My goodness, what a cute little mountain town! I had no idea this town existed. While staying in…read moreGlenwood a server at the Pullman gushed about Carbondale. We of course packed up the next day and headed. The downtown is adorable. For such a small place they have amazing places to eat. Just yelp restaurants and pick one. We stayed at Days Inn, because most places were booked. We want to come back and stay at Avalanch Ranch-hear it is amazing and have access to hot springs pools 24 hours a day. Ate at White House Pizza-it was awesome. Breakfast at The Smithy. Not only was the food terrific but the staff was lovely and definitely seemed like everyone knew each other. Then, just drive around. Amazing to see how much construction and new homes and commercial projects are happening. The library and firehouse are both new and so cool. Big hike and bike trail running through town. Amazing views all around of mountains.

You know you are in a bougie place when you pass the airport and there are a ton of private G5s and…read more6s parked near the tarmac. That and the Zegna, Valentino, Loro Piana, and Buccelatti stores ( like I haven't seen that in years) are smack dab in the middle of town. Gorgeous area with amazing skiing, hiking, biking...or just hanging out. Be prepared to pay for it though. Plenty of my friends warned me of a certain douchiness here .... I didn't see it or feel it. Can't wait to come back

Still dream of Aspen. It is as if you are living in the postcard when you are there. So many great…read morerestaurants and resorts. So many fun activities. It is the most picturesque spot I have been. I hope to be there this year for the Food and Wine Festival. I have heard it is out of this world.

Independence Pass is originally known as Hunter Pass. It is the high mountain pass in central…read moreColorado, United States,which is at elevation 12,095 feet above the sea level on the Continental Divide in the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains. The pass is midway between Aspen and Twin Lakes, on the border between Pitkin and Lake counties. It's not an easy climb during the icy snowy days but with luck, there will be a window of a perfect timing to adventure to the top during the winter like I did! When the pass is open in warmer weather, it is a popular destination. A scenic overlook near the pass allows visitors to take in the alpine tundra environment above treeline, and offers excellent views to the east of Mount Elbert, Colorado's highest peak and the second-highest mountain in the contiguous United States. This scenic road is one of the highest in North America, meandering along the Continental Divide. It's such a thrill driving along it like a daredevil. The sharp tight turns along towering cliffs and through thick forests are wild. The is a paved hiking trail (the Independence Pass Scenic Trail) which leads to a sightseeing platform where far-reaching the stunning views of the Continental Divide! Spectacular sight! Enjoy!

The place is good for quick stop, I waited to see vista in the sunset, not as spectacular as I…read morethought. Also I had high hopes to find famous Continental Divide Trail around this area two days later, even to hike some of it, it seemed my mistake, there is a trail, but it's not CDT.

Take a short, scenic stroll on the Trollstigen Trail (Troll Trail) to see the Isak Heartstone…read moreTroll. It's located just outside of the main part of Breckenridge. Best of all, it is FREE to see! To find the Trollstigen Trail trailhead go to the southeast corner of the Stephen C. West Ice Arena parking lot, next to Illinois Creek Trailhead. If you are near the trains, go to the opposite end of the parking lot. Isak Heartstone 1 was co-commissioned for an exhibit for the Breckenridge International Festival of Arts in 2018, but it was dismantled in February 2019 because it was too popular and then reinstalled here . Although I didn't see it in person, only online, I think the original sculpture was better and more playful. Isak is carefully stacking rocks like he's balancing rocks. As per Dambo's website, this troll got its' name after three little girls came by and gave Isak a stone heart. Dambo has a heart-shaped stone placed in Isak's chest. The Isak Heartstone Troll at THIS location is the second one. Some people reference this one as Isak Heartstone 2. He sits at approximately 15 feet tall. Thomas Dambo is the creator of this and many other trolls. He uses reclaimed wood and other recycled materials. Isak is pretty cool to see in person! He's sitting on an incline between trees. He's got his right hand holding the tree trunk. His left hand is balancing him as he's sitting. The bottom of his left foot is resting against a rock. I love all the details... like his fingernails & toenails, and small branches for hairs. The trail is an easy walk through a forested area. This pathway is stable to walk on. The return trail is different from the one leading in. It consists of wood boards, similar to a deck and includes a 6-inch-high step. This troll was created by Thomas Dambo, a Danish sculpture artist. There are over one hundred Dambo trolls in the U.S.A. and many more around the world. Isak Heartstone is Troll numbered 043. Isak is the first Dambo Troll we've seen in person! We went to see Rita The Rock Planter eight days later! I guess we're officially Troll Hunters now! *If you live in the Los Angeles, CA area or are planning to visit, there will be a temporary exhibit of 12 Thomas Dambo's Trolls at the South Coast Botanic Garden in March 2026. Buy your tickets!

4/5 stars only because on the unseasonably warm day we went, the trail up to Isak was icy so we had…read moreto navigate that while people on the trail walked in front of and behind us, I guess trying to get there quickly. Isak is not very far from the parking lot and the trailhead sign. On this particular day there were several people waiting to take their photo with Isak, so we waited patiently. When it was our turn a nice woman said, "Be careful, it's slippery." Thank you. We took our photos, enjoyed the trees a bit, and walked back to our car.

So pretty the drive. The Black Canyon National Park area was gorgeous with Blue Mesa Reservoir…read moregleaming in the sunshine. The rocky terrain beautiful with its browns and greens and little yellow colors here and there. The mountain tops had cool formations. I love this country with the different sceneries. This drove filled my heart with wonder and amazement. The bridge to cross the reservoir was cool. It looked so gorgeous sweeping around as we made our way to Gunnison from Montrose. No fishing from bridge. There's no space to fish so I'm amazed people have to be told. The water glittered in the sun. A little low but beautiful nevertheless. This 205 mile drive which allows you to stop in Crested Butte, Gunnison, Montrose, Carbondale, Paonia, Marble and Redstone is beautiful. The landscape changes and is alternately green or brown. All of Colorado has to offer.

As the saying goes "Not exactly roughing it!"…read more Beaver Creek Ski resort is the top place to ski in the Rockies IMHO. We have enjoyed many fun days on the slopes when out west. Never too crowded. Great staff. Excellent accommodations. Start off at the Centennial lifts and enjoy! Don't forget to catch the chef serving fresh baked chocolate chip cookies at 4pm at the bottom of the mountain. ;) Plus, Après ski at the Ritz Carlton is the best. The 2024 - 2025 season has started with perfect powder. Happy Thanksgiving!

We LOVED this place. Kids ski school is right front and center for families with little ones…read more Haymeadow has some great little learning hills and magic carpets. Green runs are amazing and McCoy park was super fun to play around with the adults. Live music daily and a great beverage tent set outside. We had a blast! Can't wait to make it back again.

What a cute town. Just a stopover to stretch our legs and use the facilities. It was windy and a…read morefew drops rain were present. It was a clean town with rest rooms and visitors center. No overnight parking.

The city of Parachute has been extremely friendly and easy to work with. I have been to several…read moretown meetings... and we are a new local start-up that is very happy to have landed here. Beautiful town, friendly people, nice rec center, beautiful golf course! Etc...

These types of things aren't usually something I enjoy...but this was so fun. We had a group of…read morenine..ages 2 - 65 and it was the highlight of our trip. Expensive, but worth it.

It just seemed like the thing to do given all of the mining history in the state of Colorado. Yes…read moreit was overpriced but we had a good time. Seniors are $2 cheaper. The drive in from town was pretty bumpy and dusty. I guess when you live in Western Colorado driving on dirt/gravel roads is no big deal. We now understand why there are so many car washes around here! Bob was a great tour guide and we learned a bit about gold mining in this area. The train ride was fun as was the demonstration of the mining equipment. I know some think the panning for "gold" is stupid but it seemed to fit the cheesy nature of the experience. So now I have been in a gold mine in Colorado, a coal mine in Pennsylvania and a salt mine in Germany. Where to next?

Ski town. Lots of tourists in town. Cute shopping places mixed in with restaurants. The view of the…read moremountains is amazing from the streets. Pay for parking at parking kiosks. Note - it's not a fan of the Discover card. Rejected mine. But took Visa. And there's a weird middle of the road parking if you have a parking permit but limited to 30 minutes. I was a little confused at first by why there were vehicles stopped in the middle of the road. Saw a shuttle that appears to do a downtown loop. Ran across 'The Free Box' a place you can leave free items which are not trash but usable. Also has a Facebook page. If you have a large item you can leave a note with your item, name and number. Clothing has to be laundered and no food items in case it draws bears. It's a cool tradition. We had fun wandering around town.

Low budget Rivendell. Four ages and the Elves still haven't left, and they hold themselves above…read morethe surrounding world of men. Needs an Elrond to come to town to elevate the food and culture and song, otherwise it's just a facsimile of the real thing.