In Breckenridge, Colorado autumn is the season for cooler temperatures, brilliant fall colors and, come the third weekend in September, Breckenridge Oktoberfest. Also known as BRECKTOBERFEST! The tradition of hosting the October-named event one month early traces back to the original party in Munich, Germany, where weather contributed to moving the festivities into September. It’s … Read more
Mount Evans Scenic Byway Is Just 2 Hours From Denver Chilling winds whistle as byway travelers leave the comfort of their cars to scale the final 130 vertical feet to the summit of Mount Evans. The trail zigs and zags upward. Although the distance is only a quarter-mile, muscles burn and lungs crave oxygen. Within … Read more
Leadville, at nearly 2 miles above sea level, is one of Colorado’s loftiest living mineral towns. The community of 2,800 sits at an elevation of more than 10,000 feet and lies near the headwaters of the Arkansas River. Opulent Aspen rises 29 Learjet miles to the west. Trendy Breckenridge sits even closer toward the northeast. … Read more
In an alpine meadow carpeted with lush grasses, newborn white-spotted elk frolic under the watchful eyes of their mothers. Travelers edge their cars onto the shoulder of Trail Ridge Road, opening their windows to gaze at the endearing wildlife “nursery.” Around another bend, snow-mantled Never Summer Range scrapes the sky. Such wondrous sites unfold as … Read more
We live in a state that proudly proclaims itself to be “Colorful Colorado,” and it certainly is. From purple mountain majesties to amber waves of grain, summers here treat our eye’s color-receptor cones to a good workout. It only gets better in the fall when autumn alchemy transforms leafy hillsides into mother lodes of gold. … Read more
Its breathtaking setting certainly deserves the title, but Estes Park is not really a park ? At least not in the typical sense of the word. In geologic lingo, “park” describes a glacially cut, level valley between mountain ranges. And this is exactly where this picturesque hamlet is located. Estes Park, Colorado, is nestled in … Read more
In western Colorado, the Grand Mesa towers more than a mile above the landscape. Aspens paint thick dark forests with streaks of gold, while some 300 lakes mirror the changing sky. The Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway climbs up and over this massive plateau, cresting at an elevation of more than 10,000 feet. The … Read more
“Yah, yah, yah, yah” robustly sings the lively—but not rowdy—crowd gathered around an oom pah band during Vail’s Oktoberfest. Robust smells of grilled bratwurst and spit-roasted pork blend with lively strains of Bavarian music, while visitors dance to the lively beat on the Vail streets. Vail is a famous ski destination in the winter, but … Read more
Colorado color begins at higher altitudes and works its way down, yielding golden foliage from mid-September through early-October. This is a quiet time in Aspen, Colorado’s ritzy resort in the Rockies. Streets empty, restaurants seat without lines and opulent hotels, such as the St. Regis, The Little Nell and Jerome, offer caviar-quality quarters at steak-and-potato … Read more