What city in Colorado for (Denver, Colorado Springs: move to, suburbs, to relocate)

[stablegenius]

I'd like to potentially move to a place in Colorado with

-Lakes that warm up enough in the summer to boat on, or at least stand up paddle on
-Lots of sun
-A semi urban environment. I want to be able to do some cool city stuff, but also get away from it when I want (Denver is too urban for me)

Is there a place like this anywhere in Colorado? Was thinking Colorado Springs, but others have said the lakes don't really get all that warm there.

[DrDog]

If your interest is city and lakes, why Colorado?

[COcheesehead]

Brother, that ain’t gonna happen here. That’s like mixing Ford and Chevy.

[stablegenius]

Originally Posted by DrDog

If your interest is city and lakes, why Colorado?

I dunno. I've been to Boulder and I liked it. I have enjoyed snowboarding in your mountains too. And Colorado's topography is very similar to California (where I'm from) so I had always thought of it as a potential place to relocate. Maybe I need to explore the state a bit more... I need sunshine more than warmth. I like warmth, but I get super depressed without sunshine. That's why I can't really do Pacific Northwest.

[pikabike]

Define warm water in degrees. ALL the CO reservoirs thaw out and can be boated on in summer. But if you want reliably 80 degree water, you won’t get that here.

Go south for that.

[stablegenius]

Originally Posted by pikabike

Define warm water in degrees. ALL the CO reservoirs thaw out and can be boated on in summer. But if you want reliably 80 degree water, you won’t get that here.

Go south for that.

I don't really care to swim in it, but if I were I'd say 68 degrees? That's as warm as the ocean gets here in the summer. It's still cool, but workable. Florida's ocean honestly gets way too damn hot in the summer. I have wetsuits too, so I'm not opposed to wearing one, whilst SUPing on a lake.

[pikabike]

68-degree water happens in some reservoirs. Don’t expect it in the mountain areas, where summer water temp might reach only the low 50s.

The biggest diff from CA (water wise) will be the much shorter watersport season. Many months shorter. That and, of course, far fewer venues, none of them oceanic. CO water is downright boring compared to any coastal state’s, unless you want whitewater boating.

[bluescreen73]

Aurora Reservoir is probably your best bet in metro Denver for SUPing, windsurfing, kayaking, etc, because no gasoline motors are allowed on it so you don't have to worry about careless idiots on jet skis or water skiers. You'll get plenty of sun at Aurora Reservoir because there aren't any trees. Aurora Reservoir also has a scuba diving area if you're into that.

The downsides - the reservoir is pretty small, Aurora is on the plains farther from the mountains (generally flatter than the western suburbs) and the city (esp near the reservoir) is totally suburban. Aurora has no true downtown.

There is hiking terrain to the south. Castlewood Canyon State Park has some of the best hiking east of I-25.

Aurora Reservoir

[Mike from back east]

If you want to surf in the mountains, here's how it's done.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhiwFgWwjLE

[stablegenius]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

If you want to surf in the mountains, here's how it's done.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhiwFgWwjLE

River surfing is awesome. I saw them doing that in Idaho on the Lochsa river.

Thanks for the tips on the reservoirs and the water temp. Colorado may not be out, but I should definitely try to visit these places.