"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." –John Muir
The allure of our Western United States is something I shall never tire of or stop exploring. If it takes the rest of my life to see it all, so be it. Good to have goals, right? An outdoorsman’s paradise, Colorado certainly fit the bill for my husband and I to take in some of our country's spectacular hiking opportunities and check an important box off of our bucket list by attending a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater. If you've never heard of this venue, check it out! Everyone should know the awe inspiring experience that this outdoor, naturally- occurring theater has to offer. More about that in just a bit, see below!
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For this Rocky Mountain adventure, we had 5 days to plan so I built off of the Labor Day weekend concert date, and worked my way backwards. One of the main issues I needed to take into account was altitude. If you live in a lower elevation area or closer to sea level like we do, it is advisable to give yourself at least a day (2 is better) to acclimate to the altitude in Denver that will only increase as you near the mountains. Known as the “Mile High City” at 5,280 feet, Denver's thinner and dryer air requires one to be careful and mindful of your body's needs.
My first memory of anything to do with altitude was on a family trip to Pikes Peak many moons ago. I was probably 11 years old and my little sister would’ve been around 7 at the time. We rode a cog train up the peak which sits at 14,115 above sea level. Surely there were warning signs about the altitude and to be careful adjusting but kids don't pay attention to that kind of thing. Especially after being on a cog train for over an hour. Upon releasing us from the train doors, my sister took off at a full sprint ready to expel her pent up energy. But after a few yards she came to an abrupt halt and bent down to release the contents of her stomach. Luckily, she bounced right back as most kids do but at a much slower pace after a bit of a lecture from our parents and a park ranger.
Altitude Acclimation Tips:
Drink lots of water. Even before your trip. Apparently, you need twice as much water than what you would normally drink at home. Dehydration can contribute to altitude sickness so it’s best to drink up.
Watch your alcohol intake because in higher elevations your body won’t process those spirits as well.
Be careful of your physical activity too because the exercise effects are more powerful. If you normally run 5 miles on an average day, maybe just try 2 miles and see how you feel. Then increase from there.
Don't rush, give yourself time to adjust, and rest when needed.
As always, make sure to get enough sleep.
Day 1
Having scheduled an early morning flight, we arrived at the massive Denver International Airport with a full day ahead to explore. The best way to get downtown is via the convenient and comfortable A Line train for $10. After riding for about 35 minutes, we disembarked at Union Station where there are great local restaurants, shops, and a boutique hotel.
Denver is a very walkable city and you can certainly get by without a car. With Union Station as a hub for rail, buses, taxis, and rental cars, you will have no trouble getting where you need to go.
After settling in close by at the Hilton Garden Inn, we ventured around on foot to slowly get a feel for the vibrant city. Strolling through the 16th Street Mall, Central Market, and River North Art District (RiNo), we discovered there is also quite an "elevated" culinary scene to be sampled as well. With the Denver Zoo, many museums, art galleries, boutiques, and sports teams, one could stay in Denver for their entire vacation and still never see everything there is to offer, the entertainment options are endless and absolutely enriching.
Day 2
We rented a car from Enterprise nearby and took off towards the Rocky Mountains. The route takes you 90 minutes north west of Denver through the town of Boulder and provides jaw dropping scenery all the way to Estes Park. Considered "The Gateway to the Rockies," this mountain village boasts plenty of lodging and dining options with incredible views and possible wildlife sightings.
Being Labor Day weekend, we anticipated peak crowds and lots of traffic as everyone sought end of summer activities before winter conditions inevitably settled in. We ended up staying about a mile from the Main Street at The Ridgeline Hotel Estes Park which has just been rebranded as a Holiday Inn. Right off the lobby is a delicious restaurant called, Latitude 105 Alehouse where we enjoyed yummy craft beer and bison burgers.
Perhaps the most famous landmark you’ll likely recognize is The Historic Stanley Hotel. Built in 1909, this resort has thrived with restorations and sophisticated amenities making it a charmingly beautiful getaway. In fact, this is where Steven King stayed and got the inspiration to write The Shining. Upon arrival, I noted that this hotel didn’t resemble the one in the movie at all (the location used for the filming is in Oregon) but it is absolutely stunning and manicured to perfection. If memory serves, it sounds like Mr. King vacationed here long ago, during the off season when crowds were at a minimum and rather unkind weather conditions made outdoor activities undesirable. We all know staying in an older hotel can always be creepy with random noises and spooky occurrences so one can clearly make the connection as to how he conceived the idea. The Stanley makes many references and capitalizes on The Shining fame for sure with a hedge maze, plaques, and a remodeled bar in honor of the film. We had to make a stop to walk around the property and have a drink on the welcoming porch where we rested our feet after roaming around downtown.
Day 3
Time to hike! Rising at 5am, we carefully drove into Rocky Mountain National Park being mindful of wildlife as it was still pitch black out. Following the taillights of a few other like minded early birds, we located the trailhead at Bear Lake and began our stroll as the sun slowly lit up the horizon.
The trail around Bear Lake is flat and easy with ample photo opportunities to capture the calm serenity at every angle.
We soon arrived at Nymph Lake, strewn with lily pads and still alpine water. Lots of chipmunks and squirrels rustled around and weren't shy about begging for the possibility of a snack. 🐿️
Carrying on another half mile, the trail gets a bit steeper to reach Dream Lake which fits its name to a T with an enchanting and haunting ambiance nestled among the evergreen trees. A few people had hammocks strung from trees and were actually swimming around in what had to be a very chilly lake. That's one way to get your blood flowing in the morning!
From here the trail is uphill with some stairs as you ascend another mile higher toward Emerald Lake. The colors produced by the rising sun made me think of the song, Fire On the Mountain (Grateful Dead version) as we continued on and the views are a thousand percent worth the effort.
Finally, we made it to Emerald Lake and I felt like I’d conquered Everest! At over 10,000 feet high, even experienced hikers will feel this one. It's a stunning spot to have a seat on a rock and take it all in. While simply appreciating the moment, we fueled up with granola bars and more water while smiling at our accomplishment.
Another outstanding attribute we noticed is how well these trails are maintained! Careful thought was obviously put into making the stairs look as natural as possible and safe footbridges for crossings along with wide paths making the passing of other hikers a breeze. Kudos to the National Park service for their ongoing efforts!
Feeling good about ourselves as we came back down from this 4.1 mile out and back trail, we decided to add on a 1.2 mi round trip to Alberta Falls. We began this hike by going downhill and I soon realized that we were going to have to climb back up at the end which sounded daunting at this point in the day but I pushed on. Thankfully so because we were rewarded with a beautiful rushing waterfall.
On the way back, I ended up feeling a bit winded because at this point we had gone over 6 miles with all the added viewpoints. Under normal circumstances, that wouldn’t be a huge deal for me, but with the altitude and perhaps a little dehydration, I started to feel funky and needed a rest. Leaning on a rock to stay out of the way of other hikers on the trail, I tried not to look at what remained of our adventure. But it was hard not to. The hill we needed to climb to get back to the parking area was literally up, like I had to tilt my head back to actually try to see the top and there looked to be no end in sight. Shew, I’m tired just thinking about it. But after a few moments and more sips of water, I regained my composure to put one foot in front of the other. I resigned myself to just looking down at each step to force myself ahead. Before long, we made it safely to our vehicle and patted ourselves on the back for a job well done.
Since we were already inside Rocky Mountain National Park, we took a leisurely scenic drive to seek more epic vistas and look for wildlife. There are lots of areas to enjoy a picnic along your journey.
Trail Ridge Road takes you to the Alpine Visitor Center then you can continue on over the continental divide with many pull off opportunities for perfect panoramas. Even the local animals seem to admire their home surroundings.
By late afternoon, we returned to the hotel and cleaned up for an evening around town. Sampling local flavors at a few recommended eateries, we turned in wishing we had longer to stay. There is so much more to savor in Estes Park and the Rocky Mountains, but I'm pretty sure we'll be back!
Day 4
Early risers that we are, we headed out of Estes Park and drove about an hour and twenty minutes to Golden, Colorado. Since the concert at Red Rocks was later that evening, I previously reserved spots for the Coors Brewery Tour which is about 8 miles from the Amphitheater. You must get reservations in advance and it sounds like they fill up quickly.
Only 15 miles from downtown Denver, the Coors Brewery Tour is a must do and the aroma of hops is delicious! Fascinating and educational, the 90 minute tour is definitely worth your time and we certainly appreciated the generous samples! 🍻
RED ROCKS PARK & AMPHITHEATER
As I said, attending a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater was always a bucket list item for me. For years, I’ve heard descriptions of the history, stunning views, amazing artists, and imagined the sound of the music reverberating off the massive rock which naturally forms the striking venue.
We found a room at a Hampton Inn nearby in Golden. There are also shuttles to/from Denver but we knew we’d be tired after the show and wanted to be close by. This allowed us to arrive early so we could explore the park and get our bearings. There are multiple entrances but of course the one we happened upon was at the very bottom by the stage so we had to work our way up the stairs. Definitely earned our beers!
The park is also open during the day and you can meander the trails, do yoga on the bleacher style seating, or simply climbing the stairs to take in the views is enough to get your cardio in. There’s a very interesting Visitor's Center displaying the history and posters of past performers which truly emphasizes the star power and majesty of this place. Even before the concert began we felt peaceful and serene staring out at the landscape with Denver off in the distance.
We saw Punch Brothers and Gillian Welch. If you’re not familiar with their Americana sound, then let me tell you their music moved off those rocks in magical, goosebump inducing ways. It was acoustically perfect and moving. As night fell, the lighting perfectly enhanced the ambiance contributing to the charm and energy everyone obviously felt. We left in a euphoric, happy daze not believing how lucky we were to experience such an incredible event.
Day 5
On our final day, we treated ourselves to a nice breakfast in Golden before driving over to the airport. Make sure you give yourself enough time as the airport is located on the other side of Denver from this area and traffic conditions may alter your route. As we headed home, we couldn't help chatting about what we'd include on our return trip as we watched the peaks of the Rockies fading away from our airplane window.
As if you needed any more reasons to visit... Here's some more options worth mentioning:
The Rocky Mountains provide year round activities from skiing, biking, hiking, fishing, wildlife viewing, camping, to simply enjoying the breathtaking scenery. Whether you're an outdoor enthusiast seeking adventure or someone looking to relax in nature, the Rocky Mountains offer a wide range of experiences for all types of travelers.
Hiking: 🥾
Explore over 350 miles of trails, ranging from easy walks to challenging alpine routes.
Scenic Drives: 🛣️
Take in the stunning views along Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous paved road in the United States.
Wildlife Viewing: 🐾
Spot elk, bighorn sheep, mule deer, and other wildlife throughout the park.
Photography: 📸
Capture the park's diverse landscapes, from lush forests to towering peaks.
Camping: 🏕️
Spend a night under the stars at one of the park's developed campgrounds or backcountry campsites.
Fishing: 🎣
Cast a line in the park's lakes and streams, home to trout and other fish species.
Ranger Programs: 💫
Attend ranger-led talks, walks, and demonstrations to learn more about the park's natural and cultural history.
Wildflower Viewing: 🪻
Marvel at the colorful displays of wildflowers that blanket the meadows in summer.
Snowshoeing and Cross-Country Skiing: 🎿
Enjoy winter sports in the park's snowy landscapes.
Visitor Centers: 📍
Stop by one of the visitor centers to learn about the park's geology, ecology, and conservation efforts.
Hope you get a chance to experience what you love in Colorado too, give me a shout if you'd like any further details or have questions about our trip!
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