I'm looking at taking my wife and 2 dogs on a trip in the next coming weeks.

I've decided on Colorado, just not exactly where yet. I've looked at: Crested Butte, Estes Park, Vail, and Ouray.

I'd like to find a cabin or AirB&B to stay in.

Any suggestions on which area to do? Or another area I'm not looking in? We're looking to try and stay away from people and do a bunch of outdoor activities - hiking, kayaking (we have kayaks we can bring), etc


Also, we're driving from Dallas so the closer the better, but we're willing to go further if it's worth it

Ouray is the outlier because its not a ski resort town. There's a big tilt on Texags for the southern Colorado places but all the places you listed are good.

The main thing is if you are trying to avoid people you need to find places you can get pretty remote because everyone has that same idea and the trails and everything are pretty crowded. I live in the Vail Valley and the highway is about 40%-50% out of state plates right now (that may be a little exaggeration but it's what it feels like and not too far off). I'm not trying to detour you from coming, but its something to consider as you decide where you want to go and how you plan your time if avoiding people is a priority.

Ouray isn't that big of a place which is good and bad. A lot of the summer activities at the ski resorts aren't happening but they do have the gondola's running.

I can speak to the Vail area the best and say there's tons to do around here. The rivers are still running pretty good for some nice rafting, lots of hiking, good restaurants, Sylvan Lake state park during the week is a great place to explore for not crowded trails. You can check out Vail and Beaver Creek, swing by the adventure park in Glenwood Springs and if you get bored head to Breckenridge for a day. Hanging lake is a great hike but you have to sign up to reserve spots and take a bus to it but on the plus side that reduces the number of people.

We're here in Ouray for the summer/fall. Came here oct 2018 first time, spent last summer here, and can't get enough. Lots to see and do in the surrounding areas. Incredible hiking, Jeeping, and other options. Ineffably beautiful place. You won't regret coming here.

Any suggestions on where to stay? Airbnb, cabins, etc?

If you're a fan of seeing college campuses like I am, depending on where you stay it may be worth a day trip to drive through CU in Boulder and CSU in Fort Collins. We'll be up in that area in September.

We're also considering going a little further southwest to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. Never been there but it looks gorgeous.

Any reason why Aspen and the surrounding area is not on your list?

We like Basecamp 550 just north of town. RV park with glamping tents and two sizes of "casita" for rent. Park owners are wonderful and the view is spectacular on the lower level. There are (seemingly) hundreds of Airbnb rentals in the wider area depending on your family size, budget, etc.

Edit to say Black Canyon of the Gunnison is outstanding and often missed by Ouray-bound tourists. Highly recommend a visit.

No reason. Just had been looking at some websites for best outdoor summer exploring places and those were at the top. I'd consider Aspen too

We've been to Durango, Breck, Beaver Creek, Vail, Aspen, Steamboat and Telluride. Telluride is by far our favorite, which is why we keep going back there.

I booked a deluxe cabin in Ouray for a week towards the end of the month. Just about everything is booked up this month and next in most of the areas I looked

I'll start looking into hikes and places to visit now. We've never been to Colorado so I'm pretty pumped.

FightinTexasAg15 said:

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I booked a deluxe cabin in Ouray for a week towards the end of the month. Just about everything is booked up this month and next in most of the areas I looked

I'll start looking into hikes and places to visit now. We've never been to Colorado so I'm pretty pumped.

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Will you be in a 4-wheel drive vehicle? That opens up lots of interesting opportunities, but don't fret if you aren't. Happy to discuss hikes, etc. too.

No we won't be unfortunately.

But we definitely will take hiking/sightseeing suggestions

Also, we're staying in Albuquerque on the way there and on the way back as a pit stop.

Any suggestions on things to see there or anywhere we should stop on the way from Dallas -> Albuquerque or Albuquerque -> Ouray?

FightinTexasAg15 said:

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I booked a deluxe cabin in Ouray for a week towards the end of the month. Just about everything is booked up this month and next in most of the areas I looked

I'll start looking into hikes and places to visit now. We've never been to Colorado so I'm pretty pumped.

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1. Be sure to drive over and spend a day in Telluride. Hit the town and the Mountain Village, and ride the (free) gondola.

2. Take a tour (there are several places that offer them) over Black Bear Pass.

FightinTexasAg15 said:

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Also, we're staying in Albuquerque on the way there and on the way back as a pit stop.

Any suggestions on things to see there or anywhere we should stop on the way from Dallas -> Albuquerque or Albuquerque -> Ouray?

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There's not really a lot to stop and see. Cadillac Ranch (look it up). Durango is on the way, but you can just drive back there from Ouray.
The drive from just north of Purgatory to Ouray on the Million Dollar Highway will give you all the sights you need to see. Pucker up.

Good info, thanks

FightinTexasAg15 said:

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No we won't be unfortunately.

But we definitely will take hiking/sightseeing suggestions

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We did the perimeter trail and blue lakes trail and enjoyed both of them. They both are pretty long though

Keep in mind you can't take dogs On most trails in National Parks.

That alone would keep me from doing Estes. Might as well hike with the dogs if you drag them along.

FightinTexasAg15 said:

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Also, we're staying in Albuquerque on the way there and on the way back as a pit stop.

Any suggestions on things to see there or anywhere we should stop on the way from Dallas -> Albuquerque or Albuquerque -> Ouray?

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Last year we took our kids to two cool museums in Albuquerque. Children's Museum and Nuclear Science/History museum. Not sure of their current status.

I just booked the Grand Hyatt in Vail for the long Labor Day weekend.

Any recommendations for off the beaten path stuff? We are flying into Denver on Thursday and will drive to Vail on Fri. We will have a rental car.

What type of car is the rental? That will determines how far off the beaten path to recommend.

Fairview said:

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What type of car is the rental? That will determines how far off the beaten path to recommend.

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Haha...economy/compact (i.e., cheap). We won't be doing any off-roaring.

By "off the beaten path" I meant places/attractions that are less likely to be popular with tourists.

Got it.

Hanging Lake trail is good and is hugely popular but now is limited to a certain number of people a day but you have to make reservations and take a shuttle which will help with the crowd. Make reservations ASAP if you want to do that trail. You also get to drive through the Glenwood Canyon which is beautiful.

Sylvan Lake State Park in Eagle during the week isn't too crowded and the hike around the lake is super easy. Good place to have a picnic. It's dirt roads to get there but you're fine in the rental. Lots of other trail heads in that area that range from easy to kick your ass.

Don't be afraid to venture to Avon and Edwards for restaurants outside of Vail Village.

Thanks! I was JUST looking at Hanging Lake Trail. It looks beautiful. The shuttle ride does give me pause, though. How long is it? The website does say they are limiting the number of passes they sell to help with distancing.

I want to spend most of this trip outdoors, so the more activities you can suggest, the better!

The shuttle ride is probably about 20 minutes each way. There's stuff to do in Glenwood springs too right by the shuttle parking lot. Hot springs, restaurants, adventure park, etc.

The trail isn't super hard but probably don't schedule that one on your first day. Give your body time to acclimate which will help. I saw they are limiting it to 240 people a day which is nothing.

Telluride Telluride Telluride. We just spent a few weeks in CO and Telluride was by far the most impressive.

It had been years since I'd been to Estes - once you're in the park, of course it's beautiful, but I forgot about the town... I didn't recall it being so touristy - think tee shirt shops and bus tours. With the parks on their limited access program, if you don't have an entry reservation you might be underwhelmed.

Fairview said:

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The shuttle ride is probably about 20 minutes each way. There's stuff to do in Glenwood springs too right by the shuttle parking lot. Hot springs, restaurants, adventure park, etc.

The trail isn't super hard but probably don't schedule that one on your first day. Give your body time to acclimate which will help. I saw they are limiting it to 240 people a day which is nothing.

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The only availability that whole weekend that could accommodate two people was 12:30 on Friday (well, or 6:30 am on Friday, but that was a big NO).

I went ahead and booked two passes. Much to my surprise, I can cancel up to 48 hours before and get my money back! I was just prepared to eat the $24 if for some reason we don't make it.

The pics look beautiful. It was a toss-up between doing this or spending the day in Denver. The only thing I'm really looking at doing there is the botanic garden, and we should have plenty of time after we arrive on Thursday to do that (assuming our flight isn't delayed).

You gain an hour. 6:30 is perfect time to start hiking.

mpl35 said:

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You gain an hour. 6:30 is perfect time to start hiking.

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Not when we will be driving there from Denver!

Counted 3 different groups sporting Ag attire in Durango today

I was there last week and met at least 3 groups who were Aggies, too!

TXTransplant said:

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mpl35 said:

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You gain an hour. 6:30 is perfect time to start hiking.

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Not when we will be driving there from Denver!

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Whats your e-mail? I have tons of things E-Vail/Vail Village/Cascade (Grand Hyatt)/West Vail/Eagle Vail/Minturn etc.

I can also get you some crazy discounts on activities, rentals, and F&B discounts.

Piney Lake is a great dog friendly hiking trail and alpine lake. Blue Lake is another great option as is Homestake for camping, hiking, bird watching, etc.

You can also go up Gondola 19 and then walk west (past the rubber paved trail and then kept going west down the hill and you'll hit the Matterhorn/Minturn Mile trail that's technically off bounds for vail. It's gorgeous and way off the normal hiking paths.

If you're looking for a nice hike with great views off the gndola - Ridge Rider to the top runs the A line of the Ridge and let's you see the sawatch on one side (holy cross) and the gore on the other.

Booth Falls and Booth Heights are convenient E Vail jibs.

Beaver Lake is great too

Food: Mountain Standard, El Segundo, Sweet Basil, Terrabistro, Big Bear Bistro, Montauk, Russels, La Tour, Vintage, Westside Caf, Moe's, Little Dinner, Pazzos, Chop House, Sabor, Blue Moose, Ti Amo, Vista, Ticino, Benderz Burgers, pho 20, and Edwards river walk

Hanging Lake is great but it's lost a lot of its luster from being trashed by the crowds.

Glenwood Canyon is great - Shoshone is a great rapid set.

You can also slide back to the area between red cliff and Leadville for turquoise lake.