Colorado

Traveling to Colorado in the summer is perfect. The temperature is often between 60 and 85 F, the mountain passes are open for driving, and the newly born wildlife is everywhere.

We found relatively cheap flights out to Colorado and decided to spend some time hiking in the great outdoors.

Here’s a moose.  It walked right by us.  It was a male (antlers!) with another male and young female in tow.  Erin got scared.  Brad was stoic.  No petting, but definitely more satisfying than a petting zoo.

Itinerary:  Here’s a broad overview of our trip:

Day 1: Flew into DTW, got a rental car, drove to Pikes Peak, saw the Garden of the Gods, and stayed in Colorado Springs.

Day 2: Drove to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, drove up to Manitou Springs, stayed in Denver.

Day 3: Hiked up Mt. Bierstadt and then stayed in Grand Lake.

Day 4: Hiked in Rocky Mountain National Park, drove on the Trail Ridge Road, and stayed in Estes Park.

Day 5: Hiked in RMNP, stopped in Boulder, then stayed in Denver.

Day 6: Flew out of Denver.

Cost: The trip cost approximately $1900 for two people for five nights. The breakdown is as follows: flights $325 round trip/person, rental car $220, Air BnBs about $120/night for two people, park admissions $85, food $50/day for two people, misc (gas, etc.) $100.

Tips about our favorite places to follow.