Travel in the US: road tripping in Colorado
Jacqui Gibson recounts a three-day road trip into the stunning Rocky Mountains to Loveland Pass, Colorado’s highest mountain pass, located a staggering 3655m above sea level
Back streets of Leadville, Colorado (image by Jacqui Gibson).
It's a bright, clear spring morning in Denver, the state capital of Colorado and gateway city to the Southern Rocky Mountains. We're coasting through traffic on US Interstate 70 when, unexpectedly, a long line of jagged snowy peaks pops into view. And, just like that, with the city at our backs, we have a visual fix on our destination in the distance—Loveland Pass, Colorado’s highest mountain pass, located a staggering 3655 metres above sea level. This is big country USA.
Colorado
Colorado is home to no fewer than four national parks (the Rocky Mountain National Park included), 42 state parks, 25 ski areas and resorts, 960 wildlife species, and nearly 10,000km of rivers.
Add to that 58 mountain peaks that rise to more than 4000 metres (or 14,000 feet) above sea level (Aoraki Mount Cook, by comparison, is 3600 metres tall) and 27 natural hot springs and you have a whole lot of ‘wow’.
Or at least the perfect destination for a three-day road trip.
Denver to Salida to Fairplay
Our plan is to make the loop journey from Denver (which sits about 20km east of the Rocky Mountain foothills) through the high-altitude Continental Divide to the ski-resort and riverside town of Salida.
From there, we’ll return to America’s 22nd most populous city via the ghost town of Fairplay. We’ll stay at high altitude for the entire trip.
Denver, 1609 metres above sea level, is nicknamed the Mile High City because its elevation is exactly one mile above sea level. Ironically, it will be the lowest point of our journey.
My hopes are pinned on getting my feet in snow, hiking an alpine trail, and taking in some of the gold rush history of the Wild West. My husband’s keen on glimpsing Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, Colorado’s state animal, and enjoying some of the state’s famously good craft beer.
Crossing Loveland Pass
As we make our ascent to Loveland Pass, I feel confident I’ll check the first item off my wish-list. There is plenty of the bright white stuff on either side of the highway.
Signage and row-after-row of rustic lodge accommodation tells us Loveland Ski Area is close by. A gas station worker tells us the pass itself is popular with backcountry skiers in winter. We look for somewhere to pull over to enjoy the snow and choose the picturesque Clinton Gulch Dam Reservoir, an easy stop along State Highway 91.
Located in the Arapaho National Forest, the reservoir feeds Summit County and is a popular spot to picnic, boat, hike, and fish for Colorado’s native greenback cutthroat trout.
We linger long enough to crunch through knee-deep snow and throw a few brutally hard snowballs before beating a quick retreat to the warmth of our rental.
Leadville, historic silver mining town
Next stop: Leadville, a rickety township of sunken roofs, junkyard streets, and a reputation as one of America’s most lawless silver mining towns (back in the late 1880s, that is). Picture tumbleweed, sharp-shooting cowboys, and gambling dens to imagine the township as it was back in its heyday.
We walk the main street for a closer look at Leadville’s stunning Victorian buildings, the Tabor Grand Hotel (Oscar Wilde lectured there in 1882) and City Hall.
Half-way down the street, we pass the office of the still-thriving local rag, The Herald Democrat. “Leadville’s hometown newspaper since 1879.” We grab a really good takeaway espresso from the Tennesse Pass Café, then decide to press on to Salida, still an hour’s drive away.
Salida, mountain village
It’s a 28-degree afternoon when we pull into the carpark of The Amigo Motel. There is an Airstream caravan (or travel trailer as they’re called in the US) available for rent and several spaces allocated to RVs and campers.
Instead, we book into a standard room before beelining it to Soulcraft Brewing for a refreshing ale. Salida is a year-round tourist town built on the banks of the Arkansas River.
In spring and summer, there’s white-water rafting, kayaking, and paddleboarding. You can take a multi-day hike at nearby Browns Canyon National Monument or (as we did) simply roll out of bed, throw on your sneakers, and walk the zig-zag track to the top of Tenderfoot Mountain (or ‘S’ mountain as it’s called, in reference to the white ‘S’ sign at the top).
The four-kilometre return trip, accessible from downtown Salida, gives you a bird’s-eye view of Salida and enough elevation to break a sweat. In winter, Salida’s visitors soak in natural hot springs, go dog sledding, take snowmobile tours and, of course, ski and snowboard nearby at Monarch Ski Area.
For the less outdoorsy among us, there’s great shopping, good coffee, delicious craft beer, and plenty of excellent places to eat. We enjoy cheap Mexican at the colourfully decked-out Las Camelinas. And for a special dinner choose The Fritz, a highly-recommended gastro-pub and bistro on Sackett Ave.
Fairplay, ghost town
To complete our three-day road trip, we leave Salida on US Highway 285 as the dry heat and sunshine we’d enjoyed for two days gives way to moody black skies and plummeting temperatures.
Travelling the highway, the landscape opens up to desert lands and grass plains encircled by towering snow-capped mountains.
Against this backdrop, vehicles look like tiny ants scuttling along the well-worn tarseal.
When we get to the ghost town of Fairplay, torrential rain feels like a sure bet. But we chance it and take an hour-long, self-guided walking tour of South Park City—a replica gold rush village that opened in 1959, exactly 100 years after the first gold find.
We’re two of just a handful of tourists in the deserted village. Truth is, it is a little spooky wandering in and out of the original buildings of the era. The doctor’s office, with its archaic metal instruments, looks more like a butchery. While the drug store, the exhibits of Native American history, and the reconstruction of the hard rock mine, the Alma Queen, are more fascinating than alarming.
As we drive back to Denver, we realise the only thing we haven’t ticked off the must-do list is sighting bighorn sheep.
A minor loss we agree as we pull off the highway for five minutes to Instagram local woodcraft: great big figurines of smiling moose and wide-eyed yeti. My caption reads: “I’m in Colorado! Check out the wildlife.”
Top RV parks near Salida
Expect to pay between US $36 and US $53 per night for an RV site in Salida. Cheaper sites offer 30amp electric and water, while the pricey sites tend to offer views and 50amp full hook up.
Bighorn RV Park
Sugarbush Campground
Sweetwater River Ranch
Heart of the Rockies Campground & RV Park
Tomichi Creek Trading Post
Mountain View RV Resort
Cotopaxi/Arkansas River KOA
Chalk Creek Campground & RV Park
Mt Princeton RV Park
Cripple Creek Hospitality House & Travel Park.
Further information
The air is thinner and drier in Colorado because of its high altitude. We were advised to follow these tips to enjoy the climate year-round.
Drink plenty of water to beat the high altitude and low humidity.
Go easy on the booze; its effects are felt stronger in the mountains.
Take care with physical activity; it pays to halve what you usually do.
Use plenty of sunscreen, even in winter (there’s 25 percent less protection from the sun in Colorado).
Check the weather forecast at least two days in advance and dress in layers for protection from the sun and cold.
This story was first published in Motorhomes, Caravans & Destinations magazine.
