Great Colorado Getaways

Easy adventures

By Shelly Steig

While Colorado is a natural for adrenaline junkies, not everyone wants to base jump, or mountain bike an altitude gain of 3,000 feet. Some of us like more sedate forms of fun. Fortunately, in Colorado even the mildest adventures can be exciting.

Armchair adventuring

I can't imagine riding a bucking bronco or climbing the rugged and steep San Juan Mountains. However, I appreciate the bravery and athleticism of those who do. I am also fascinated by their drive and dedication, the evolution of a sport and its gear. So I head to four Colorado museums where I can live vicariously.

The Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy in Colorado Springs is the only heritage center in the world dedicated to professional rodeo. Exhibits include vintage saddles and Western wear, as well as displays about contestants and events—including my favorite, the rodeo clown. On select weekends throughout the summer, real cowboys demonstrate team roping in an outdoor arena. Children's camps introduce the seven basic rodeo events including barrel racing, steer wrestling and tie-down roping.

719-528-4764, www.prorodeohalloffame.com.

Vail celebrates schussing pioneers at the Colorado Ski & Snow-board Museum and Hall of Fame. Visitors can learn about the 10th Mountain Division, the World War II troops who were the first and only U.S. infantry division trained specifically for extreme terrain and cold-weather warfare. The museum also offers displays of vintage skis, and a chronology of the sport. 970-476-1876, www.skimuseum.net.

See one of the most famous artifacts in mountaineering history at the Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum in Golden. In 1953, Peter Schoening and his expedition team attempted to summit the second highest mountain in the world, K2. A teammate slipped and fell, tangling five other climbers in his rope. Schoening jammed his ice axe behind a boulder and saved them all from plummeting to their deaths. That axe is now on display along with many other objects, including a 1922 oxygen cylinder from a British expedition to Mount Everest. The museum also has interactive exhibits and a model of Mount Everest. 303-996-2755, www.bwamm.org.

Some believe mountain biking was born in 1896 when Buffalo Soldiers-members of African-American cavalry and infantry regiments stationed in the West-tested customized bicycles by riding 800 miles roundtrip from Missoula, Mont., to Yellowstone National Park. Visitors can learn more about the sport's beginnings at the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame and Museum, a display area within the Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum. "This is an opportunity for people to find out about a sport that was born and bred in the U.S. and has become a world-wide phenomenon," says curator Don Cook. Exhibits include highlights from historic races and events, vintage bikes and press clippings. 970-349-6817, www.mtnbikehalloffame.com.

Summer celebrations of local history

Walk in the footsteps of the adventurers who braved a dangerous journey to seek their fortune during the largest gold rush in history. It's been 150 years since the cry "Pikes Peak or Bust!" brought an estimated 100,000 prospectors, called Fifty-Niners for the year the rush peaked, to the territory. These intrepid fortune seekers settled makeshift towns that eventually became Denver, Boulder, Breckenridge and others. Their sense of adventure is still palpable today as Colorado celebrates the anniversary with special events, displays and tours.

John H. Gregory helped fuel the frenzy when he struck gold on the north fork of Clear Creek in 1859. His find led to the founding of Rollinsville, Black Hawk and Central City-which earned the nickname the "Richest Square Mile on Earth." Celebrations include Mountain Man Weekend, an exploration of skills early miners needed to survive the mountain wilderness. Held July 11-12 in Rollinsville and Lincoln Hills, the two-day festival includes blacksmithing demonstrations and ghost town tours. Mining Days Weekend (September 5-6 in Central City and Black Hawk) offers gold panning, burro racing, a cemetery crawl, gem and mineral show and tours of the Hidee Mine. 303-582-5283, www.gilpin150.com.

Breckenridge may be one of Colorado's hottest mountain destinations, but it was once a humble mining town. The city will celebrate its birth August 7-9 during the Breck150 Grand Celebration. Beginning with the extraction of a time capsule put into the Summit County Courthouse's cornerstone in 1909, the fanfare will continue with a street party and fireworks. On August 15-16, Mining and Railroad Weekend examines how railroads furthered the city's formation. During the celebrations, the Country Boy Mine will bring gold panning to town and the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance will offer tours of the Lomax Placer and the Washington Mines. 888-251-2417, www.breck150.com.

Location, location, location

One of the challenges of group travel-whether it's couples, families or friends—is making everyone happy. Solve this problem by picking a location that can be used as a hub for every type of adventure.

Carbondale is the jumping-off point for biking, climbing, fishing, rafting, hiking and kayaking. Yet it is also a charming mountain town with wonderful shopping, a lovely paved walking path and some of the hottest dining spots in the state. The most lauded, Restaurant Six89, was a James Beard Foundation Awards 2009 semifinalist. 970-963-1890, www.carbondale.com.

In Boulder, with all the city has to offer, shopping and dining can become a test of endurance. This hip college town is also home to the state's best people-watching and bumper-snickering. If you prefer to take it up a notch, bike or hike the easy trails that wind through the town and up the foothills. The more adventuresome can take flight in hot air balloons or glider planes. Golfers gravitate to The Omni Interlocken Resort, just outside Boulder in Broomfield. The kid-friendly hotel offers a 27-hole golf course, children's programs, full service spa, heated pools, free bike usage and complimentary shuttles to shopping and dining. 303-442-2911, 800-444-0447, www.bouldercoloradousa.com.

Estes Park is not only the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, it is also perfect for family-friendly adventures. Kids of all ages will thrill during a ghost tour of the historic Stanley Hotel, setting for the classic horror movie "The Shining." For less frightening fare, climb aboard a horse-drawn wagon for a ride through scenic mountain forests and flower-speckled meadows during Estes Park Outfitters' High Country Wagon Tours. Or tour Roosevelt National Forest in American Wilderness Tours' Hummer H1, that goes where most vehicles can't. Families can also rent a covered surrey, then pedal the paved 3.8-mile Lake Estes Trail around the perimeter of the lake. 800-443-7837, www.estesparkcvb.com.

Feats for the fearless

There are hidden spots in Colorado that require time, effort and a sense of adventure to see. But whether it's a hike or a rocky drive, these are worth it.

See the upper Black Canyon of the Gunnison up close during a 90-minute pontoon boat ride within the Curecanti National Recreation Area. The ranger—led tour passes waterfalls, fascinating spires and precipitous cliffs. Reservations are required. Visitors must hike the 1.5-mile round trip to the Pine Creek Boat Dock—a walk that includes 232 stairs, but the stairway has landings for rest breaks. 970-641-2337, ext. 205, www.nps.gov/cure/planyourvisit/boattour.htm.

The Wheeler Geologic Area has been called the City of Gnomes, Dante's Lost Souls or the White-Shrouded Ghosts because of its Gothic-style spires that pierce the sky. These formations of volcanic tuff eroded to fin-like points are buried deep in the La Garita Mountain Range near Creede. The area is accessible only by a rutted 14-mile trail that takes approximately eight hours round trip to navigate in a four-wheel-drive vehicle or ATV. Stop by Twin Pines Motor Sports, Inc., in South Park to rent ATVs, get advice and pick up maps. www.sangres.com/features/wheelergeologic.htm.

Think ahead to September and you can visit another unusual site that is normally difficult to reach without a long hike. The Picket Wire Canyonlands, south of La Junta, were once home to several different species of dinosaurs. The lumbering creatures left behind 1,300 footprints in what is the largest track site in North America. The Forest Service offers guided auto tours-the only motorized vehicles allowed. Reservations are required and tours are suspended in July and August due to the heat. 719-384-2181, www.fs.fed.us/r2/psicc/coma/palo/

While some Colorado roads such as Oh-My-God are white-knuckle experiences, others are an easier drive through gorgeous scenery. Colorado boasts 25 scenic and history byways, such as the South Platte River Trail, which follows the route pioneers and homesteaders took west. Or drive Guanella Pass, a short ride through the Rocky Mountains' differing ecosystems. A former burro trail, this byway passes over the steep divide between the South Platte and Clear Creek watersheds and through Georgetown and Grant. For more information on all of Colorado's scenic and historic drives, go to www.coloradobyways.org.

Shelly Steig is a freelance writer based in Parker.

Great Colorado Getaways