In just a few hours, the sun will rise on my 40th birthday and let’s be honest, doesn’t a birthday like this inspire a must do Colorado adventure list?!
For my 36th, I’ll threw back the covers in a warm Dublin hotel room, kissed that handsome man of mine, downed a slice of bread with almond butter and headed out to…RUN the Rock N Roll Dublin 10k.
It was PHENOMENAL… and yet, still there are so many things right here in my own Colorado backyard that we’ve been taking advantage of this year with travel still feeling more limited.
Colorado Adventure Bucket List
Hopefully, my Colorado Bucket List will inspire a few ideas for you as well.
Instead of another year where I spout off about all the things I’ve learned, making me seem far wiser than I am (though you can certainly read my 34 lessons of adulthood or advice from friends on what they wish they’d known).
40 is about looking forward.
We’ve been in Colorado now since Nov 2015, during that time we’ve explored. We have made killer new friends. We’ve pushed our boundaries. And I have spent a lot of time traveling other places!
With so much going on, it’s easy to fall in to sticking to the trails we know and love, but that’s not why we’re here.
I could just write, hike, run, hike, bike and say it applies to everywhere in Colorado, but there are some specific experiences that I really want to make sure don’t get lost in our shuffle of daily to do’s.
My Colorado Bucket List
Since creating this list, I’ve actually had the chance to do some of these and so those are linked up in case you want more info on doing them yourself!
- Visit the Great Sand Dunes National Park
- Backpack camping at least once
- Soak in the Glenwood Hot Springs
- Spot the Big Horned Sheep on a bike ride (many spotings running Waterton Canyon)
- Have high tea at The Brown
- Snowshoe…a lot more
- Cross Country Ski in Vail
- Rappelling (did the awesome zipline at the Broadmoor)
- SUP yoga
- Ride the Royal Gorge Train (we ended up white water rafting instead! see things to do in Canon City)
- Climb Manitou Incline
- Summit Pikes Peak on foot
- Salida rafting or fishing
- Concert at Red Rocks (was awesome!!)
- Hanging out with friends around the campfire
- Ancient pueblos in Mesa Verde (very cool)
- Go to a Broncos vs Chiefs game
- Spot male Elk bugling for their “harem” (OMG this was INCREDIBLE)
- Not encounter rattlesnakes or other deadly animals while running
- Kayak the Arkansas River
- Running Garden of the Gods (done and not as exciting as expected with so many people)
- Hike to Hanging Lake and Ice Lake Basin
- Full moon bike ride or hike or run
- Running Maroon Bells in wildflowers
- Try Snowboarding
- Take Ski Lessons
- Glamping with girlfriends
- Rock Climbing lessons
- Ice climbing
- Complete a trail race
- Checkout dog sledding
- Biking from Vail to Frisco
- Yoga on the Rocks (super fun experience)
- Mount Evans
- Concert at Fiddler’s Green
- I’m leaving this one open for adventures I don’t yet know about
You might feel like some major Colorado must do’s are missing and that’s because we’ve been busy since we moved here!!
Some we had already checked off and others, I didn’t even realize I needed to put on the list!
- See a balloon rodeo
- See wild horses in Grand Junction
- Run the Colorado Ragnar Relay
- Winter Park Summer events
- Horseback Riding Near Black Hawk
Do you purposefully try to explore new places where you live? Do you love where you live? If not, why don’t you move?! I had fun in Florida, but it was never love…so I bid my time, until I knew Mountain Bike Hubby would be excited to move as well.
What’s your favorite way to celebrate?
Do you have a bucket list of any kind?
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Jesica @rUnladylike
Happy birthday!!!! You should also add a long weekend at Dunton Hot Springs to your list. My husband and I have been there twice and it is a magical place. Pricey and very remote but I think you’d love it! I did a bucket list when I turned 32 and I need to look back and see what I’ve crossed off during the past three years. Wishing you a wonderful year ahead!
amanda
oh thanks for the idea!!!
Laura
Count me in for basically all of these!!! I think I’m going to try to do the Manitou Incline Thursday though because I heard it’s closing Saturday :(
Erica @ Erica Finds
Happy Birthday! My bucket list grows every year!! :) Getting older is all good!
Wendy@Taking the Long Way Home
My bucket list was the Big Sur Marathon. After that, I felt a little lost. Then along came RA and now I’m all about living life to the fullest. Being 54 isn’t as big of a deal to me anymore as long as I can do all the things I want to do. So far, so good.
Happy birthday! You’ve got a lot of time to do your list.
cheryl
No bucket list but really Pike’s Peak is NOT on that list? The marathon is a must!
cheryl
P.S. I am turning 64 in about a month….some days I feel about 36 and I am still running- ten years more than you are old! Just keeps getting better and better!
Frank
You’ve pretty much nailed everything! Maroon Bells running is unbelievable! I’m moving there within the next few years and cannot wait to make a similar list. Happy early birthday!
Aimee from Run Eat Drink Podcast
I am 42. I have a bucket list in my mind but have never written it down. Do you think it helps you plan for those items on the list more? In my mind, I want to run races, 5K, 1 mile, half marathon, or whatever the distance, in every state of the US and explore great and food and beverages from all across the US to share with everyone.
Susie @ Suzlyfe
Dog sledding is amazing–we did it when my family used to go to Vail for spring break. It is a great excursion, and driving the dogs is impossible (at least it was when I was like 8 and weighed nothing). And Vail in general is just one of my favorite places. My mom did cross country skiing there! Here’s to a great list of adventures and many more years to experience them.
amanda
i’m sure i’ll be awful at cross country, but I can’t wait to find out :)
Emily Swanson
Having our dogs pull our sleds makes me think that actual dog sledding would be AMAZING! I hope you get to check it out. And trail races are so fun; I hope you get to try one! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
amanda
actual dog sledding is super cool…but I’ll let your dogs pull me around!
Lesley
My parents live near RMNP and my mom’s mentioned me driving up there for the rut. I can’t believe those big elk males squeak like they do, but it’ll be fun to see what happens.
and I’ve done high tea with my parents as my Mother’s Day gift to my mom. It was fun, and their piano player was amazing.
amanda
yeahhh love hearing that tea was good, I wasn’t sure but sounded interesting!
Ana Alarcon
Such a great bucketlist! I need to make one as well. and happy birthday girl!
Mikki
Happy belated Birthday! Loving this post.
My best friend lives outside of Denver and I LOVE going to visit her in the Spring and the Fall (I’m a FL girl.. don’t like the snow).
Colorado is sooo beautiful!! Hope you have a great time checking off your list.
amanda
We actually moved to Denver from FL because I couldn’t take marathon training in the humidity any more, ha!!
Marla
Amazing bucket list. We just moved from Florida and I feel the same thing. I had fun living there but it wasn’t love. As soon as I arrived here is another story, so much in 💚. And the running…OMG amazing!!!, not missing that at all in FL. Just copied your list to do all the amazing things you suggested, can’t wait to explore and adventure with my family, so thank you!!! And Happy Birthday 🎉! Have an amazing one 🍕🥳
amanda
yayyy welcome to CO!! what area did you end up in?