It really depends on where you are skiing. There are a number of airports in Colorado, including: GUC (Gunnison), ASE (Aspen), EGE (Vail/Eagle County), HDN (Steamboat/Yampa Valley), DEN (Denver), TEX (Telluride), COS (Colorado Springs), DRO (Durango), GJT (Grand Junction).
These are close airports for the following ski areas:
- Arapahoe Basin, Dillon CO DEN, COS, EGE (95 miles from DEN, 150 miles from COS)
- Aspen/Snowmass, Aspen CO - ASE, EGE, GJT, DEN (225 miles from DEN, 130 miles from GJT)
- Beaver Creek, Vail CO - EGE (125 miles from DEN)
- Breckenridge, Breckenridge CO - DEN, COS (105 miles from DEN, 160 miles from COS)
- Copper Mountain, Copper Mountain CO - DEN, EGE (105 miles from DEN)
- Crested Butte, Crested Butte CO - GUC (255 miles from DEN)
- Echo Mountain, Idaho Springs CO - DEN (60 miles from DEN)
- Eldora, Nederland CO - DEN (60 miles from DEN)
- Keystone, Keystone CO - DEN (100 miles from DEN)
- Loveland, Georgetown CO - DEN (70 miles from DEN)
- Monarch Mountain, Monarch CO - GUC, COS (180 miles from DEN, 125 miles from COS)
- Powderhorn, Mesa CO - GJT (265 miles from DEN)
- Purgatory, Durango CO - DRO (365 miles from DEN)
- Silverton Mountain, Silverton CO - DRO (350 miles from DEN)
- Ski Cooper, Leadville CO - EGE (125 miles from DEN)
- Sol Vista, Granby CO - DEN (110 miles from DEN)
- Steamboat, Steamboat Springs - HDN (185 miles from DEN)
- Sunlight, Glenwood Springs - EGE (185 miles from DEN)
- Telluride, Telluride CO - TEX (360 miles from DEN, 135 miles from GJT)
- Vail, Vail CO - EGE (125 miles from DEN)
- Winter Park, Winter Park CO - DEN (95 miles from DEN)
- Wolf Creek, Pagosa Springs CO - DRO (300 miles from DEN)
These four are my picks for the most kid-friendly:
- Copper Mountain
- Snowmass
- Steamboat
- Winter Park
These sites offer local restaurant reviews:
denver.citysearch.com/find/section/denver/restaurants.html
Typically, passenger vehicles are exempt from Colorado's chain law unless otherwise noted during unusually dangerous road conditions. When driving on the highway, such requirements may appear on the State's variable message signs during such conditions. Additional information about driving, particularly in bad weather, can be found here:
We enjoy these recreational outdoor activities, which are available in places all over the state:
- Snowmobiling
- Snowshoeing
- Cross-country skiing
- Snow tubing
- Snowboarding
- Ice skating
- Shopping
- Breweries
- Hunting
- Ice climbing
Denver is great in the summer. Average temperatures are highs in the 80s and lows in the 50s in the summer. May is typically when we see the most precipitation in Denver. Locals and visitors spend a lot of time outside around here in the summertime, enjoying recreational activities, such as:
- Camping
- Backpacking
- Boating
- Caving
- Fishing
- Four-wheeling/off-roading
- Hiking
- Horseback riding
- Hunting
- Mountaineering
- Mountain biking
- Rock climbing
- Scenic drives
- Water skiing
- Rafting
A good guide to outdoor recreation is Wildernet. There are also a number of family outdoor programs offered through the Rocky Mountain Outdoor Center.
There are lots of options for white water rafting trips here, depending upon your experience and adventure levels. To get an overview of the various trips, including rapid rating, length and price, check out the following sites:
There are so many good hiking trails around town, it's hard to go wrong choosing one. Here are some of our favorite resources for finding and evaulating good trails:
Family hikes:
www.gocitykids.com/browse/subcat.jsp?area=191&category=9
Five hikes near Denver:
www.gocolorado.com/ex/aspx/articleGuid.54B75AE3-C8CB-4BED-AB9A-159B3DF1B162/xe/article.htm
Guided family hikes:
www.denveradventures.com/hiking.html
It's easy to take day trips from Denver to a variety of other Colorado cities, mountain adventures and local attractions. Some of our favorites include:
Rocky Mountain National Park - Options include: Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Stanley Hotel and Aerial Tramway
Front Range - Options include: Georgetown, Georgetown Loop Narrow Gauge Railroad, Hamil House Museum, Hotel de Paris Museum, Phoenix Gold Mine, Idaho Springs, Clear Creek Rafting and Mount Evans
Colorado Springs/Pikes Peak - Options include: Air Force Academy, Garden of the Gods, Cave of the Winds, Flying W Ranch, Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog Railway, Miramont Castle, Old Colorado City, United States Olympic Training Center and Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame
Golden CO - Options include: Buffalo Bill Museum & Grave, Colorado Railroad Museum, Coors Brewing Company, Geology Museum, Heritage Square, Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Dinosaur Ridge
Boulder and Fort Collins CO - Options include: Boulder, Boulder Creek Bike Path, Celestial Seasonings, Leanin' Tree Museum of Western Art, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Anheuser Busch Brewery, Colorado State University, Poudre Canyon/Red Feather Lakes and Horsetooth Reservoir
Central City and Black Hawk - Options include: Gambling, Central City, Black Hawk, Central City Opera House, Gilpin County Historical Society Museum and Teller House
Royal Gorge and Canon City - Options include: Royal Gorge, Royal Gorge Route, Buckskin Joe Town & Railway and Colorado Territorial Prison and Museum
Ski Country - Options include: Summit County, Breckenridge National Historic District, Copper Mountain, Dillon/Silverthorne, Frisco, Keystone and Vail
For more information about many of these locations, visit: www.denver.org/StaticItinerary.aspx?id=list&type=1.
