Things to do / Travel Guide
Winter Activities in the Colorado Rockies
What are you waiting for? Strap on your ski boots, click on your skis, and head to the Colorado Rockies (maybe not in that order) for what is hands-down the best skiing in the U.S. There are over 20 notable ski resorts in the region, ranging from those like Vail and Aspen on everybody's lips, to well-kept secrets such as Steamboat Springs and Powderhorn.
Whet your appetite and sharpen your skis - Vail has been rated by several industry magazines as the best ski mountain in the country, with 193 marked trails and 33 ski lifts, on three main faces and seven back bowls. Aspen contains 77 runs, the longest of which is a stunning three miles in length, while Snowmass' longest run is over five miles long. Breckenridge can boast the highest ski lift in the country, dropping you off at 12,840 feet.
Here's a pointer: Snowmass and Breckenridge might have been known in the past as more family-oriented, the goal being comfort not speed. This perception has been changing recently, with badder, steeper runs being added to the runs already in place, along with faster and more efficient ski lifts.
But guess what? The Colorado Rockies is loaded with many more interesting activities besides skiing. Steamboat Ski Resort, for instance, offers the longest snowboard/superpipe run in all of North America, while Powderhorn is home to some of the world's best snowmobiling.
If you love skiing you probably won't ever really get tired of skiing; however everyone's willing to try something new, right? So aside from snowboarding and snowmobiling, how about riding from place to snowy place on a horse-driven sleigh? You can catch a sleigh ride in all of the abovementioned resorts, plus others. Then there's cross-country skiing, the natural antidote to long lines for the ski lift. Catch this oft-overlooked sport in all of the above sites, as well as in towns like Crested Butte and Telluride.
One last winter activity to look out for, if it's your thing, is ice-fishing. You wouldn't expect anything less, would you? If you can brave three-mile ski runs, you can brave some frigid water to bring back a prize trout or salmon. Find excellent spots near Grand Junction and Eleven Mile Reservoir.
Whether you're skiing, ice-fishing, snowboarding, or sleighing, take a moment - no, many moments - and LOOK UP! Because you're not just in the Colorado Rockies for the awesome winter activities, you must also be there for the awesome - nay, awe-ful - views. These are some of the greatest mountains in North America: rocky, sheer, massive, and inspiring all come to mind.
Summer-Spring-Fall in the Colorado Rockies
The great views of mountains, ridges and valleys, canyons - as well as various kinds of wildlife, forests, and wildflowers - are best appreciated not in the winter, but throughout the rest of the year. Leave your skis behind, but pack your hiking, biking, kayaking and rafting, and fishing gear for some of the West's best.
Get started hiking on the famed Colorado Trail, which commences in Denver and ends off in Durango. That's almost 500 miles of trail, folks. There are plenty of sections suitable for day hikes, such as around Breckenridge and Kenosha Pass, and you pass lofty peaks topping out at more than 13,000 feet, mountain lakes and creeks, and a number of fascinating ecosystems.
This is ghost-town territory, by the way, and there are plenty of opportunities on many of the trails at slightly lower elevations to explore the boarded-up town-scapes - and maybe see a few ghosts, too!
There are a number of sites in the Colorado Rockies that, by hike or by bike, you shouldn't miss. Indeed, the Maroon Bells are some of the most photographed peaks in the U.S. and the area around Crested Butte holds some genuinely beautiful scenery. Your eyes will pop out at Black Canyon, with overlooks named Devil's Lookout and Pulpit Rock. The river rages but is so far away to be almost invisible at Chasm View.
Advanced rock climbers will enjoy the extremely deep and sheer vertical walls of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Think a 2,200-foot walk is no big deal? How about straight up a rock cliff?! And the canyon is so narrow, Tiger Woods could drive a ball clear across.
The region is blessed with some of the nation's best mountain biking in the country, and the folks at Crested Butte insist the recreational activity was invented on that area's slopes and ridges. There are also a number of sections along the Colorado Trail to bike over, and, when the shows melt, Vail, Aspen, and other mountains become populated by many bikers of the mountain variety.
Near Grand Junction, take a monumental ride featuring cliffy overlooks and sandstone spires on the paved, 23-mile Rim Rock Drive through Colorado National Monument. More road biking lies ahead on the San Juan Skyway, where the trees are green and the mountains are pretty.
The mightiest rivers abound in the Colorado Rockies, starting with the Animas River, snaking its way through the pretty San Juan Mountains. You'll find everything from Class V rapids down to fun Class I on the river, where kayaking technique is the test on the tricky bends and falls.
More might beckons on the Colorado River, in places like Gore Canyon and Roaring Fork; while the Gunnison and the Dolores offer everything from fast and furious to family fun. Meanwhile, if you prefer some calm lake kayaking, venture to Turquoise Lake, right on the Continental Divide, for some of Colorado's most spectacular panoramic vistas of snow-capped peaks and alpine scenery.
Golf, anyone? Alpine golf is all the rage in this region because it's the only kind available. Balls actually fly farther due to the thin air, on greens such as Breckenridge Golf Course. If you're looking for fantastic views along with excellent golf, check out the putting at Redlands Mesa, or Keystone Ranch.
We'll end off praising the views promised from the air, those you'll witness on a hot-air balloon: A mile high, the experience will probably change your life. For the truly adventurous, the thrill-seekers among us, the Colorado Rockies offers a full selection of paragliding, hang-gliding, and soaring.
Whether you go in the winter for the alpine sports, or in the summer for the hiking and other outdoor activities, the Colorado Rockies are sure to please, and leave you begging for just a few more days, or another visit soon.
Outdoor Recreation in Vail, Aspen, Telluride, Steamboat Springs and the Colorado Rockies
Outdoor-Sports-Recreation
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