Heading To Colorado Soon, Recommend Me Some Great Hikes

[Outlaw]

Garden of the Gods, Manitou Incline off the top of my head.

Honestly, there are awesome non-touristy places where you can just dip off the highway into the mountains up by Lake George/ Woodland Park.

Also, you’re going to be by Cripple Creek. Hit it up one night. Old mining town turned casino row. So fucking cool.

I’ll elaborate or try and drop some coordinates for the trailheads when I’m at a computer.

 

[Outlaw]

Cripple Creek at night is a sight to see.

 

[SpeedSpeak2me]

Yeah, the incline isn't the most picturesque, but if he's looking for a good workout hike, it's a guarantee, lol.

I don't know what it is about the incline, but ever since I got back from doing it I've been wanting to go back and do it again. Like literally drive out there, do the incline, drive home. Which is ridiculous since it's almost 1,100 mile away.

Maybe a road trip on the motorcycle? Oddly, avoiding highways it's almost the same distance and only 4-5 hours longer.

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

Hanging lake is probably the best natural wonder hike I’ve ever done. That’s a haul from the springs area though.

Royal gorge is only like an hour from Colorado Springs too if you’ve got time for touristy shit. It’s down right impressive.

 

[69Nice]

Hanging lake is probably the best natural wonder hike I’ve ever done. That’s a haul from the springs area though.

Royal gorge is only like an hour from Colorado Springs too if you’ve got time for touristy shit. It’s down right impressive.

Hanging Lake is my favorite place in CO- Royal Gorge is pretty nuts too, IIRC it’s 1’000 feet from the bridge to the river. If you want to try rafting, April should be ripping.

Hanging Lake might still be closed due to the fires- if not make sure to grab a permit. That would be a 2.5-3 hour drive from where you’re staying.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/devils-head-lookout-trail-to-fire-tower This may be open depending on how snowy March/April are. You’ll probably need a CUV at least to get to the trailhead, though if you get the rental insurance you can take a sedan.

Buena Vista will be about 60 minutes from Florissant- it’s gorgeous. Tack on another 20-30 minute drive and you can go to Twin Lakes (Independence Pass should still be closed so it might not be too busy on that side).

BV and Cripple Creek will be similar drive times but BV has a better downtown (not casinos)- both have great drives/views.

There are places in Woodland Park that rent out SXSs.

Flying into Denver or Colorado Springs?
Length of stay?
What kind of food do you like?
Beer drinkers?

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

Hanging Lake is my favorite place in CO- Royal Gorge is pretty nuts too, IIRC it’s 1’000 feet from the bridge to the river. If you want to try rafting, April should be ripping.

Hanging Lake might still be closed due to the fires- if not make sure to grab a permit. That would be a 2.5-3 hour drive from where you’re staying.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/devils-head-lookout-trail-to-fire-tower This may be open depending on how snowy March/April are. You’ll probably need a CUV at least to get to the trailhead, though if you get the rental insurance you can take a sedan.

Buena Vista will be about 60 minutes from Florissant- it’s gorgeous. Tack on another 20-30 minute drive and you can go to Twin Lakes (Independence Pass should still be closed so it might not be too busy on that side).

BV and Cripple Creek will be similar drive times but BV has a better downtown (not casinos)- both have great drives/views.

There are places in Woodland Park that rent out SXSs.

Flying into Denver or Colorado Springs?
Length of stay?
What kind of food do you like?
Beer drinkers?

Where at in Colorado do you reside?

 

[69Nice]

Florissant is right near Pike's Peak, which is about 2 hours away.

That is right outside of Denver, maybe we will hit up there for lunch when we get in. Thanks for the recommendation!

? I would not recommend stopping at Casa Bonita- think of it as a Mexican Medieval Times meets Chuck-E-Cheese. I think it’s also still closed due to COVID. I’d be more than happy to recommend a place to stop if you have a type of food in mind.

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

I had to go back and see who the fuck said to go there of course it was Mark.


But if you do go Jim, I’m like 15 minutes away from there

 

[69Nice]

I appreciate the recommendations!!!! I am sure I'll have a ton of other questions.

So what you are saying is that if we do Manitou we will have to climb both ways? I had that happen out in Yosemite, did the 4 Mile Trail which is technically 4.7 miles and got to the top. Didn't realize the shuttle down was $20 a person and our wallets were at the bottom So we hiked back down, that was a long day!

You can hike back down the Barr Trail- 3.2 miles of winding switch backs. There isn’t a ride down though.

Where at in Colorado do you reside?

North end of COS, work just outside of the Denver metro area (lived up there for 4 years before moving down).

 

[greasy]

Garden of the Gods, Manitou Incline off the top of my head.

Honestly, there are awesome non-touristy places where you can just dip off the highway into the mountains up by Lake George/ Woodland Park.

Also, you’re going to be by Cripple Creek. Hit it up one night. Old mining town turned casino row. So fucking cool.

I’ll elaborate or try and drop some coordinates for the trailheads when I’m at a computer.

Awesome Frank, thank you!

 

[greasy]

Hanging lake is probably the best natural wonder hike I’ve ever done. That’s a haul from the springs area though.

Royal gorge is only like an hour from Colorado Springs too if you’ve got time for touristy shit. It’s down right impressive.

Thanks Joel!

 

[greasy]

Hanging Lake is my favorite place in CO- Royal Gorge is pretty nuts too, IIRC it’s 1’000 feet from the bridge to the river. If you want to try rafting, April should be ripping.

Hanging Lake might still be closed due to the fires- if not make sure to grab a permit. That would be a 2.5-3 hour drive from where you’re staying.

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/devils-head-lookout-trail-to-fire-tower This may be open depending on how snowy March/April are. You’ll probably need a CUV at least to get to the trailhead, though if you get the rental insurance you can take a sedan.

Buena Vista will be about 60 minutes from Florissant- it’s gorgeous. Tack on another 20-30 minute drive and you can go to Twin Lakes (Independence Pass should still be closed so it might not be too busy on that side).

BV and Cripple Creek will be similar drive times but BV has a better downtown (not casinos)- both have great drives/views.

There are places in Woodland Park that rent out SXSs.

Flying into Denver or Colorado Springs?
Length of stay?
What kind of food do you like?
Beer drinkers?

Much appreciated dude, all of these ideas are great!

We are flying into Denver, rented a Jeep Wrangler. We are coming out on a Sunday and leaving on the following Saturday. We LOVE BBQ! Mexican is great too. As far as liquor anything is on the table, but tend to. Or do as much beer anymore. Girlfriend loves wine.

 

[69Nice]

Much appreciated dude, all of these ideas are great!

We are flying into Denver, rented a Jeep Wrangler. We are coming out on a Sunday and leaving on the following Saturday. We LOVE BBQ! Mexican is great too. As far as liquor anything is on the table, but tend to. Or do as much beer anymore. Girlfriend loves wine.

GQue BBQ in Lone Tree- will be less than a mile off your route down and my favorite in CO. If you don’t like it you’re probably a psycho

GQue Barbeque | Colorado's Best BBQ & Catering in Denver

Experience some of the best bbq in the Denver area with GQue's restaurant & catering. Mouthwatering BBQ Pork, Brisket, Ribs & more for everyone to enjoy.

gquebbq.com

https://www.los2potrillos.com/

Great family owned Mexican restaurant

Tacos La Morenita Llc

Mexican Restaurant in Aurora

tacos-la-morenita-llc.business.site

Awesome hole in the wall taco place.

Those are all stops in the Denver area- there’s an awesome place in COS called Azada’s for burritos.

https://m.facebook.com/azadamexicangrillCS/

There’s a few breweries and a distillery in Buena Vista but I wasn’t a fan of their whiskey.

Stop here on your way up to the cabin for wine or a bite to eat, it’s right at the base of Pike’s Peak.

Wines of Colorado - Wines of Colorado

winesofcolorado.com

I’ll make a longer list later this week when I can hop on a computer.

Eleven Mile Reservoir is a short drive (10 mins) from where you’re staying, can poke around there for a bit of hiking.

 

[greasy]

This awesome, thanks again!

 

[blakbearddelite]

I had to go back and see who the fuck said to go there of course it was Mark.


But if you do go Jim, I’m like 15 minutes away from there

It must have changed since the early 2000's because I thought that place was awesome. I mean the food was alright, I just thought the ambience was pretty cool.

 

[blakbearddelite]

We also had an awesome time on the Alpine Slides. I took a turn a bit too fast and felt like I was going to fly off the track.

The only thing that can ruin the experience is getting behind someone that is riding the brakes all the way down.

 

[SpeedSpeak2me]

We also had an awesome time on the Alpine Slides. I took a turn a bit too fast and felt like I was going to fly off the track.

The only thing that can ruin the experience is getting behind someone that is riding the brakes all the way down.

Dude! I have never seen this. I need to experience this in my life.

 

[jason05gt]

Much appreciated dude, all of these ideas are great!

We are flying into Denver, rented a Jeep Wrangler. We are coming out on a Sunday and leaving on the following Saturday. We LOVE BBQ! Mexican is great too. As far as liquor anything is on the table, but tend to. Or do as much beer anymore. Girlfriend loves wine.

Vogz can give you some good areas to hike in the mountains near Keystone if interested. He’s been going there for years and I know does biking & hiking out there. I only know the ski areas and haven’t been there during the summer months.

Golden, Co is a neat town and just at the foothills of the mountains. We got stuck in a bad snowstorm in 2020 where the Eisenhower pass was shut down, so we spent most of the evening in bars until the pass opened back up. We ate at a pizza place called Woody’s which had legit pizza even pleasing us Chicago pizza snobs.

 

[blakbearddelite]

Dude! I have never seen this. I need to experience this in my life.

They have some near Galena, but I've never been on them. I remember having a blast!

 

[greasy]

Vogz can give you some good areas to hike in the mountains near Keystone if interested. He’s been going there for years and I know does biking & hiking out there. I only know the ski areas and haven’t been there during the summer months.

Golden, Co is a neat town and just at the foothills of the mountains. We got stuck in a bad snowstorm in 2020 where the Eisenhower pass was shut down, so we spent most of the evening in bars until the pass opened back up. We ate at a pizza place called Woody’s which had legit pizza even pleasing us Chicago pizza snobs.

Thanks Jason!

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

Vogz can give you some good areas to hike in the mountains near Keystone if interested. He’s been going there for years and I know does biking & hiking out there. I only know the ski areas and haven’t been there during the summer months.

Golden, Co is a neat town and just at the foothills of the mountains. We got stuck in a bad snowstorm in 2020 where the Eisenhower pass was shut down, so we spent most of the evening in bars until the pass opened back up. We ate at a pizza place called Woody’s which had legit pizza even pleasing us Chicago pizza snobs.

I agree with Golden and woodys being awesome....but pretty far from the springs unless he’s driving up to the Denver area.

 

[69Nice]

greasy also check out this place- it’s right in Florissant.

https://costellocoffeehouse.com/

You’ll have to let me know if it’s good without a hangover- we always stop here on our way back from camping out that way.

There is a small general store that sells alcohol in Florissant but if you want a wider selection I’d make sure to stop in Denver or Colorado Springs- the ones in Woodland Park leave a bit to be desired.

 

[greasy]

greasy also check out this place- it’s right in Florissant.

https://costellocoffeehouse.com/

You’ll have to let me know if it’s good without a hangover- we always stop here on our way back from camping out that way.

There is a small general store that sells alcohol in Florissant but if you want a wider selection I’d make sure to stop in Denver or Colorado Springs- the ones in Woodland Park leave a bit to be desired.

Thanks again man!

 

[Vogz]

Sorry, just saw this mention. Haven't been on much lately. I'm very familiar with the Arapaho National Forest area, but no San Isabel so much. Hopefully the snow is melted enough so you can get some good hikes in. It can really be hit and miss in April out there. Either way it's still beautiful. Do you have snow shoes just in case?

 

[greasy]

Well came in today and what else can I say but this place is fucking amazing. I appreciate the recommendations from everyone. We started off eating at the Viewhouse in Colorado Springs. Ate on the roof, views of Pikes Peak from our table.

Weather is kind of a craps shoot this week so we decided to make the most of today. After lunch we visited Seven Falls and did all of the hikes - Eagles Nest, Seven Falls, Midnight Falls, and Inspiration Point. All in it was a little over 4 miles in hiking. It is hard to capture just how grand/magnificent the scenery was, pics don’t do it justice.