• Dates: July 16-20, 2020
• Home Base: Loveland, CO
• Main Stops: Colorado Springs, Rocky Mountain National Park, Denver
• # of People: 2
• Transportation: Rental Car
• Airport: Denver International
• Activities: Hiking, Bike Riding, Sightseeing/Scavenger Hunt
• Cost of Trip: $1,063 + Flight, Food, & Gas

• Total Drive Time: ~1 hour & 20 minutes (60-70 miles)
• Activities:
  • Loveland Lock Sculpture
  • Benson Sculpture Garden
• Food:
  • Mary’s Mountain Cookies

While we were in the visitor’s center, David struck up a conversation with one of the employees. David is the extrovert to my introvert. He was talking to her about our trip and why we were there and asked if there was anything she recommended that we see or do. Originally we had planned to go paddleboarding at Carter Lake, but neither of us was feeling it after traveling. One of her suggestions was Benson Sculpture Garden. I am glad she made this suggestion, it wasn’t even on our radar. We had fun walking through and interacting with the sculptures and it was a nice leisurely way to see something new and pass the time until check-in.

After leaving Benson Sculpture Gardens, we headed to our Airbnb to check in and freshen up for dinner. We ate at the Bent Fork, which is sadly now closed. However, there are a ton of local restaurants around Loveland to choose from. After dinner, we decided to head back to Lake Loveland, which was very close to our Airbnb, and watch the sunset. We picked up dessert from Mary’s Mountain Cookies and enjoyed watching the sunset behind the mountains.

I had picked out some alternate activities, just depending on how much time we had and what we felt like doing.

• The Flipside: The Flipside is an arcade full of your favorite old-school pinball games and arcade games along with a full bar and lounge. 
• Paddle Boards at Lake Carter (What’s SUP): What’s SUP is a stand-up paddleboard (SUP) and kayak rental company. They offer rentals by the hour, 2 hours, half day, and full day. Park entrance fees are not included with the rental. Daily entrance permits are available at entrance stations and self-serve stations prior to entering the parks. A park permit is required to visit Carter Lake or Horsetooth Reservoir. It is $9 per day/per car for a day pass. You must purchase it directly from Larimer County Parks. Park permit info: www.larimer.org/naturalresources/parks/permits**Only available Memorial Day – Labor Day

• Total Drive Time: ~ 4 hours (246 miles)
• Activities:
  • E-Bike Tour of Garden of the Gods,
  • Let’s Roam Scavenger Hunt
• Food:
  • Denver Biscuit Company,
  • Thunder and Buttons,
  • Illegal Pete’s

Early the next morning, we hit the road for Colorado Springs. It is about a 2-hour drive from Loveland to Colorado Springs. We left around 7 am and headed straight for Denver Biscuit Company (Colorado Springs). This restaurant came at the recommendation of one of my brothers, and it did not disappoint. I had The Dahla (sausage patty, fried egg, house-made apple butter, covered in maple syrup) and David had The Tomahawk (sausage patty, scrambled egg, cheddar cheese, and house-made strawberry rhubarb jam). These biscuits were incredibly filling and delicious. Due to covid, there were not many people at the restaurant and we were seated immediately. However, this is a popular place to eat, so I would recommend joining the waitlist online or ordering ahead on their website if you are on a tight schedule.

After breakfast, we headed to Bike Pikes Peak for a guided tour of the Garden of the Gods. This tour was a 3-hour, E-bike tour through a 5-mile scenic tour on a paved bike path around the sandstone formations of Garden of The Gods. Garden of the Gods is a must-see for any visitor to Colorado Springs. The incredible landscape has grown to become a huge attraction for groups & families from all over the globe. Many of them have to experience it by car or bus, battling traffic and the severely limited parking just to get a glimpse of the beauty out a window. 

However, this park is best experienced out in the open. By visiting the park by bike, we were able to avoid the car lines, immerse ourselves in nature, and not be cooped up in a car or bus. The park offers an extensive designated bike lane that makes it easy to get around without worrying about riding in between traffic.

Our guide, Ivy, was amazing and took the time to point out all of the different sites and gave us plenty of time to ask questions, as well as take our picture all over the park. This was our first time on E-bikes and we became an instant fan. I would definitely consider us “beginner” level bike riders, we’ve never biked more than a few miles at a time. With the assistance of the E-bike, I felt like we could have biked all day without growing tired. As a bonus, our legs were not sore the next day as I expected. Bike Pikes Peak offers several different tours that vary in time, difficulty, and location. When we went, the cost of our tour was $80 each. However, the cost has gone up to $195 ea at the time of writing this. They do run frequent discount codes that can bring the price down. There are some other companies in the area with varying prices, I just don’t have experience with them. You can also explore Garden of the Gods by Segway, Jeep tour, horseback, or by car.

Initially, after the bike tour, we were going to grab lunch at Thunder and Buttons and explore Old Colorado City, making sure to visit the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. However, we were still pretty full from breakfast. So instead, we decided to grab a light snack and head to the center of Colorado Springs and complete the “All Things Colorado Springs” Let’s Roam Scavenger Hunt. This scavenger hunt takes about 1.5-2 hours and covers ~1.5 miles of walking. Let’s Roam is an app-based scavenger hunt platform that has scavenger hunts for 600+ cities around the world. Each scavenger hunt leads you to different locations and includes information about each stop as well as a quiz or photo challenge. You can play with 1-10 people. We got an app introductory rate of $9.99/month. Now you can buy a single game for $12.99/player or $19.99/month for unlimited outdoor scavenger hunts for you and up to 5 people. So, unless you are playing 1 game by yourself, the monthly membership is the best. You can cancel your monthly membership at any time.

After that, we headed back to Loveland and grabbed dinner on the way at  Illegal Pete’s (Denver) in Denver.

• Manitou Incline: Free reservations are required to visit this trail. Reservations open at the beginning of each month for the following month. Ex: reservations for June will open on May 1st. 
• Pike’s Peak: You can reach the top of Pike’s Peak by car, bus or Jeep tour, cog train, bike, or hiking
• Manitou Cliff Dwellings: You can explore the area for $12/adult and $7.50/child
• US Olympic & Paralympic Museum and Tour Olympic Training Center: Museum is $19.95/adult $11.95/age 5-11 and $15.95/military, senior, first responder, college. Tour requires proof of covid vaccination for age 5+. Cost: $15/adult,  $13/Senior (60+), Heroes (Military, Teacher, First Responder), $11/age 5-12

• Total Drive Time: 1 Hour & 15 Minutes (65 miles)
• Activities:
  • Hiking Bear Lake, Nymph, Dream, and Emerald Lake,
  • Hiking Alberta Falls,
• Food:
  • Scratch Deli and Bakery
  •  Coffee on the Rocks!
  • Poppy’s Pizza and Grill

Rocky Mountain National Park requires a timed entry permit in the summer and fall between the hours of 9 am-2 pm. Timed entry permit reservations allow park visitors to enter the park within specific two-hour windows of time, for example from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Once visitors enter the park within their reservation window, they may stay as long as desired. There is no set time for departure. Only one Timed Entry Permit is required per vehicle 

Since we only had one day in the park, we decided to do one of the more popular and beautiful hikes. We headed to the Park & Ride Lot and grabbed a Bear Lake Route shuttle. Parking is limited at most trailheads in the park and the shuttle is a great way to get around the park and not worry about finding a parking place.

We started out on the trail to Nymph, Dream, and Emerald Lake. This was a moderate, 3.2-mile in-and-out hike. We took our time hiking and paused at the top for snacks, then I read more about Rocky Mountain National Park while David did some rock scrambles and explored the area some more. After completing this trail, we set off for Bear Lake, which uses the same trailhead. We walked around the lake (.7 miles to walk the complete loop) and found a nice spot to eat our lunch and kick our feet up for a little rest. After lunch we headed towards Alberta Falls, our last hike of the day. This is an easy, 1.6-mile in-and-out hike.

After riding the shuttle back to our car, we headed back into Estes Park, and grabbed an afternoon coffee and snack at Coffee on the Rocks! They serve organic free-trade coffee, teas, smoothies, breakfast, lunch, beer, wine, and coffee cocktails.

We had originally planned to hang out around Estes Park, grab dinner, then head back into the park to stargaze along Trails Ridge Road, but a storm was moving in and the skies were overcast. So we grabbed pizza at Poppy’s Pizza and Grill and headed back to our Airbnb for the night.

• A multitude of other hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park
• Horseback riding in the park
• If you are headed to the Rocky’s in the winter, check out their winter activities. Make sure you also check current travel conditions.
• Half-Day Fun Climb with Colorado Mountain School

• Total Drive Time: 1 Hour & 40 Minutes (71 miles)
• Activities:
  • Murals in Denver Art Walk: River North Razzle-Dazzle Adventure
  • Denver Scavenger Hunt: Denver’s Golden Treasures,
  • 16th Street Mall
• Food: 
  • Snooze, An A.M. Eatery
  • The Denver Central Market
  • Otra Vez
  • Voodoo Doughnuts

On our last full day in Colorado, we packed up, left our Airbnb, and headed for Denver. We headed towards Snooze, An A.M. Eatery for brunch. We managed to time our arrival just right and did not have a long wait, but by the time we were seated there was at least a 30-minute wait. If/when we go back, I will definitely be joining the waitlist online since this is a popular place to eat (or order ahead on their website).

• It’s a tour: Let’s Roam Scavenger Hunt Tours lead you to can’t-miss sights and the city’s hidden histories.
• It’s a game: Along the route, you’ll solve riddles, answer trivia, learn fun facts, conquer challenges, and win!
• It’s a way to connect: Every scavenger hunt tour is packed with hilarious photo-worthy moments and “must-capture” sights.

These hunts allowed us to explore the city in a different way and were fun and interactive. You can buy a single game for $12.99/player or $19.99/month for unlimited outdoor scavenger hunts for you and up to 5 people. So, unless you are playing 1 game by yourself, the monthly membership is the best. You can cancel your monthly membership at any time.

Our first hunt in Denver was Murals in Denver Art Walk: River North Razzle-Dazzle Adventure. This tour takes you around the River North Arts District (RiNo), a haven for Denverʼs artists and creative thinkers. RiNo is home to captivating street art and murals, including some painted by world-famous artists. The tour takes 1.5-2 hours and covers 1.7 miles of walking.

After stopping for a quick snack at The Denver Central Market, we headed towards the state capital for another scavenger hunt. Our next hunt was called Denver Scavenger Hunt: Denver’s Golden Treasures. This tour took us through downtown Denver and showed us some historic buildings, sculptures (like the giant blue bear), and green spaces. This tour also took 1.5-2 hours and involved 1.18 miles of walking. 

Next, we headed to 16th Street Mall for some window shopping, souvenirs, and dinner. 16th Street Mall is a 1.25-mile section of 16th Street that has 250+ shops, restaurants, coffee, and bars. We chose Otra Vez for dinner. I wanted to try Colorado Green Chili before we left and Otra Vez did not disappoint.

On our way to our hotel near Denver International Airport, we stopped by Voodoo Doughnuts to grab our breakfast for the next morning. I try to make sure the hotel we are staying at before leaving has an airport shuttle and breakfast available. However this time, we were flying out before complimentary breakfast at the hotel would start, making Voodoo the perfect breakfast on the go.

• Denver Mint: Tours of the Denver Mint were closed due to Covid when we went, but it was on our list. Tour tickets are available from the Tour Information Window on Cherokee Street between Colfax Avenue and West 14th Avenue. It opens at 7 a.m. on Monday through Thursday (excluding observed federal holidays), and will remain open until all tickets have been distributed. Tickets are for same-day tours only; no advance tickets are available. Tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis and are limited to 5 per person. All visitors must be 7 years and older
• Catch a Professional Sports Game
  • Colorado Rockies (Baseball) at Coors Field
  • Denver Broncos (Football) at Mile High Stadium
  • Denver Nuggets (Basketball), Colorado Avalanche (Hockey), or Colorado Mammoth (Lacrosse) at Ball Arena
  • Colorado Rapids (Soccer) at  Dick’s Sporting Goods Park 
• National Ballpark Museum: Monday-Saturday  – 11 am-5 pm (Closed Sunday). $20/Adults, $10/Seniors, Free/ Kids (16 and under), and Active Military