Colorado in October

Grand Lake

October 25, 2019

In the summer, Grand Lake is a buzzing town that offers a plethora of activities, which include hiking, mountain biking and zip lining. Since Grand Lake is the largest natural lake in Colorado, you’ll also be able to enjoy kayaking, boating and fishing.. But because we usually choose to travel during off season, a lot of these activities were not available to us. So, if you are like us and wondering if you’ll still be able to enjoy this town while it’s not prime season, the answer is absolutely!

Snowmobiling, skiing and tubing are some of the amusements that will be open in winter months. For our stay in Grand Lake, we found this Airbnb. We all enjoyed this Log home immensely. One of the mornings during our stay, while staring out over the lake, it felt like you were in a live painting. We had another morning that was foggy and slightly spooky, but I LOVE a good spooky fog rolling in.

While in Grand Lake, you should check out Grand Lake Boardwalk. Founded in 1881, it feels like you’re walking through an old western town. Filled with over 60 shops, restaurants, galleries and bars, you can spend hours just wandering through. While we were in town, a lot of shops were closed for the season, but you’ll still be able to enjoy some of the shops and restaurants that are still open. Every morning calls for a jolt of caffeine to get going, and before we set out on our hike to Adam Falls, we found ourselves at Jump Start Coffee for a little boost. The only time I truly enjoy hot coffee is when it’s cold outside, so I chose a hot Lavender Latte!

(A great place that we utilized a lot while staying in Grand Lake was the Mountain Market . Take a quick drive there to restock on any groceries or supplies)

Adam Falls Hike

Adams Falls passes through a mixed forest of pine and aspens. After one-third of a mile, you’ll reach the Adams Falls Trail, a semi-loop that reconnects with the East Inlet Trail in less than two-tenths of a mile. Turn right at this junction and trek a short distance. There you will find an overlook of Adams Falls… This is a stunning waterfall. The Falls happened to be frozen over. Usually its waters are flowing through a series of steps through a narrow rock gorge. This is a really pretty easy hike. I would say kids and inexperienced hikers will have no problem giving this a go.

(Be advised that if you’re not used to altitude or exercise, do try to take it easy.)

Rocky Mountain National Park

1 mile north of Grand Lake along U.S. Highway 34 (Trail Ridge Road) is the Kawuneeche Visitor Center, located on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park. I’m a huge fan of stopping at visitor centers and will always stop if they are open. 8 miles north of the Kawuneeche Visitor Center is the Holzwarth Historic Site. Expect a 1 mile round trip on a wide and Flat trail, which makes this is an all-ages attraction and a stroller friendly trail. I imagine in the summertime it is a completely different experience from ours, as we didn’t get to explore inside any of the cabins. The building tours and activities are only available from about mid-June to Labor Day, from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Keep in mind you will be in direct sunlight on the trail, so plan accordingly!

Breckenridge

I was so excited about seeing Isak Heartstone the Troll! Isak is a 25-foot tall Troll made completely from recycled materials (built by the Danish recycle art activist, Thomas Dambo). There is no designated parking for the Trollstigen Trail. In the off season, it is possible there may be parking in the Ice Rink lot, but it is not recommended. It can be a little complicated to arrive at the Trollstigen Trail… For exact directions visit BrekTroll. On their website you can find directions to walk, bike or take a bus to the Trollstigen Trail on which the Troll is located.

We definitely had a fun time exploring all the unique shops, eateries and sights in Breckenridge. I would love to go back and see it during spring or Fall. If I were to plan it again, I would try to spend a couple days just there. I also would like to have taken the ghost tour with ghost hunting equipment provided! We went to get our coffee fix at Breckenridge Coffee Roasters, and then continued on to check out the Sawmill Reservoir. Honestly, at this point, we were just kind of meandering around and it was hard to tell what we were really doing. Eventually, we ended up going down some stairs by the Reservoir and into a straight up winter wonderland. In the summer, the Sawmill Reservoir has a 1.3 mile popular loop trail around the water that’s well-suited for beginners and families. For dinner, we went to the Breckenridge Brewery and then headed to our Airbnb (which was so cute!). This trip was my first time seeing snow fall. It was so mind-blowing to me! There was a little plastic sled outside the Airbnb and we rode it down a small hill for a couple of rounds, I felt like a child with an uncontrollable smile the entire time!

I wish I would have known how cold your feet get if you don’t have proper shoes! My boots weren’t suitable for walking in snow. so make sure you get yourself a pair of true snow boots or YOUR FEET WILL FREEZE!

Garden of the Gods

Garden of the Gods, located in Colorado Springs, CO, is a unique red rock formation, millions of years in the making. Over the centuries, the otherworldly landscape served as a Native American crossroads, with numerous nomadic tribes gathering there in peace. Petroglyphs have been found in the park that are typical of early Utes. Wow! I’m telling you, this was really something. I’m so glad it was snowing while we were there. Seeing the stark white snow amongst the red rocks was so captivating. We hiked some of the trails, but if you are not up for hiking, you can also drive through Garden of the Gods. I would check out the visitor center first, where you can get a lot of information on the park and all of the impressive exhibits. Make sure to stop at Garden of the Gods Trading Post. The outside of the building is adorable, and there is food and gifts galore. (It’s considered the local’s hidden entrance)

CURRENT HOURS

Visitor & Nature Center : 9 am – 5 pm (Mon – Sun)

Park : 5 am – 9 pm

Stanley Hotel

Now, I don’t know about you, but when I think of Colorado, I think of The Shining. The Timberline Lodge in Mt. Hood, OR was used as the exterior location for the Overlook Hotel in The Shining. But the Stanley was the real “birth place” of The Shining. In the novel, King highlighted Room 217 as the source of paranormal activity that haunts the Torrance family. The Stanley is located in Estes Park, CO. It has a very spooky history, and is rumored to be the home of many ghostly spirits. Look into one of the daily tours and dare to find out if it’s truly haunted. We were there right before Halloween so there was a whole Stephen King display with many cool and eerie things see!

There were a couple of different hikes and attractions that we were hoping to see that were closed because of winter. So if you are not a “go with the flow” person and want to keep to your itinerary, you might want to go another time of the year.

One of the attractions we missed out on was Royal Gorge Bridge and Park. Unfortunately, it closed right as we arrived due to high winds and rain coming in.

Here are some random pictures from the trip.