Erin Barnes - Easy Weekend Getaways from Denver and Boulder: Short Breaks in Colorado

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Short Breaks in Colorado

Erin Barnes

For Cliff, Camille, and Harry

// Crested Butte

To an outsider, Coloradoans are a walking contradiction. Are we among the healthiest, least obese in the country, or is our capital the drunkest city in one of the drunkest states in America? Is the Queen City of the Plains the breeding ground for musical luminariesthink Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Esm Patterson, or Tennisor are we an unsophisticated cow town?

When Colorado was originally inhabited by native tribesthe Apache nation, Arapaho nation, Cheyenne nation, Pueblo tribes, Shoshone tribes, and Ute nationthe Spanish began calling our territory Colorado after the rich red color of the soil. After the Mexican War of Independence with Spain in the early 1800s, much of the land was claimed by Mexico, laying down roots that are still flourishing today. The Mexican-American War (1846 to 1848) concluded with a treaty that allowed America to expand its territory over much of the West, including Colorado. But what led to the nascency of many of Colorados towns and eventual statehood in 1876 was the Colorado Gold Rush.

The Cherokees discovery of Pikes Peak gold remained their secret for 10 years. When the white settlers got wind of it in 1859, however, it unleashed the second-largest influx of starry-eyed fortune seekers in the United States, just behind Californias gold rush. Outlaws, prospectors, and those in search of better lives came seeking quick riches.

The story of Colorado is composed of the rise and fall of boom towns, says the website of the historical Wheeler Opera House in Aspen, which swiftly sums up our history. Overnight, boom towns sprung from mining camps, and then turned to ghost towns, often in less than 10 years.

Gold rushes tend to sort out the reasonable from the stubborn. The lesser-known truth about the Pikes Peak Gold Rush is that estimates of up to 40,000 prospectors left Colorado when they didnt immediately strike it rich. Only about a third were left in Denver after the first spring of the gold rush. The prospectors stubborn enough to stay clustered into our first ramshackle townswild encampments of brothels and saloons at the bases of mines. Some of them still stand today, and some have gone the way of the ghosts.

Those feral adventurers are the ones who built the infrastructure of our state. However, they cant only be exalted: Theres also the underlying truth of the native Ute and Pueblo nations who were pushed out in the name of Manifest Destiny, forced to sign over land to the American government or be killed in bloody wars. The vibrant culture and citizenship of these Mexican families are essential to Colorados modern-day identity. In the aftermath of the tragic Mexican Revolution in the early 1900s, many Mexican citizens flocked to cities like Denver to work in mines, railroads, and farms and created Mexican-American neighborhoods. The secret that makes up our enchanting culture, our seeming paradoxes, our Colorado magic dust, is that our varied history lends itself to magnificent complexities.

This magic dust, when sprinkled liberally, suddenly causes our modern-day contradictions to make total sense. Start with a bit of boldness to seek a better life, add in some mountain scrappiness and maybe a smidge of boredom from rural living, mix it all up with manic joie de vivre, and you hit on our secretlife lived to the fullest. Sure, we drink hardmaybe, for example, a 16% ABV Tweak beer from Avery Brewing, at the tippy top of the 14er (a mountain exceeding 14,000 feet) we just hiked. But we work hard, too. We make a welcome home for the brightest of innovative startups, for example, and were also home to established enterprises like Google and Amazon. Were big on ambitious hikes, indulgent hot springs, giant plates of food (smothered in green chile), and strange experiences (think goat yoga). But were not just wildlings; were sophisticated, too. Were home to the groundbreaking architecture of the Denver Art Museum. We have a vibrant music scene springing forth in all directions from its gothic Americana identity. DIY futurepunks Meow Wolf are building their next immersive world in Denver.

This Denver outlaw spiritboth wild and wittylured Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady to explore our more sinful offerings before melting the evenings memories at Charlie Browns piano bar. Its blowing like tumbleweeds down Colfax Avenue, which Playboy magazine famously called the longest, wickedest street in America. Perhaps this fevered mania is what led Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats to belt out, Son of a bitch! Gimme a drink.

To be literal, there are plenty of tiny towns near Denver where you can make a dramatic entrance into a swinging-door saloon la Westworld. Sometimes, the locals will even act the part by leering at outsiders. But our pioneer boldness also shows its face in less obvious ways. Its what led us to be frontrunners as the first American state to legalize recreational marijuana, then decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms. It helped us choose that demonic murderer of a blue mustang, Blucifer, to pull our welcome wagon. Hes one of the first sights youll see when leaving Denver International Airport. What can we say? We have a dark sense of humor.

Denvers vivid concentrate of the American dream is what drives startups, investors, vape bros, and Californians alike to consider settling down in one of those modern cube homes the natives disdainfully label Nu Denver. Its also what makes residents, old and new, jubilantly explore the wilder parts of the state. Its hard to say what Denver will look like in 10 years. But one things for certain: This new frontier makes for an unforgettable adventure.

// Gunnison National Park

People are often incredulous to meet a Colorado native who doesnt ski or snowboard; some of us, ahem, are incredulous that anyone would strap a board to their feet and then throw themselves down a slippery mountain in winter. Thats why travel writer, snowboarding enthusiast, and editor at the website Curbed, Megan Barber, is the featured expert of this section; local longtime skiers and snowboarders Kyle Schreiber and Dan Rutherford also weigh in.

Asking a Coloradoan to pick her favorite mountain is like asking a mother to pick her favorite child. The answer might change from time to time, too. Some chase the best snow, some look for affordability, and others want easier mountains with plenty of ski instruction classes. Then there are the ski towns themselves. Local favorites for ambience alone include the more down-to-earth choices of Steamboat Springs and Crested Butte. Constrast these to Aspen, Vail, and Breckenridge, which are among the finest. Besides the close proximity to mountains, theres another big reason why skiing in Colorado is so lovely: We get close to 300 days of sunshine per year.