Dallas to Colorado , what to see and do!

[Pennylane]

Planning a week in late June. Breckinridge was my first thought to visit but after doing some research these places made my list also:

Crested Butte
Steamboat Springs
Telluride
Bear Lake

I am assuming it is too much to drive to all those places in a week. I am not interested in white water rafting, just seeing some new places as I hear it is beautiful in the summer. My dc are all in their teens if that makes a difference


Thanks!

Ann

[gobadgers]

We spent a week in Breckenridge a couple summers ago and had a fantastic time!

We all loved the Breckenridge Fun Park. The roller coaster, luge, ropes course and other stuff was an expensive day but fun. We even went back another day and didn't buy a pass - just played in the snow up there. We went white-water rafting too, but it was August and the river was pretty calm. The town is adorable with great restaurants. One thing I wish we had done is rent bikes - either ride down from the peaks at the fun park (it looked like there were paths that would be fine for novices like us), or there were companies that would drive you out of town and you could bike downhill back into town. I think the kids would have loved it.

If you're driving in, you'll probably do better than we did with the altitude - we flew into Denver and drove right up to Breckenridge that day. We're from the Midwest and it was too much for us. We should have taken at least a day in Denver first.

[cellenly]

If you're driving in, you'll probably do better than we did with the altitude - we flew into Denver and drove right up to Breckenridge that day. We're from the Midwest and it was too much for us. We should have taken at least a day in Denver first.[/QUOTE]

We sometimes fly, we sometimes drive from sea level and have even stopped by Denver. No one feels bad at Denver, but 3 of the 4 of us have problems adjusting to Breck at 9600 ft base. At Vail or Avon or even a little higher at BC, only 2/4 have issues. I'm the only one that has the most issues. Get a script for diamox or buy something called "Altitude Pills" sold at grocery stores and ski shops or do some of that canned oxygen. Drinking tons of water may help but if you're like me, no matter how much you hydrate, it just doesn't work.


Colorado Springs:
There's a lot to do but it's scattered. If you're driving up, I'd stop a night in CO Springs and do Garden of the Gods and the Olympic Training Center. Also if you have time, you may want to do the Air Force Academy. The AF Academy & Garden of the Gods are literally right next to each other. Also if you decide to do more than a day in CO Springs area, then you can throw in Pike's peak. I'd say plan 2-3 hours for each on average.

Stop by red rock amphitheater at the foothills on the way to the mountains via i-70.

Breck:
Then if you go up to Breck, you can do the fun park. Though the Breck fun park has a lot of young activities, I see older kids loving the sled and to lesser extent the roller coaster. I think you may enjoy it. If you have risk taking kids, take note that i've seen teens flip over going too fast on the curbs. They may also enjoy the maze if it's a competitive thing or that harnessed assisted jumping trampoline.
Bike downhill to Frisco from Breck and take a bus back. It's a nice bike path - it does have one hill that may be a challenge if you're not used to biking, but you can just walk that stretch.
Hikes - go to the visitors center and find a trail that's right for your family
Summer events - art festivals in Breck or Frisco, sometimes I see those gerbil floaty balls on maggie pond (near the quicksilver lift)
Mountain Biking at any place with ski lifts - not just break.
If they are interested, you may want to goto the mine museum.
Take a picture at one of the continental divides and read about it on the sign. There's one maybe 10 min drive south of Breck. Maybe 15 min max there.

From Breck, you can visit any of the other big resorts along I-70 (vail/Beaver creek), but I feel like Glenwood springs is probably the furthest I would go if I were basing my location at Breck. Vail also has a fun park as well.
You can do Hanging Lake trail near Glenwood springs...it's not a long hike, but it's all an elevation climb. The nice part is that it's mostly shaded which makes it wayyyy nicer. But it's still better to do it in the mornings because 1. you won't have problems finding parking 2. it's less congested so you're not waiting and sharing the path with as many people because some places is limited to 1 person wide 3. it'll be less hot. Getting to the start of the trail (not a long walk and flat) still will wilt you if it's hot and you'll still feel the midday heat even if it's shaded. It's a way more pleasant experience in the mornings or evenings. That CO sun can be intense even if you're from Dallas. The trail gets more crowded as the day goes on and parking is very limited (40 cars?) with no other options to park around there.

I know you said you weren't interested in whitewater rafting. Glenwood springs has rafting that just floats you down in the valley there (i've never done it but i've passed it going along I-70) and seen them floating along. it's not quite rafting as much as floating. It's really pretty. You may want to check it out by calling some of the shops in that area.

If you decide that you're willing to move around, then you can head down towards Aspen/Crested Butte and do a circle back. The food in Breck is good, but Aspen is better but prices reflective of that as well.

Hope that helps get the juices flowing on planning things out for you.

[keh602]

Breckenridge is one of my very favorite places. It is beautiful and unpretentious and just a lot of fun. It feels a lot less touristy than, say Vail or Aspen. We've spent most of our time there just wandering the town, but one day I would love to explore the area more.

A few summers ago, we went to Glenwood Springs for a night, and I fell head over heels for the hot springs there. We were in the water for hours and hours that evening, and it was amazing. We also took a gondola ride up to a little fun park, but all we really did was ride the gondola up, check out the gift shop, and ride back down. If we'd had more time, and our kids were a little older, we might have done more up there. My family practically had to drag me out of the hot springs though.

For that trip, we were staying with my in-laws in Denver. We drove to Glenwood Springs for the night (stopping in one of my favorite little towns, Georgetown, on the way), and then the next morning we drove to Aspen and saw the Maroon Bells. I wasn't as fond of the town of Aspen itself, but the Maroon Bells were gorgeous. My in-laws headed home before us, and we ended up making an unplanned stop in Breckenridge for the night. There are plenty of ways to make a loop and see a lot of sights along the way.

We are planning to make a trip to CO this summer, and I am hoping to make it out of Denver this time. (That doesn't always happen when we're visiting the ILs.) There is just so much to see in CO.

[marinkitty]

Telluride is my favorite mountain town. The setting is breathtaking and the town itself is darling. They have some great music festivals in the summer, so check and see if anything is happening for your dates. I've only been there in the winter, but everyone says it is even better come summer.

Steamboat is also a lot of fun. The hot springs, hiking, ranch stuff. Great dining in town.

I really don't think you can go wrong with any of the places on your list!