Welcome to Colorful Colorado! That’s what the sign said when we crossed the border from New Mexico to Colorado on our year-long road trip, and after seeing the landscapes Colorado had to offer, we now understand the fitting nickname. Just take a look at our highlights and you’ll understand too. It’s a state full of white capped peaks, purple mountains, green trees, red rocks, impossibly blue skies and flaming orange sunsets…
Garden of the Gods, Manitou Springs, CO
First stop, Garden of the Gods, just outside of Colorado Springs. These gorgeous red rock formations are dotted with greenery, framed with blue skies and as the day progresses from dawn to daylight to dusk, they present an evolving beauty with the changing light. A paved trail winds through the central “gardens” and plenty of other trails run in all directions all around the park.
Not only is this place magnificently beautiful, but it’s also free. The land was given to the state of Colorado in 1909 with the provision that it would be a free public park. We were so enthralled with the Garden of the Gods, we came back twice within the same day. If you’re ever in the Colorado Springs area, make sure to visit this stunning park. It truly does feel like a Garden of the Gods.
Pikes Peak
We left the warmth (and oxygen) in Manitou Springs and took the Pikes Peak Cog Train to the summit of Pikes Peak. Now, regarding elevation, many people visiting Colorado from lower elevations need to be cautious of altitude sickness. Denver is famous for being the “Mile High City” with an elevation of exactly one mile: 5,280 feet. And Manitou Springs is a bit higher at 6,358 feet. But, the easiest way to prevent altitude sickness is drinking lots of water. However, we had just spent several weeks in Santa Fe, which is almost 7,200 feet. So, traveling to Colorado didn’t require any extra adjustment and we were consciously staying very hydrated on an ongoing basis.
However, Pikes Peak is another story. The summit of Pikes Peak is 14,110 feet. FOURTEEN THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED AND TEN FEET! Officially, it’s the highest peak of the Southern Front range of the Rocky Mountains. So, we over-hydrated the day before and morning of our journey. We boarded the cog train in warm, sunny Manitou Springs with full bladders and climbed nearly 8,000 feet to the cold, snowy, windy summit. Green trees transitioned to alpine tundra…the air was thinner, the skies were bluer and the scenery was out of of this world. And thank god there was a bathroom at the top.
Royal Gorge Bridge and Park, Canon City, CO
We had never heard of Royal Gorge before, but fortunately it was one of many great recommendations from our good friend Kelly who has lived in Colorado for several years. (She also has a bumper sticker on her fridge, “Not a native, but I got here as fast as I could!” which always makes me laugh, because she was born to live in Colorado!)
The Royal Gorge is obscenely beautiful all by itself, but the Bridge and Park gave us a birds eye view of this massive gorge. The bridge is over 1,200 feet long and it’s nearly 1,000 feet down to the Arkansas River below. You don’t have to be afraid of heights to feel a little uneasy looking over the edge of this bridge. We actually took a gondola ride across the canyon (you can also zip line across) and then we hiked along the edge and walked back across the suspension bridge. It was incredible. And windy. And exhilarating. And completely gorgeous.
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Castle Rock
In addition to packing in as many Colorado sights as we could, we were also slam-bammed busy with Destination Tree orders. I was fielding custom order requests and questions non-stop and Matt was furiously trying to catch up on the engraving work for a corporate order and countless Father’s Day gifts. While he caught up, it gave me an opportunity to have a girls weekend with my bestie, Kelly, in Castle Rock. And it was one of those weekends where we had so much fun talking, laughing, hiking and hanging out, we never remembered to take pictures!
We hiked the town’s namesake, Castle Rock, which was a fun hike and a short climb to a 360 degree view of the adorable town of Castle Rock and surrounding landscape. It almost looks like a fake, model city with the mountains, green grass, trees and perfect little town below. We also burned our quads at the mini-incline at Phillip S. Miller Park, hit the trails, and then did more hiking at Castlewood Canyon State Park. We absolutely earned our margaritas, sunset cupcakes and hours of laughter. We’re kindred spirits and it felt unreal to spend so much quality time together. And then I photographed, packaged and posted a LOT of orders. 🙂
Rocky Mountain National Park
I always get super hyped to visit a new National Park, since that’s been one of our primary focuses on this year-long trip. And while I was hyped about Rocky Mountain National Park and towering snow covered mountains, Matt was hyped about The Stanley Hotel, famed for being the inspiration of Stephen King’s The Shining, and infamous for being exceptionally haunted.
The drive to Estes Park, the small town at the entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park, and home of The Stanley Hotel, was more scenic than I even imagined. Once again, we were focused on our destination, but the journey proved to be just as wonderful. We took route 34 from Loveland, which hugged the Big Thompson River through twists and turns at the base of a huge rocky canyon.
After a whirlwind 2 day tour of Rocky Mountain National Park, we went back to base camp at Horsetooth Reservoir, where there was no shortage of Colorful Colorado sunsets.
Mother Nature has the best box of crayons. #destinationtreeontheroad #camplife #sunset #mothernature
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We didn’t spend a lot of time in Colorado, but we packed in as many beautiful sights as we could and enjoyed every moment. We bid farewell to Colorful Colorado with gratitude and unforgettable memories.
Next up…Wyoming! Grand Tetons and Yellowstone here we come!
Cheers!
Kristin
Paul Rogers says
Absolutely beautiful!