so ive decided this is the next place i want to travel but dont want to be in an overpriced tourist area
anyone know of any good places to go or just any tips or anything in general?

11/16/2005 8:53:31 PM

the rocky mountains

11/16/2005 9:02:08 PM

summer or winter?

11/16/2005 9:02:24 PM

summer

[Edited on November 16, 2005 at 9:03 PM. Reason : probably late summer]

11/16/2005 9:02:58 PM

and do you like camping/backpacking?

if so, it will be much cheaper and you can avoid the crowds

11/16/2005 9:05:12 PM

yeah but i dont have much equipment anymore, and i dont want the entire trip to be that
definately lots of day hikes though

11/16/2005 9:07:02 PM

go hunt for these guys



they look yummy

11/16/2005 9:09:01 PM

My friend went to Jackson Hole, Wyoming for Christmas in highschool. She liked it alot.

11/16/2005 9:16:14 PM

in some travel magazine they had some small town that they called the american swiss alps
it wasnt a big tourist location and looked beautiful and had a lot of swiss looking buildings
i want to find that place

11/16/2005 9:20:47 PM

Check out a book about the pacific crest trail. That should get you ideas on all kinds of spots.

11/16/2005 9:59:34 PM

grand teton ntl park ... jackson hole ... lake tahoe ... estes park ... the list goes on

11/16/2005 10:18:13 PM

go to colorado and just explore, silverton, durango, black canyon of the gunisson, ouray, there are so many places...but road trip once u get there is def the way to go

11/16/2005 11:28:01 PM

Quote :

"Check out a book about the pacific crest trail. That should get you ideas on all kinds of spots."

except that the Pacific Crest Trail is about 800 miles west of the Rockies

I spent the whole summer in the Rockies, I'll write more when I get some time.

11/17/2005 12:27:48 AM

i want to do a road trip thing around colorado, i guess im going to be driving cause i cant rent a car
and the town i am thinking of is in colorado somewhere

11/17/2005 12:31:17 AM

^^ ooops. Thats what I get for not sleeping last night.

11/17/2005 12:43:35 AM

go to estes park in colorado. also, go to pikes peak down near colorado springs.

11/17/2005 2:51:23 AM

Banf, Alberta, Canada

11/17/2005 3:01:48 AM

Quote :

"go to colorado and just explore, silverton, durango, black canyon of the gunisson, ouray, there are so many places...but road trip once u get there is def the way to go"

i would go w/ this in one of the central western states - NM, CO

11/17/2005 8:10:57 AM

For a day hike I would recommend going to Herman Lake. The trailhead is located right off I-70. The hike to the lake is about 3 miles one way. It is very beautiful, lots of flowers in summer and there are some great views. The lake is at a very high elevation, so there are no fish or anything. The trail is easy (not very steep), and it's shady until you go above treeline. The only downside to this hike is that there are a lot of people, especially on weekends. A lot of them bring dogs too.

Another great hike if you are feeling more adventurous is Grey's Peak and Torrey's Peak. They are both above 14,000 ft. This trail basically starts at treeline and goes all the way to 14,000 ft. It's about 4 miles to the top of Gray's, then another mile to the top of Torrey's if you feel like doing both. But be warned, this hike is much more difficult than Herman Lake. It's only a mile more, but getting to the top took me three hours longer than Herman. You don't need any special equipment or anything, but the trail is pretty steep and there are plenty of "rock stairs" that have high steps. This trail is also pretty crowded, there were a lot more people there than at Herman. Also, make sure to get an early start, like 6am. That'll avoid the crowds as well as the afternoon thunderstorms that might force you to turn back.

Near Eagle there's a National Forest and you can visit Fulford Cave (which is free). There's about a mile hike to get to the cave entrance, which is just a giant culvert with a ladder in it that goes into the ground. You don't need rapelling gear or anything, although a headlamp is a must and leather gloves are a good idea. Caving's not for everyone, some people get freaked out by it. But I found it to be a lot of fun. It's a little bit dangerous, even in a 'beginner' cave like Fulford. The good thing about the cave is that although there were a lot of people, they all spread out and we hardly ever saw anybody.

And of course you gotta hit up Yellowstone or Rocky Mountain National Park. I've never been there myself but everyone I know who has gone thought it was great.

Also, find a map of National Forests. You can camp anywhere in them for free.

11/17/2005 10:42:20 AM

Quote :

"in some travel magazine "

if it was in a travel magazine, its overrun with tourists now

11/17/2005 11:06:26 AM

actually it was in an automotive magazine, but yeah i know that

11/17/2005 1:07:55 PM

Fly in to Denver and drive about an hour west on I-70 to Guanella Pass. Do the Mt. Beirstadt and Mt. Evans link up via this ridge called "the sawtooth". It's awesome.

Check out 14ers.com and localhikes.com

If you want to see pictures of the sawtooth, there are a bunch in my photo gallery.

This is from Mt. Beirstadt looking across the sawtooth. Mt. Evans is just out of the pic on the right.

11/17/2005 1:52:26 PM

montana

11/17/2005 4:01:06 PM