors are temperate and are intensely green and the mountain tops have more snow and glaciers.
2. The mountains are bigger and steeper, due to glaciation. Jungfrau is only 13K feet, but the valley floor is 2-3K feet, so in relative elevation, it's bigger than any CO mountain.
3. The rocks are prettier and there's waterfalls.
4. The Swiss do a phenomenal job at keeping things clean and making the human environment merge with the natural. In the Rockies, it seems like all the time, effort, and money flows to individual houses.
5. No miles and miles of dead trees.

That being said, I can see why some people like the Rockies more. They are much more open, wild, cover a much larger area, are not visited by hoards of tourist buses... The Rockies aren't as "classically" scenic, but they're much more open and you can do what you want for the most part.

Having spent some time in Switzerland, I'd agree with this assessment. Simple population density means nearly every accessible part of the Alps are built as such and are a touristy vacation destination. By contrast, my Swiss friends who I've taken to the Rockies have also echoed that they impart a very primal and wild feel about them and they are always amazed at the space/miles between everything.

[pikabike]

Originally Posted by Phil P

Just got back from visiting the Alps. Sorry Rockies, the Alps are just more scenic because:

1. The valley floors are temperate and are intensely green and the mountain tops have more snow and glaciers.
2. The mountains are bigger and steeper, due to glaciation. Jungfrau is only 13K feet, but the valley floor is 2-3K feet, so in relative elevation, it's bigger than any CO mountain.
3. The rocks are prettier and there's waterfalls.
4. The Swiss do a phenomenal job at keeping things clean and making the human environment merge with the natural. In the Rockies, it seems like all the time, effort, and money flows to individual houses.
5. No miles and miles of dead trees.

That being said, I can see why some people like the Rockies more. They are much more open, wild, cover a much larger area, are not visited by hoards of tourist buses... The Rockies aren't as "classically" scenic, but they're much more open and you can do what you want for the most part.

The SW corner of CO is the prettiest, but that's a hell of a drive. I'd say go to Summit county, canoe on the resivour, do some road biking, then rent an ATV and go up above timberline above Keystone and see the top of the Rockies and the sheeps that live there.

Good. Let the people who prefer towns live in the Alps. There's no shortage of people who like the Rockies for what they offer that is different.

[Phil P]

Originally Posted by TCHP

Having spent some time in Switzerland, I'd agree with this assessment. Simple population density means nearly every accessible part of the Alps are built as such and are a touristy vacation destination. By contrast, my Swiss friends who I've taken to the Rockies have also echoed that they impart a very primal and wild feel about them and they are always amazed at the space/miles between everything.

Me too. Every European I've seen in the Rockies is astounded by the sheer amount of space and the untouched aura about them.

Originally Posted by pikabike

Good. Let the people who prefer towns live in the Alps. There's no shortage of people who like the Rockies for what they offer that is different.

Yeah, it's cool how both ranges offer different specialities.

I do think we in CO and the entire Western US could take a few lessons from the Swiss though from infrastructure to land management.