Great Colorado Getaways

Front Range

By Shelly Steig

Colorado's Front Range offers widely diverse experiences, from arts in the big cities to culture in small communities, and from sports in the shadows of the great Rocky Mountains to cowboying along the eastern plains.

Colorado Springs

For many Coloradans, the closest they will get to the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics is the world-class United States Olympic Complex in Colorado Springs. The 37-acre campus, near the heart of downtown, is home to an average 200 resident athletes who are in the top 10% of their sport. Peruse the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, and take in a panoramic view of the complex and the surrounding city from the roof-top terrace.

If you carry a torch for golf, then the Broadmoor resort should be on your summer short list. From July 28 to August 3, some of the best players in the world—including Tom Watson and Hale Irwin—will compete during the U.S. Senior Open.

Colorado Springs also offers many non-sporting choices. Visit the Western Museum of Mining and Industry, peruse the store fronts in historic Old Colorado City or watch cadets march at the United States Air Force Academy. Giggle at the length of the giraffes' tongues at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo while feeding them keeper-approved crackers.

Information: 800-888-4748 or www.experiencecoloradosprings.com.

Rodeos

Rodeo season
©Matt Inden/Weaver Multimedia

On July 4, 1869, the town of Deer Trail, which is about 40 miles east of Denver, held the first organized rodeo in the world. Since then, the state has become rodeo central.

The Professional Bull Riders Association recently relocated to Pueblo. Colorado Springs is home to the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and the Museum of the American Cowboy. Bronc-riding, barrel racing and steer wrestling contests will be kicking up dust all across the Front Range and the eastern plains—many of them in communities that are on the sanctioned circuit of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA).

The July 4 Brush! Rodeo is Colorado's largest pro rodeo and includes a free barbeque and art show, mutton busting (tiny tots riding sheep) and kids' stick horse races in addition to the pro action. You'll find other rough-riding rodeos at the Greeley Stampede (June 25 to July 6), the Colorado State Fair in Pueblo (August 22 to Sept. 1), and regional contests such as those in Bent and Jefferson counties.

Information: www.coloradoprorodeo.com.

Hiking

Castlewood Canyon State Park
© Colorado State Parks

My giant schnauzer, Kaiser—tongue lolling and tail wagging—enthusiastically greets every canine along the trail in the off-leash section of Chatfield State Park, only a mile south of C-470, southwest of Denver. But, dog or no dog, there are plenty of options for hitting the trails.

Our second choice is Castlewood Canyon State Park, although dogs must be kept on-leash. Located approximately midway between Denver and Colorado Springs, this area offers diverse ecosystems and a mini-canyon carved by water. There are 13 trails of varying difficulty. Most are two miles or less in length and can be combined for longer walks. The new East Canyon Preservation Trail is a four-mile hike that travels along the gorge's rim, across Cherry Creek and up a narrow side canyon to the East Canyon Preservation area.

Try Young Gulch near Fort Collins for nearly 10 miles of round-trip hiking, with a 1,603-foot elevation gain winding along a small creek through the gulch. Along the way you'll see wildflower-speckled meadows, shimmering aspens and wildlife.

If you prefer a strenuous hike, head to Lower Barr Trail, which begins in Manitou Springs and climbs 7,510 feet to the summit of Pikes Peak. The 12.6-mile one-way sojourn on well-marked, hard-packed trails passes through forests of pine, spruce, fir and dwarf trees to tundra meadows; then up the "16 Golden Stairs"—a series of short, steep switchbacks.

Red Rocks Park in Morrison, just west of Denver, offers a delightfully scenic 1.4-mile loop through incredible rock formations, valleys and a natural meadow.

Pueblo

Founded by fur trappers and traders, then forged by steel, the town of Pueblo is now a modern cultural crossroads. With many museums, diverse events and a revitalized historic district, the city is also the gateway to the Frontier Pathways Scenic and Historic Byway. Stop at the El Pueblo History Museum, once the site of an important trading post, to pick up information about the byway. Then browse exhibits that tell the story of Pueblo's early years. The Historic Arkansas River Project (HARP) river walk alongside the historic Union Avenue district hosts concerts and other events through summer.

Pueblo's most unique repository, the Steelworks Museum of Industry & Culture, is a new and evolving learning center housed in the mission-style building that once served as a medical dispensary for Colorado Fuel & Iron Company workers. For decades, the steel industry was Pueblo's largest employer and the town is still one of the biggest steel producers in the nation.

At the end of August, Pueblo is also home to Colorado's largest single event, the Colorado State Fair.

Information: 800-233-3446, www.destinationpueblo.com.

Outdoor arts and entertainment

The scent of budding flowers perfumes the air as a band plays in the amphitheater at the Denver Botanic Gardens. The sun is setting and light clouds skitter across the sky. It's one of those summer evenings when I am glad to be alive and living in Colorado. Thankfully, there are many similar nights—and days—where the outdoors beckons and there are many soirees to enjoy under the clear open skies.

Other outdoor musical venues include the Colorado Music Festival at Boulder's Chautauqua Park, with four evening concerts a week from June 21 to August 1. Golden has its free Friday evening Music & Movies in the Park throughout August, and Evergreen has concerts beside the lake, including the annual Evergreen Jazz Festival from July 25–27.

The arts thrive in Denver each summer during the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, July 4–6. Other communities hold their own versions, such as La Veta's annual Art in the Park from July 5–6, where visitors can browse original handcrafted art and crafts, listen to live music and sample free barbeque. Parker, Greeley, Boulder and Golden all stage similar celebrations.

Murder, treason and tragedy, mistaken identities, love and comedy parade across the Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre's stage in Boulder this summer during the Colorado Shakespeare Festival's 50th anniversary celebration, June 20 through August 16. If you prefer your entertainment bawdier than the Bard's, head to the Colorado Renaissance Festival in Larkspur on weekends, June 14 through August 3. Entertainment runs the gamut from joust reenactments and comedy acts, to haunting music from a carillon—a medieval instrument comprised of four tons of bells.

Shelly Steig is a freelance writer based in Parker.

For more ideas, see Great Getaways from previous issues of EnCompass online at www.encompassmag.com/weekends.