Haggerwood

I am going to Colorado for 5 days in a few weeks. Flying into Denver with the intent to see some mountains and whatever Denver has to offer.
Any suggestions ? How is driving in the rockies ? We are getting a rental and I'd like to know if a standard size car can handle the mountains ? Are there any bears or buffalos ?

scrubbedexpat099

Mountains, look west from Denver.

Driving in the Rockies is no different from anywhere else. Presumably you are not looking to drive off road?

Never seen a Bear, some friends have Bison.

Sally

We had a nice time there about 5 years ago. We drove fairly high in the mountains in a standard car. A deer did jump in front of it but no other large animals.

Denver seemed quite pleasant, it had a free bus up and down the high street and a good art museum, also Boulder was pretty.

Have a good trip.

kel.n.issy

Denver is a great city (if you like cities), head west on I-70 and you will see some great places.

A normal car will be fine nothing exotic is needed,

Never seen a bear here, have seen a mountain lion though, although I beleive thats pretty rare.

Have you decided on any places to stay, we stayed in a great motel in Grand lake a couple of weeks ago, beautiful scenery and great walks etc. I think it was called Gateway Inn ??

scrubbedexpat099

Colrado I think is twice the size of England.

I am off this weekend, 340 miles each way, and I am not leaving the State.

From Denver, Rocky Mountain National Park is an obvious one, Elk but no Bison. Going over the top is nice but I am pretty sure the road is still closed. I have cycled it, a long long way up.

Or head due West towards the Ski resorts, Georgetown for the train.
Depends what you want to do and how far you want to drive.

Boulder, Pearl Street etc, seems like this weekend the weather will be good. And en route for Este Parks.

Must go. Need to pick the mussus up from DIA.

Schnorbitz

Head west, when you get to Lookout Mountain you'll see some Buffalo's. Closet I've come to a bear is The Little Bear bar in Evergreen. Get on I-70 and head west until you get to exit 232 (US 40, signed for Rocky Mountain National Park and Winter Park). Take this road and drive up to the National Park and across Trail Ridge road - quite exhilarating. You can drive over the top and through into Estes Park and back into Denver. It's a big loop and can take 4 - 5 hours at a leisurely pace allowing for picture stops/fuel/lunch, etc but it is very scenic. PM me an email address if you want a map.

Tarkak9

Lucky for you, Colorado has some mountains for you to see

Driving in the hills is fine, even in a standard... its not difficult nor frightening at all... unless you were thinking of driving Trail Ridge Road (which is still closed I think) its the highest highway in the US - eight miles of the road are above 11,000 feet in elevation and it reaches 12,183 feet... one sneeze can mean you go off the side of the mountain... so its scary to look out your window to a huge drop.

Estes Park is a fave place to go to.. Rocky Mountain Nat Park and the Stanley hotel (The Shining) are the popular "sights". Beautiful scenery in CO. Sand Dunes are a sight too... in the middle of the Sangre de Cristo range http://www.nps.gov/grsa/ If you're feeling short on funds, go to the Denver Mint!! Ski season is winding down but you might be able to get some skiing in.

Royal Gorge by Colorado Springs is a local thing.. the highest suspension bridge in the world it claims... 1000 ft above the Arkansas river http://www.royalgorgebridge.com/Bridge.aspx

Boulder is a good place to see too. Denver's hub area is LoDo and the 16th street mall. Catch a Rockies game.. go and see Red Rocks.
What sort of things do you like to do? There is a good amount of stuff to do and see, depends what you like. Just don't go for Rocky Mountain Oysters and drink plenty of water.

scrubbedexpat099

Not in April!

Memorial Day is usually the opening.

Last year?, it was closed in June.

Schnorbitz

+1 for Royal Gorge. Not sure if rafting is on yet but you can do a "Raft and Rail" http://www.raftecho.com/colorado-raf...s/raft-n-rail/ which is a lot of fun. Of course when you say by Colorado Springs, it's about 1 - 1 1/2 hours away

And +1 for avoiding Rocky Mountain Oysters!

Schnorbitz

He said in a few weeks - just offering it out there.

OP - the road is closed now but you can check here to get details on current road conditions.

AdobePinon

My Honda Civic does fine in the Rockies, so almost anything you rent will be fine. Some of the rental 'compact' cars seem to have weaker engines than the lowliest ones you can actually buy, so be wary of those. (E.g., I rented a Ford Focus once - had to drop to second to get it up the hill from Albuquerque to Santa Fe - I know that you can't buy a Focus that crappy.)

TaffyinOK

[QUOTE=Schnorbitz;4673520]Head west, when you get to Lookout Mountain you'll see some Buffalo's. Closet I've come to a bear is The Little Bear bar in Evergreen.

I go to Evergreen, CO, for a vacation every year and I'm very familiar with the Little Bear Saloon - it's my watering hole while I'm there. Half-way decent food and pretty good live music.

As to which kind of vehicle to drive while there? I always drive my little Corolla and have no problems whatsoever.

Animals? I've seen lots of elk (depending on the time of year) and a black bear once (rummaging around in someone's rubbish bin).

MancMan

Glenwood springs is a nice place to spend a day, Also see Garden of the Gods near Colorado springs. The town of Golden has a good railway musem if you like that sort of thing. If you don't, visit the Coors brewery tour also in Golden. You can get a free beer or two .

Britdrinker

I'd rent something with six cylinders if I were you. A four-banger will be puffing and panting up some of those hills.

Haggerwood

When we went to the smokies it was in the car below. The brakes were never the same again.