Denver -> Salida -> Crested Butte -> Red Rocks
Activities Included: Camping, Rafting, Hiking, Star Gazing, Live Music
Rough outline to help begin the planning process for the trip.
Here is an overview of the proposed driving route.
Why these locations?
There are several strong reasons to include Salida and Crested Butte on this trip:
First, Salida is a charming town that happens to be the center of river sports in Colorado, making it a great place for rafting. It’s also an excellent spot for finding dispersed campsites (our favorite way to camp). Finally, it's at a higher altitude, so it shouldn't be too hot.
As for Crested Butte, it is potentially mine and Macy’s favorite ski town in CO, and it's absolutely stunning in the summer.
The wildflowers out there are particularly spectacular when you’ll be here in June. Combining this with its proximity to the lovely Maroon Bells mountain range all together makes it a great spot for hiking, biking, and camping. A bonus is the town itself is also fun place for a night out, with plenty of bars and restaurants.
If you choose to do this route, check out the two options below—one for camping and one for staying in town.
If you had your heart set on a different area, it would be easy to adjust the plan to Aspen, Telluride, Durango, etc., but Crested Butte is really nice.
Also, don't feel hemmed in by any of these suggestions—just hoping to give a leg up in the planning. Do whatever feels right!
If you want to check out the other outlined routes, check them out here.
- Saturday, June 14th - Arrival
- Location: Denver
- Stay: Whatever works best for the group! Let me know how we can help coordinate. We'd be happy to host—Macy and I have a guest bed, and the couch is plenty comfortable for a night. If a couple of you are up for an air mattress after a transatlantic flight, we could host everyone. Otherwise, you could grab an Airbnb or a cheap hotel room in NW Denver, either for the whole group or to supplement sleeping arrangements alongside our apartment.
- Activities: Sleep and recover from the flight. Travel days are rough.
- Sunday, June 15th - Hit The Road
- Location: Denver to Salida
- Stay: Camping
- Overview: Grab a nice breakfast in Denver before heading towards a camp site in the Salida area of the Arkansas River Valley. If we do this 'M25' route I'd join for this leg! We'll have a big campfire to kick off the road trip camping under the stars.
- Activities: Camping, dark sky stargazing.
- Monday, June 16th - Rafting
- Location: Salida
- Stay: You'll probably want a shower after rafting all day. Maybe an Airbnb or VRBO?
- Overview: I'll head out in the morning after breakfast. Salida is the spot for rafting in Colorado. Book a rafting tour for the afternoon through a guiding company like this one → Salida River Adventures
- Activities: Rafting
- (Option A) Tuesday, June 17th - Crested Butte / Lost Lake
- Location: Salida to Crested Butte / Lost Lake
- Stay: Camp at Lost Lake Campground - first come, first serve campsite that does have bathrooms. Costs $20/night for the group. Next to a lovely high mountain lake and some nice hiking.
- Overview: Drive from Salida through Gunnison and Crested Butte to the beautiful Lost Lake Campground. Stop in Crested Butte for lunch. Maybe hike the Three Lakes Trail after setting up camp. If you're up for a challenge, try the Dyke Creek Trail.
- Activities: Camping and hiking
- (Option B) Tuesday, June 17th - Crested Butte
- Location: Crested Butte Proper
- Stay: Don't feel like camping? Choose an Airbnb in town to use as a home base for activities in the area. There's a free town bus that will take you from the ski village area - but we've always enjoyed staying closer in town. Here are some options that might work: Rather-Be Bungalow and Barn in Crested Butte
- Overview: Crested Butte has tons of fun activities for a full day there. Options include more hiking, visiting the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, or checking out lift-access mountain biking (with trails for all skill levels). Crested Butte is also a fun night out, too—grab pizza for dinner and swing by the Talk of the Town. Lots of options for dinner and drinks.
- Activities: Hiking, biking, mountain town livin'
- Wednesday, June 18th - Red Rocks
- Location: Crested Butte to Denver
- Stay: Macy and I will be staying in Boulder at this point, so you all should consider taking over our apartment for the night. With two beds and a comfy couch, there should be plenty of room for the group. Our place is within walking distance of tons of great dinner options and just a 20-minute drive from Red Rocks. Oh, and it's free—so that’s a nice bonus!
- Overview: Wake up early and drive from Crested Butte back to Denver (4 hour-ish drive). Grab dinner in Denver, then head to the Alison Krauss show at Red Rocks that evening. We often just pay for a Lyft/Uber when we go to shows at RR, but driving is also an option. Just make sure to leave before the encore to ensure you're out of the venue before traffic really hits. Leaving ten minutes early can save you an hour plus getting home.
- Activities: Live music
- Bonus Activity: Stop at one of our favorite Bars in Colorado on the way back from Crested Butte. Called Bread Bar it's built into an 1800's bakery located in a tiny old mining town called Silver Plume. It's right off your route on the way home.
- Thursday, June 19th - Boulder Day
- Location: Denver to Boulder (30 min drive)
- Stay: Dave mentioned in the group chat that an Airbnb has been booked for Boulder—that's awesome! It should make for a great afternoon and evening hanging out together in Boulder.
- Overview: Wake up and head to Boulder. Maybe enjoy a nice brunch in Denver (suggested spots: 1, 2, 3]) or just grab a quick coffee near the apartment (MiddleState). Then, drive to Boulder—it’s about 30 minutes without traffic. A good reason to sleep in a bit after the Red Rocks concert and avoid the morning rush. Check-in is probably around 3-4 PM.
- Macy and I are taking most of this week off and staying up in Boulder at my parents' place, getting the house ready to become a wedding venue. If all goes well, we should have a free afternoon and evening to hang with you all in Boulder. We're really looking forward getting to hang with y'all while you're in CO!
- Before check-in, you could either:
- Come up to the house, Go little hike in town - Mt Sanitas, Tube Boulder Creek - video | instructions, Drive up to Nederland and Jamestown, Go rock climbing - more info, or rent bikes and bike the Boulder Creek Path - rentals here.
- Whatever the activity, after you all check into the Airbnb, we’d love to do dinner, drinks, and a hang in downtown Boulder.