Denver and Boulder

July 17-21, July 30-August 2, August 5-9, 2021

TL;DR: From elk, moose, and owl sightings to expansive panoramas, epic jazz shows, and wonderful meals, the Rocky Mountains did not disappoint.

The stats

Hikes: 2
Hiking miles: 4.32 (517 feet elevation)
Miles in Layla: 470
Miles in Eric: 495
Moose seen: 3
Jazz shows loved: 1
Sandals broke: 1
Friends visited: 4 (+ 2 kiddos!)
Grasshoppers dodged: 239

The sights

Rocky Mountain National Park

We were able to visit the park two times, which was really nice. First, we drove all the way around and approached from the west, but didn’t realize we could come early without a reservation, so we arrived at 11 am and there were storms rolling in. So we stuck to sightseeing from the car, and saw sweeping views in every direction of the mountains and valleys. The very top is around 12,000 feet, and we were treated to a huge herd of elk before it got a bit rainy.

The second time in, we approached from the east side, and went up Old Fall River Road, which is one-way, and unpaved. Stopped at Chapin Creek, and got slightly more elevation than we bargained for, but were treated to amazing views. Also saw a few moose, elk, and marmots on the side of the road!

Drove through Nederland on the way back and stopped in Smokehouse Brewery for some beer and BBQ.

Drove through Granby and Grand Lake, which were both small and cute, but uneventful. Estes Park, on the east side, was hoppin’ when we drove by, but felt a little too touristy for our taste.

Denver

The LoHi neighborhood was walkable and lovely, and we made a stop at The Cart Driver one night because we were super hot and needed some air conditioning. Imbibed in good cocktails and pizza, then walked by The Milk Jug ice cream shop, and the line was insane. Also stopped by Avanti for drinks, and dinner at The Bindery, with our friend Alyssa, who used to live in Denver and is now in Tahoe.

Also went to Duo in LoHi, and sat outside for an early bird dinner that was particularly delicious. We also happily made it to Señor Bear with Jess’s cousin and her husband, Cole, who used to lived there.

Our last night in Denver, we went to RiNo, which was packed with people. Sort of reminded us of Rainey Street in Austin, and even had a Lustre Pearl. Went to Nocturne for some of the first live music we’ve seen in a while—jazz—and it was incredible. Was also complemented with the most amazing meal, great cocktails, and wine pairings. Our waiter even brought us some extra champagne at the end that we definitely didn’t need, but definitely enjoyed.

Drove to Barr Lake State Park, which features an 8.8-mile trail around the lake, and is about 26 miles east of Denver, to try and see some eagles. Unfortunately we didn’t see any eagles, but did see a very sleepy owl, a heron, some other cool birds, and beautiful wildflowers.

Made a few side trips to see Golden (where the Coors Factory is), Evergreen, and Morrison, which is right next to Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre.

Boulder

We started with much needed haircuts for both of us the first day we were there.

Walked up and down Pearl and Walnut streets and visited a few shops, all very charming. Kind of in between Denver and a smaller mountain town. Ate pizza at Pizzeria Locale, where Jess had the most amazing frozen negroni.

Also stopped at an incredible vintage store, Heady Bauer, which had so many sparkly things.

When it started pouring, we found shelter at Frank’s, and treated ourselves to several amazing happy hour drinks. We also snuck in a nice walk at the foot of the Flatirons on our last morning.

Fort Collins

Didn’t get to check out Fort Collins as thoroughly as we would have liked, but swung by the New Belgium and Odell’s breweries to take a look, and they both had really nice outdoor areas.

Details, details, details

Prospect RV Park in Denver had a nice trail right next to it, which led to a few other trails. Was buggy at night (Jess got about 9 mosquito bites one night), but really nice for morning runs!

Met up with some friends who have had two kids since we saw them last and it was so lovely! (Hi Dan and Linds!).

At Osaka’s in Boulder, they had these amazing cubes that you simply turn to what you need—a drink, water, food, the check —and someone gets pinged on their watch, and comes over to help. Brilliant!

And then this happened…

Jess went to a yoga class for the first time in years, which was wonderful, but then the Denver traffic on the way back was a good reminder that we do not want to live in a big city.

The gas line on one of the stovetops came unconnected, but Brian was able to put it back together relatively easily (phew).

Tried to drive into Idaho Springs with Layla and Eric on a Saturday, but it was super busy. Main Street was closed down and we couldn’t find parking for our long footprint, so had to abort.

A strap on Jess’s sandal broke off while we were walking to dinner in Denver. Thankfully we had some duct tape in the Tracker! Still holding strong.

The straps that we put on the fridge three years ago finally wore down…and allowed it to fly open during a drive. Had to temporarily tape it with lots of masking tape until we could get more extra strength velcro straps.

Now we know

While you need a “reservation” to get into Rocky Mountain National Park between 9 am and 3 pm, you don’t need one if you arrive before 9 or after 3.

Some farmer’s markets have stands—like the one we saw in Arvada—where you take a bag and fill it with as much as you can for $15 (!).

Even if it’s hot in Denver, it’ll likely be stormy and chilly at some point in the Rocky Mountains.

Where we stayed

Nights one through five, and 10-12: Site 41, Prospect RV Park, Denver, CO

When we got here the first time, we had a bit of a janky set up with the electrical cord. It only had a 50amp post and the adapter wasn’t providing enough voltage to the RV. This was rather unfortunate since it was sweltering and it kept kicking off the A/C. But, we were able to plug in to the 20amp plug and thankfully it was enough.

They very kindly held our packages in between our two stays.

Nights six through nine: Spot 26, Boulder County Fairgrounds Campground, Boulder, Colorado

Interesting setup where you walk through and find what site you want, then reserve it through a kiosk. Pretty no-frills, right on the campground, with tons of horses and gorgeous flowers around the dump station. Also next to the Humane Society, so we saw a lot of doggos being walked. Jess pined after each one.

Nights 13 and 14: Site 6, Boyd Lake State Park, south of Fort Collins, Colorado

Cute little park with a big old lake and a nice path around it with 1 million grasshoppers.