Crested Butte and Curecanti Recreational Area

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This is part 3 of our Southwest Colorado trip. Check the below links to read the other parts:

Black Canyon of Gunnison

Telluride and Million Dollar Highway

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On Day #4, on the way to Colorado Springs, we drove through the Curecanti Recreational area devouring the beauty of Gunnison river along the road, passing through the mountain town Crested Butte, covering a scenic dirt road drive to Kebler pass, and also driving through Cottonwood Pass.

On Day 1, when we traveled to the North rim of Black Canyon of Gunnison from the South rim Visitor center, we took the route through Montrose, Hotchkiss, and Crawford. But, there is another scenic route to reach the North rim, which passes through Curecanti Recreational area along the Gunnison River. This might take 30 mins more than the route that we took. But, if you have enough time, consider that route.

Anyways, while returning we saw a few places in Curecanti recreational area and I feel, this area is great for boating tours and a relaxing time on the river beach. 

Curecanti Recreational Area

Curecanti Recreational area is a series of 3 reservoirs along the Gunnison River. The area is best for boating, hiking, and fishing. Morrow point boat tours is one of the highly recommended tours to cruise through the canyon. We missed it as we didn't have enough time.

We stopped for lunch at Gunnison and started our drive to the scenic Crested Butte. Crested Butte is a mountain lover's paradise. A small town surrounded by beautiful mountains is a wonderful sight.

Crested Butte

Mt. Crested Butte

Crested Butte is popular as winter heaven. It is also called "Wildflower Capital of Colorado" and an excellent choice for mountain biking in summer. 

We drove through the dirt road to reach Kebler pass, which is around 30 mins from downtown. It was not as great as many passes that we saw in Colorado but, a pretty drive though. 

Kebler Pass

Kebler Pass

The leaves were just changing colors as it's the last week of September and it was a bit difficult to not stay in Crested Butte. But, a few things for some other time :-(

On the way to Colorado Springs, we drove through Cottonwood pass and this drive is always worth it. 

Cottonwood Pass reaches an elevation of around 12,100 ft above sea level and it goes from Almont to Buena Vista. The views are Instagram-worthy! 

We did the Continental divide hike and this is a great place to enjoy the views of the mountains and the curving roads below. A jacket is a must in any season except Summer. There are many beautiful alpine lakes to hike in this area and it is definitely a hidden gem of Colorado. 

Cottonwood Pass

We reached Colorado Springs by driving through our favorite route through Salida, Canon City, and Penrose. 

This wonderful trip etched beautiful memories in our life! Of course, we were a bit scared to travel during Covid, but thanks to Hilton in Montrose, which kept our rooms exceptionally clean and followed all safety guidelines. 

If you are looking for accommodation near Montrose, do check this map to book.

My Next travelogue will be about Colorado National Monument near Fruita. 

Until next time,

I for Idaho Springs #A2ZChallenge

#Day9 of A2Z Blogging Challenge where I am posting some best places to visit in Colorado.

I For Idaho Springs 

Idaho Springs is an old gold mine town, which is also popular for hot springs.

St. Mary's glacier
Pc: https://unsplash.com/@parterburn

This town has many places to visit around:

Scenic drives: Guanella Pass , Mt. Evan's Scenic byway
Hiking : St.mary's Glacier
Boating: Lake Dillon
Waterfalls : Bridal veil falls
Gold Mine tours : Phoenix and Argo mill
White water rafting : Clear creek
Hot Springs and Geothermal caves : Indian hot springs
Scenic railroad: Georgetown loop during the fall season

Agree with me, that this is a must visit now?

Read my travelogue on Idaho Springs.
Until next time,

Other Posts from A2Z:

A for Aspen
B for Breckenridge
C for Colorado Springs
D for Denver
E for Estes Park
F for Frisco
G for Glenwood Springs
H for Hanging lake

A day trip to Idaho Springs, where Gold Rush began

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Idaho springs is a historic town located in Clear Creek county of Colorado. This city is founded in 1859 when the first Colorado Gold rush has begun. Mining has been responsible for the growth of Idaho springs and now, it carries rich heritage.

From Scenic byways to hot springs to waterfalls and Gold mine tours, this quaint mountain town has to a lot to offer. 

How to reach?

Denver is the nearest airport. Check these flight options with fare less than $200:

Lake Dillon is just 38 mins drive from Idaho springs and Dillon Marina offers rental boats. This lake is gorgeous nestled in a scenic place with mountains in the background. Advance reservation is preferred for boating but it will make an unforgettable experience to anyone.

After boating, we went to an easy hike of about 0.6 miles loop at Saphire point overlook. This hike has good overlook points for photo opportunities and this is a good place for wedding photography. A bonus to this hike is watching chipmunks. Kids would surely love to see them and chipmunks are absolutely friendly posing to the photos and jumping around people.

Mt. Evans scenic byway in Idaho springs is a must visit. This is the highest paved highway in North America. Mt Evans Summit is opened only from memorial day to Labour day, weather permitting. This road reaches an elevation of 14,130 ft above sea level in just 14 miles from the visitor station.

We drove through clouds and fog as we reached to the summit. The rock house on the summit is great too. The drive has breathtaking views.

This picnic stop near Chicago Forks before Mt Evan's Visitor center is easy to be missed.

Our next stop was to St. Mary's Glacier which is around 1.5 hrs from Mt.Evans. The hike is tough and it is a very rocky road of around 1.5 miles to watch the lake on the way to the glacier. It is not easy to hike with kids.

We have planned to drive through Guenella pass which is 30 mins from St.Mary's glacier but didn't have enough time to cover this.

On the highway, while returning from St.Mary's Glacier, spotted this waterfall. Isn't it amazing?

PC: Google image labeled for reuse

A few more places that you can cover in a trip to Idaho springs are the gold mine tour at Phoenix gold mine / Argo Mill tour, Hot springs, Oh my Gawd road and the casinos at Black Hawk/ central city.

Argo Mill
PC: Google image labeled for reuse

Do you like my travelogue?

Read my other Colorado Travelogues here:
https://www.fantasticfeathers.in/search/label/Colorado

Until next time,

This post is written as part of a blog train #letsblogwithpri hosted by Prisha. Thanks to Kapila for introducing me to this blog train. I would love to introduce Mythri to the blog train. Mytri is a freelance social media professional based in jaipur and a mom blogger. Read her posts.




Hosted By :Prisha LalwaniMummasaurus.comIG: @mummasaurus1FB: /mummasaurus1


Stay in Idaho Springs!

Day 3 : Pagosa Springs and Crestone #UtahVacation

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Before going to our Day 3 travelogue, please go through below posts to follow the itinerary.

Utah Vacation Plan with Kids

Day 1 - Arches National Park and Canyonlands National park

Day 2 - Monument Valley Park and Four Corners National monument

Day 2 - Mesa Verde National Park

We reached our hotel in Pagosa Springs on the night of day 2 itself. We intentionally took more rest on day 3 instead of visiting places. When we plan any vacation with kids, this is very important. Continuous traveling will impact kids making them cranky. So, we wanted to get up late, enjoy the breakfast buffet, relax in the pool and hot tub before starting our drive.

As mentioned in the previous post, Chimney Rock National monument is around 30 mins drive from Pagosa Springs. This is a good place to visit if you are interested in archeology and native American Lifestyle.

Chimney Rock
PC: Google images labeled for reuse

It also makes sense to visit the world's deepest geothermal hot springs. There are 3 locations with access to hot springs in Pagosa Springs - The Springs Resort & Spa, Healing waters Resort &Spa and the new Overlook Mineral Springs Spa.

Hot Springs
PC: Google images labeled for reuse

We drove towards Treasure falls, which is seen from the highway itself. There is a short hike going near the falls, but we couldn't go on a hike due to time constraint. Treasure falls is beautiful and it is worth the hike.

Treasure Falls

After crossing treasure falls, the drive is very scenic with mountains and valleys. We crossed 'Wolf Creek Pass' and skiing area as well on the way. The views were breathtaking.

Our next stop was to Crestone. 

The drive from Pagosa Springs to Crestone is scenic too.

Near Crestone

This Mahalakshmi temple and Haidakhandi Universal Ashram is in the foothills of San De Cristo mountains. The place is peaceful, good for meditation and yoga. The devotees perform aarti every evening at 6 PM and they provide overnight accommodation as well on request. There is also a Mahalakshmi shop with brass idols and pooja related items. 

Mahalakshmi temple and Haidakhandi Ashram

They have built this ashram in a self-sustainable way by properly utilizing the natural Sunlight to the advantage. The Ashram kitchen also offers lunch to the devotees. Visit this site to know more about this ashram.  

I have also heard that there is a small waterfall near the temple which is accessible by a short hike. We couldn't go for that as we had to return to Colorado Springs. We could reach Springs by 6pm itself which gave us enough time to rest and get ready for our daily grind from Monday. 

Thus, our 3-day Vacation ended on a happy note. 

Bonus Tips:

1. There is one specific part that we left on this trip which is on the way - Telluride and Ouray. These mountain towns are on the way to Pagosa Springs from Mesa Verde. We wanted to cover these places in the next fall and of course, we need another 2 days to relax in the Switzerland of America(Ouray).

2. One more part that you can customize is the plan from Monument Valley Park. We have covered Four Corners and Mesa Verde after Monument valley, But if you have time for 2 more days, I suggest you cover Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, and Lake Powell from there as you will be nearer to Arizona border from there. 

Accommodations near Pagosa Springs:

So, How do you like our travelogue? Do let me know in comments.

Until next time,

Here are my social media handles to follow me there so that you don't miss my other travelogues:

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This post is written as part of a blog train #letsblogwithpri hosted by Prisha. Thanks to Revati for introducing me to this blog train. I would love to introduce Noor Anand to the blog train. Noor writes on multiple topics like food, travel, parenting etc., Read her posts.

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Prisha Lalwani
Mummasaurus.com
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FB: /mummasaurus1
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An adventurous drive during a snow storm

I started driving just 2 years ago and I am really enjoying the driving. I would not have believed myself 2 years ago that I can drive a car as I was afraid of driving. Anyways, recently I drove in a winter storm and now, I became more confident on my driving.

We have recently traveled to fort Collins, CO for some important work and unfortunately we started without checking on the weather. While it started snowing when we reached Denver, we still thought it would subside by the time we return. Fort Collins is just 2 hrs from Colorado springs.

When I have started driving from Fort Collins,  it was snowing heavily. I don't have much problem while snowing as I know just I have to drive slow and maintain safe distance from the front vehicle. But, the problem is with zero visibility.

The cold air was raising from the road like vapours and wind shield, the side and rear mirrors were becoming hazy due to sub zero temperatures. The outside temperatures went down and I had to keep heaters on inside continuously to keep the window clear. Another problem is with braking. I was super cautious that I maintain safe distance with the car before me, still at one point of time I panicked if car won't stop even when I pressed the brake pad with much force. Once, I had to move sideways while braking so that i don't hit front vehicle incase car doesn't stop immediately after applying brake.

All cars were going at a speed of 50 mph even when visibility is just about 2 fts. I could drive just seeing the back lights of my front car as I cannot see anything beyond that due to thick fog and heavy snow. Came across multiple accidents and atlast all cars slowed down going inch by inch as police, tow trucks and snow plow trucks took control of the situation.

Now, with heavy snow, slippery road,  the traffic jam started. I was stuck in traffic jam for around 3 hrs and travelled just around 30 miles. When it cleared atlast, I reached my destination in 5 hrs instead of 2 hrs.

But all is well that ends well right? Iam grateful to God for making me reach home safe in hazardous conditions.

The images attached are not actual. Ofcourse  I cannot change my focus on anything else during driving. But the actual situation is worse than what these pictures show.

Did you ever drive in harsh weather? How was your experience? Do let me know in comments.

Until next time,

5 Winter activities to enjoy in Colorado

I was on a blogging break for sometime, but I cannot miss this post in Winter. Being a resident of Colorado state, I feel, winter is the most happening season here with skiing, snow tubing, snowmobile, and other fun winter activities. 

Don't worry about the cold weather out there! Plan proper winter wear with layering, winter jackets, gloves, thermals, use hand and toe warmers, choose woolen socks and snow boots, grab a good scarf, cover your ears and jump in! I assure you 100% family fun in the below activities.

Skiing:

Colorado is famous as good skiing destination with many ski resorts which offer family fun. Copper mountain and Monarch mountain seem to top the list when it comes to skiing for beginners and at the intermediate level. Many resorts offer classes to kids as well. Keystone resort, Resorts at Vail, Breckenridge and Aspen are famous for their luxury accommodation and best facilities. Check this article on the best ski resorts in Colorado. 

Snow tubing:

Your family can never forget snow tubing experience easily. Kids and adults can enjoy tubing equally. We tried tubing at Saddleback ranch in Steamboat Springs, which was a great experience. I heard, Winter Park, Fraser Tubing Hill, and Frisco are also famous for tubing. Check this link to get more information on tubing hills in Colorado.

Check my travelogue on Steamboat Springs. 


Sledding:

This is one of the fun family activities in the snow. Riding on Dog sleds, watching the vast expanse of land blanketed in snow is wonderful, especially during afternoon/evenings. 

Ice Skating:

I haven't tried ice skating yet, but I heard it is a fantastic activity to enjoy as a family together. There are a lot of indoor skating rinks as well in Colorado. Many resorts offer skating classes for both adults and kids.

Snowmobiling:

We tried snowmobiling in Steamboat Springs with kids. It might be difficult with kids, but fun is guaranteed. Watching the snow on all sides riding on a snowmobile through ups and downs, it felt like there is no greenery at all. It felt like riding in a snow ocean. If you have more time and patience, your family should try this for sure.

In addition to all these activities, take long drives (be safe while roads are slippery), soak in hot water springs, drink hot chocolate, take gondola rides and experience the beautiful views of snowy mountains. 

I love the winters for all these activities and the beauty of nature even though there is extreme cold out there. How do you like winters? What family activities do you prefer in winter? Do let me know in comments.

Until next time,

A Walk overlooking the waterfalls - Seven Falls, Colorado Springs #TravelTale

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The Seven Falls is a tourist attraction with 7 cascading falls in South Cheyenne Canon in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. This is privately owned by Broadmoor group. Seven Falls is Colorado's only waterfall which is included in National Geographic list of International waterfalls. 

I wouldn't say, this is a fantastic waterfall as the area where water flows is not very big and the waterfall is thin. But, the water falls from a height of 181 ft and there are 224 steps to climb and view the waterfalls close which is amazing. 

Due to a severe damage of the Seven falls because of heavy rains in 2013, Seven falls has become only 5 cascading falls. The Broadmoor took the ownership, repaired the place and reopened for the public in 2015. 

The Broadmoor is providing a complimentary parking and shuttle service at 1045 Lower Gold Camp Rd. The Admission to the falls is $14.50 for adults and $9 for kids. Children below 2 years are free to visit. Visit their official page to know exact hours and price of tickets.

The Shuttle service from the parking area takes us to the entrance/ticket booth. We need to walk a distance of 0.8 miles to reach the base of the waterfalls. There is a tram facility at $2 per person if they cannot walk till the base of falls.

There is an elevator facility available to reach inspiration point which gives a good view of the waterfalls. But, we wanted to take stairs to enjoy the waterfalls from near. There are 224 steps and many of them are very steep. It is slightly difficult to go with kids below 5 years of age but that's not impossible. The steps are steep and so we cannot hold a baby and climb them. It's better to take the elevator if you have to hold a baby. 

Keep enough water and light snacks for the hike. We came across small cascading waterfalls like Bridal Veil, Shorty, Hill, Hull, Romana, and Weimer falls. After reaching to the top by taking 224 steps, there are different trails. One trail will reach Inspiration point, whereas another trail goes to midnight falls. 

The falls are good to visit in Summer/ Fall when there is more water. I would say, it is a great experience to visit the falls in winter too if you love to see a frozen fall. 

In the evenings, the Broadmoor also lights up the falls for the visitors. 

Here are some accommodations in Colorado Springs:

And, A few economical options to fly to Colorado Springs:

I hope, you like this virtual trip to Seven Falls. Let me know your opinion. Have you ever visited a cascading fall like this? Share your experience in comments.

Until next time,

If you have been following my blog, you would have read my other #ColroadoTravelTales. If not, here are the links:


1. A day with flowers and gardens, Denver, CO, USA

2. Hanging lake and hot springs, Glenwood springs, CO, USA 

3. Golden leaves and Gondola rides, Aspen, CO, USA

4. Rocky mountain national park #day 1


5. Rocky mountain national park #day 2 

6. Limestone caves and cliff dwellings, Colorado springs, CO, USA

7. Unique Statues and Ice Sculptures - Loveland, CO, USA

8. A beautiful Chapel and aircraft exhibits -  Colorado Springs, CO, USA

9.  Dangerous curves and Beautiful Scenery - Pikes peak highway, CO, USA

10. Winter Fun in Steamboat Springs

11. 5 Best Scenic Drives in Colorado 

12. Top 5 Places to visit in Colorado Springs

Linking this post to #MondayMusings hosted by Corinne from EverydayGyaan.