Hey Ladies and Gents-

I'm planning a cross-country road trip of anywhere between 4-8 weeks, leaving some time in mid-late April.

One of the states I'm going to be visiting is Colorado.

So far, I have the following on the list of things to *potentially* see in your state.  I'm not sure I'll get to all of them, but I want to solicit suggestions about things I should see or avoid.
I'm particularly interested in stuff that people might not know about or remember that has historic significance.  For instance, in Louisiana I'm visiting the site where Bonnie and Clyde were gunned down.  In that case, it's just a small monument on a dirt road, but it's an interesting part of history.

• Ouray/Telluride (I definitely want to do Black Bear pass, Imogene, Yankee Boy Basin, etc.)


• Rocky Mountain National Park?


• Mesa Verde?


• Pike's Peak


• Durango/Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway


• San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway/Million Dollar Highway


• Black Canyon/Gunnison National Park?


• Maroon Bells-Snomass Wilderness?


• Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve?


• Mount Evans Scenic Byway (I hear this is the highest paved road in the US, so that sounds sort of fun)


• Casa Bonita in Denver (I know it's not open at the moment, but I'm hoping that there may be a chance that it re-opens between now and late May/early June which is when I expect to be in the area)


• Columbine High School (I want to just see where this is and put the shooting in context--it is history, however morbid and maybe distasteful it might be to drive into the area to see it)

Now, I'm not going to get to see all those things obviously.  Colorado is definitely one of the states I intend to spend the most time in though, probably 10-14 days.  It's also a state I could really use some help with as far as planning and making sure I'm experiencing everything I can, safely.  I really, really want to do some trails in Ouray/Telluride and camp in the same area.  In that vein, it would be great to meet up with some local arfcommers who might be willing to run some trails with me and show me some great camping sites.  It's one of those things where I'd feel a lot more comfortable being with someone experienced on those trails and doesn't mind helping me through some of them.  I have a TRD 4runner I want to get some off-road time in.

I'm traveling into the state a little blind, and I'm going to try to plan as best I can despite my fluid (and not finalized) schedule.  Colorado is toward the end of the trip, so I imagine that will end up being late May/early June.  I really don't want to waste the opportunity I have to be in the state, seeing as it's pretty far away from Florida and I'm not sure when I'll be back again.

I'm not sure what of the above is worth seeing and what isn't.  I certainly welcome discussion and input below about all of it.  I plan on pretty much exploring from the truck where I can; I don't mind getting out and hiking around, but I'm in a sort of "see as much as I can in the limited time I have" mode.  Driving through areas really allows me to do so.

Camp sites are big, guys.  I'd love to know of any little secret places you can recommend with epic views, etc.

Any advice at all is welcome.  Things to see, places to avoid, roads to use and not use, trails for off-roading, camp sites, etc.

One thing I won't be doing is shooting, and I don't really intend on visiting FFLs or anything like that.  I have a limited amount of time for certain states and can't waste that in gun shops.

I plan on sleeping in the back of the car for 2-3 days, then getting a hotel for the night, then going back in the car.  As a result, I'll need recommendations for cool camp sites with views, etc.

Any information about Covid restrictions is also helpful with regard to closures of parks or businesses.

Thanks for any advice you can offer.  I'm really, really excited to visit Colorado.

EDIT:  One more thing.  Every state I am traveling through and exploring on my trip recognizes my concealed weapons permit.  Colorado is the only one I've highlighted as being a bit more tricky, only because you passed some laws a few years back.  I understand the mag limit is 15?  That's fine for my Glock 19, but I want to make sure I'm in compliance by running through some of these state lands and trails.  Any advice on firearms and carrying a pistol on me or in the truck is also appreciated.

why not the aurora theatre where Holmes shot all those people?  Since you seem like a miserable sick fuck, how about the Sand Creek site, too?

Or, better yet, stay the hell out of Colorado and stroke your cock at other murder sites

Wow.  That escalated immediately.

OP, your list sounds pretty good.  I've lived here for over 20 yrs. and have never even driven by CHS, but you do you.  Hit a few brewpubs, too.  I'm not going to recommend any because there are quite a few.  If the place is in business now, then it's probably pretty good.

Also, you can possess any capacity magazine if it you had it before July 1, 2013.  It would also be the state's job to prove that you didn't.  Otherwise, it's 15. There's a tacked thread here in the Kolorado HTF.

I won't give you any recommendations to the places that have morbid histories in CO but I will suggest visiting the museum at buffalo bill's grave. Cool bit of history there and Lookout Mountain pass is right there and can give you a pretty nice view.

Mags are fine. Nobody cares. Legally, if you owned the mags before July 1, 2013 they're fine.

A lot of the locations you have listed are in SW Colo and would take a while to do anything more than drive through.  However, since you mentioned RMNP and interested in more of the macabre, try the Stanley Hotel.  It is what inspired 'The Shining'

Frankly, beyond the morbidity, I think columbine has larger historical significance as an event than the others (though I admit, the Sand Creek Massacre is too often forgotten and is still a deplorable event today as it was over a century ago).  I don't seek these places out, generally, but since I'll be in the Denver area, I'd at least like to drive by it.

I can understand where you're coming from, but I think you need to take a step back a bit.  I'm not seeking blood and guts here.  I go to battlefields, I go to places like the Tower of London or Lexington/Concord, maybe to Auschwitz (haven't been there yet). People were killed, often in droves in such places.  I don't go to those places for those reasons; I go because they have historic or cultural significance, and I like to contextualize history.  It's one thing to see stuff on the news, in a book, or on a map.  It's another thing entirely to see the area in person, and thereby gain a better understanding of the incidents that took place there.

It's not just limited to morbid stuff.  I plan on seeking out stuff like where they filmed Forest Gump in AZ (the long road shot).

I can understand that events such as Columbine and Aurora absolutely are sensitive subjects to people who live in Colorado.  Beyond the loss of life and the horrible nature of them in general, you guys have had to defend your rights in the the face of such atrocities for literal decades at this point.  I will go on record and say that I think that you personal attacks are a bit over the top, however.

I definitely intend to check out some local brewpubs, thanks.



Great advice, thanks

Ah yes, I forgot about that.  Thanks for the heads-up.  I seem to recall that the film was actually shot somewhere north (Montana maybe?) but that the inspiration from the hotel was indeed in CO.  That would be cool to check out if I manage to get over there, thanks.

I’m a native Colorado guy and an avid off roader with a built Rubicon. I have zero interest in Black Bear Pass no matter the time of year.

So Colorado is going to be one of the last states I get through.  Probably looking at early June.

They should be open by then, no?

Too treacherous?

YouTube it man.
There are plenty of places where you have two options

A: don’t fuck up

B: die

What can you guys tell me about the Rimrocker trail?

So, I have a few times and I've researched it.

It seems that the really tricky part is the steps, but that the switchbacks aren't so bad assuming you have a spotter.  And the trick with the steps seems to be to just to take it easy, not panic, have a good spotter, etc.

I know the pucker-factor is ridiculously high.

If you’re game go for it. It’s just not something I wanna do. For whatever reason it just doesn’t interest me.

I have friends that love it however

I do appreciate the input.  I may just go half way up to the last point where you can turn around and do that if I start to get anxious.  It all depends on if I can meet up with the guy I'm planning on meeting with who does those trails in Ouray all the time with his T4R.  If he's there, I think I'll be fairly comfortable doing it.  I would probably opt out if I was solo.

Have you done Imogene or Yankee Basin?

Or the Rimrocker?

I’ve done part of Rimrocker.  Believe it or not most of my jeeping happens in Moab.
It’s a relatively short drive and I have family there so it’s pretty convenient.

Casa Bonita?  Hard pass.  

Maroon bells is fantastic.  Get there early so you can drive up and not take the bus.  

You can't see the good parts of the state in a few days without a crap ton of driving.  As much as I like Durango/Mesa Verde, etc, that adds too much driving IMHO.

@david05111

Not likely. I wouldn't count on those high passes in the San Juans being open until early July. Late June at best. I live near the SJ and ride those trails every year.

https://bushducks.com/tripreps/passopen.htm#blackbear

That's a pretty big bummer.  A huge motivation for the trip was being able to do a bunch of that.  I kinda wanted to avoid serious tourist season with loads of people on the trails, so I figured getting in there before a summer rush would be ideal.

I guess I can make it another trip, but that's a haul out there to miss out.

You can keep up to date with the Bushducks FB page or website for specifics. You should be able to get back into Las Animas ghost town by that time from Silverton, POSSIBLY get up Engineer. Probably Cinnamon.

My God, that's absolutely stunning

I really envy you guys and your mountains.  I know we have beaches and water everywhere, but there's something about mountains that screams "adventure" to me.

Early June?  Not likely opened yet.  More likely late June. Or early July if there's a lot of snow.  

A very close friend was the guy who dozed the Ouray side of Imogene for many years. Mid June was about the average time he got it opened.

Yeah I have to adjust my expectations of weather haha.  By June here in FL (and sometimes in NY), it's already cripplingly hot.  90+ every day.  In the Adirondacks at elevation, it's in the 50s or 60s.

You guys having snow on the ground still is something that (stupidly) didn't really cross my mind.  On top of that, with the amount of snow you're getting out there at the moment, I think I can pretty much rule out a quick end to winter.

My buddy at work.  He's since retired.

As other have said, those roads in Ouray/Telluride will not be open in early June, maybe late June for a few of them, typically July.

Skip Columbine, so many things that are better time spent.

Garden of the Gods is a must IMO.

The Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs is interesting.

Pawnee Buttes is beautiful, not many people go there.

Check out Wheeler Geologic area.

Nice hike that I've done a few times. roads should be decent getting to the trailhead since a lot are maintained by the drilling companies.

That's a definite maybe. High- altitude passes can be hard to predict.

Black Canyon is pretty neat, and especially if you flyfish and can hit the stone fly hatch.

Before I go any further here, I think I need to say to you all that I grieve with you guys out there in Colorado who have been affected in any way by the shooting in Boulder.  I know there was a guy in the GD thread that said his wife's friend or something knew 2-3 of the victims.  It's a horrific event, and I feel for all of you, and I wish you luck in the legislative battles that are sure to come as a result.





That's insane.  Your buddy had nerves of steel to do that.





I'll definitely look into those, thanks!



I've never fly-fished before, and won't have the gear anyway.  But thanks for the idea...it sounds like it could be fun to try at some point.

UPDATE:

I've postponed the trip until around mid-June.  I currently have covid, which makes a postponement absolutely necessary.  My father also has it and is in the ICU.

I'll touch base again on this when I get through some of this.

There's a silver lining, for you at least. High altitude weather is a lot more predictable then.

Prayers for your father. Covid sucks.

I mean though this is the state that has a festival for a frozen dead guy and celebrate alferd packer and his cannibalism. So I mean, I don't know.  Not my thing but I know it draws a lot of people.

Used to drive by Columbine HS when I lived in the Littleton area. What OP is seeking for clarity will not be had by looking at the building from the road. But, driving in the Denver metro area might inspire murderous rage.

Sand Creek sounds interesting, though.

True

I visited the Sand Creek site a long time ago, you have to want to go there to get there.  My interest in Colorado history, including its native tribes, took me there.  It was a sad and lonely place.  The monument stone was inscribed as "the Battle of Sand Creek".  Lots of mementos/tributes were left on the stone--bones, feathers, beads, rocks and such.  I left some tobacco.  It reminded me of the scene in Jeremiah Johnson where the Indians were leaving stuff at the grave.  There was a small drop box for donations near the entrance.  The guy who lived nearby had left a threatening note atop the drop box, saying how many clicks of elevation (on his M1A, IIRC) it took him to dial in on visitors.  I think the place had driven him crazy.  Ben Nighthorse Campbell, member of the Cheyenne and former US senator of Colorado, said you could hear babies crying there after dark.

Fellas, the trip is off.  My father passed away from Covid a few weeks ago.  My spirit for this sort of thing is just smashed, and I have no idea when I'm going to get around to thinking about it again.  

I want to thank everyone I've talked to in this thread and via PM for their recommendations and information on your state.  I hope that maybe one day, I can plan this again and meet up with a few of you along the way.

My best to all of you.

So sorry for your loss. I hope you find peace.