Colorado Lovin: A Vacation Every Weekend

I confess that during my visit to San Diego I swore I was moving there…then during my visit to Boulder I swore I was moving there. In fairness, I’ve been saying for the last few years that San Diego or around Denver was my preferred choice when anyone asked where I hoped we would go next!

Since the FitSocial conference left me with very little time to explore beyond my 20 miler {and not much worth writing about the conference} so I reached out to some local bloggers and asked what they love and where they would send people. First they met me for dinner at a fun Boulder farm to table restaurant called Shine..then as per the normal Colorado lifestyle they started talking about upcoming MEGA hikes and Ultratrail runs.
Everyone had trouble narrowing down their list because as stated by Heather of Better with veggies: “The outdoors are right here to enjoy all 4 seasons! It feels like vacation every weekend.”
Alas here are their recommendations when forced to choose: (image from my SonyNEX at Mt Sanitas)

• Visit Red Rocks Amphitheater. Just 30 minutes from downtown, it’s a really neat concert venue at night but is open for people to visit during the day! For a great workout, many people integrate the stairs into their workout. There is also a trail within Red Rocks to run/hike and many trails nearby!
  {Image from RedRocksOnline}
• Eat at the Cherry Cricket. Just 5 minutes from downtown, it’s a staple in the Denver restaurant scene for their delicious burgers and extensive beer selection. It’s been featured on Man vs. Food for their burger toppings too
• Loveland Pass (which borders Clear Creek and Summit County). It’s about an hour from Denver straight out on 70 west {with amazing views during the drive}. The views along 70 on the way to Loveland Pass offer beautiful, breath-taking snow-capped peaks.
  {Image from Lauren of Meandthemountain}
  
• Elk Range in Aspen has two 14ers {mountain speak I guess??} that are absolutely beautiful with tons of hiking/biking opportunities. Plus, Aspen is a cute little mountain town with tons of great restaurants!
  {Image from Dave Amerialt}
• Checkout the Front Range hiking options at White Ranch, Centennial Cone, Matthews/Winters, Buffalo Creek and Green Mountain. Its a great excuse to get outside, you are rewarded with beautiful scenery and there are literally trails for everyone!

Checkout their blogs for more ideas on where to head in and around Colorado:
Heidi Nicole of runaroundaroo.com
Lauren Martin of meandthemountains.com
Heather of JustAColoradoGal.com
Lynne
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Gratitude Journal
Oct 3
I am grateful for the many opportunities I have had to experience different parts of the country. There are still many places left to see and I’m sure many more I will declare I’d like to live.