West - Planning a DEN-Santa Fe Driving and Hiking trip late October

We will be arriving in Denver on or about October 19th and flying back to the UK on the 27th and am looking for some suggestions.

What would be the best choice for a hotel in Denver for 2 nights? We would like to spoil ourselves a little on this trip, so could spend up to $300/night if needed (though $200 would be better!). A fitness area, (open) club level and pool would all be nice plusses. Location-wise, we want to do some shopping for outdoor gear (including the Patagonia store!) and be able to walk places rather than drive. I am Silver with Marriott and Gold with Hilton and SPG if it makes a difference.

We will probably base ourselves in central Santa Fe the rest of the time. Any reccomendations for nice accomodations? Something with some character would be nice. The Annasazi lodge mentioned in another thread looks interesting, for example.

We would like to have 1-2 nights in a different spot on the way back taking the back roads. Any suggestions?

We plan to hike pretty much every day. Will it be too late in the season to do 14ers? What would be some good long (4-7 hours) or short (1-2 hours) hikes?

Any suggestions for good vegetarian restaurants for the missus along the way?

Thanks,

Dr. PITUK

We would like to have 1-2 nights in a different spot on the way back taking the back roads. Any suggestions?

We plan to hike pretty much every day. Will it be too late in the season to do 14ers? What would be some good long (4-7 hours) or short (1-2 hours) hikes?


We did a circle trip, coming back from Santa Fe north to Durango and Cortez. There some nice ruins and hiking by Cortez and the Mesa Verde National Park.

From here, you can go further north to Telluride, Montrose, Aspen, etc using the back roads. and getting back to Denver.

These are all good size ski towns, so the accomodations and restaurants are plentiful.

If you're outdoor shopping definitely check out REI - it has a much broader selection of gear than Patagonia.

We did a circle trip, coming back from Santa Fe north to Durango and Cortez. There some nice ruins and hiking by Cortez and the Mesa Verde National Park.


Thanks - this looks like just what we are looking for. I'd also like to fit Leadville in there for a long hike on the way back if we can.



If you're outdoor shopping definitely check out REI - it has a much broader selection of gear than Patagonia.

We will try REI as well, but we love Patagonia. The stuff is of incredibly high quality and the stuff that we have performs and LASTS incredibly well.

Thanks,

Dr. PITUK

Thanks - this looks like just what we are looking for. I'd also like to fit Leadville in there for a long hike on the way back if we can.



I was going to suggest that, especially via Independence Pass from Aspen to Leadville, and over to the Copper Mountain/Frisco/Breckenridge area where you can grab I-70 back to Denver. (Another scenic route back, skipping I-70, is Hwy 9 through Breckenridge over to Colorado Springs/Pueblo. Some nice wilderness and hiking.

However..........check the weather and road reports for Independence Pass. At that time of year........you can get snow up there.

My favorite Denver hotel is the Monaco. It has a lot of character and nicely decorated rooms. It has a very limited workout area though so if that is a priority you might consider the Hyatt Grand. It has a large gym and a pool. I would agreee that the REI store is superior to Patagonia.

In Santa Fe I would suggest La Posada (which has a great spa and restaurant) Inn at the Five Graces, or the Inn of the Anasazi. Another option is the venerable La Fonda with its beautiful lobby and dining room but the rooms are a bit drab and dated.

I prefer Taos to Santa Fe and the high road between the two is a beautiful drive. The historic Taos Inn and it's restaurant Dr. Martin's are my favs. The high road offers great views of the Sangre de Cristo range while winding through the adobe towns of Chimayo, Truchas and Penasco. The Satuario de Chimayo is lovely. Great hiking is also accessible from this road, my favorite trail starts at the Santa Barbara Campround.

If you want to bag a peak, Santa Fe Baldy is a good day hike. The trail starts at the Santa Fe Ski Basin. It is not a fourteener but offers a challenge and beautiful view from it's 12,600 ft summit. Afterwards you can reward yourself with a spa treatment at Ten Thousand Waves and a great dinner back in Santa Fe.

For and extended trip the SW corner of Colorado offers the best scenery in the state. Durango, Silverton, Ouray and Telluride on hwy 550 and 145 offer specatcular alpine scenery. Telluride is my personal favorite having lived there for four years. Hotel Telluride would be my hotel choice. Hiking trails start directly in town and offer hikes from an hour to several days.

The return trip to Denver from the Telluride area could include McClure Pass and the Crystal River Valley via hwy133. Aspen, Independence Pass and Leadville on hwy 82 also offer some really beautiful scenery.

There is a lot to see on this loop: the Great Sand Dunes, Taos Pueblo, Puye Cliffs, Bandalier, Rio Grande George to name a few.

The weather can range from glorious Indian summer to full on winter. Be sure to check the forecast before attempting an extended hike or climb.

Have fun.
Dan

Dano18 gave you great advice all the way around. I second the drive on the High Road to Taos. It's a great day trip. We stayed at the Inn of the Anasazi and, to tell you the truth, we weren't crazy about it. We didn't think it was worth the money. Don't get me wrong, it was nice but overpriced. We also stayed once at the Hilton which we liked and close to The Plaza. Next time we will stay at La Fonda. We've eaten there and it has a nice southwestern ambience.

The San Juan Highway is another spectacular ride starting at Ouray to Durango through Silverton as dano 18 also suggested.

Have a great time. Santa Fe is one of my favorite places. Too bad you don't have more time.

Bobette

If you are open to defining "Denver" as the metro area rather than the city itself (nowhere I've stayed in Denver itself seems to be as nice a place as you seem to be seeking): Flatirons Renaissance Suites (between Denver and Boulder) seems to meet your other criteria. Rates are often very good, for much larger than average rooms, based on my experience. Adjacent to Flatirons Mall (large) via shuttle. Downside: there appears to be Univ. of Col. (American) football game in Boulder on 10/20, so that may impact rates and availability.

Westin Westminster is a few miles closer to Denver. I'd put it 2nd to the Renaissance; others who have posted in similar threads would put it above the Renaissance. No significant shopping nearby without a car, but several very good restaurants are in walking distance.

If a hotel in Boulder might be of interest, look into the Hotel Boulderado and St. Julian. I have not stayed at either, but I believe others have posted in the forum about both. Both are within a block of Pearl St. Mall, a large pedestrian mall with shops and restaurants. The impact of the football game will likely be much stronger in Boulder.

For hiking near Denver, one area to look at is Golden Gate State Park. http://parks.state.co.us/Parks/GoldenGateCanyon/Trails/
(difficulty rating may be more based on elevation and elevation gain than distance.)

In general, many of the counties in the area have significant trail systems. Nearby counties with mountaineous areas include Jefferson and Boulder. Search their websites for trail maps.

IIRC, Other threads in this forum on similar topics have comments from me and others on effects of altitude changes. If you're not already familiar with risks and prevention, you may want to look through those.

One side note to dano18's comments: the road from Durango to Ouray, especially near Ouray, has sections which are on the side of very steep cliffs without any guardrails. Be aware of that if it may bother anyone in your party. The road does have some beautiful sections.

FWIW: Heading north from Ouray, you would be going toward Colorado's main wine area around Palisade and Grand Junction, in case that is of any interest.

Thanks for the great details and ideas.

Once I get back to the UK we will start working on hotels, cars and more detailed plans. I am not sure that we will plan *too* much in detail. As you say, I am a bit worried about possible weather. I guess that we will need to have several alternates which makes hotel bookings tougher.

For hotels, we need to be close enough in to 'town' (wherever we stay) that it can be walked since Mrs. PITUK doesn't like driving, and I sometimes like a drink with dinner :).

I SO wish that we had more time! It definitely makes me wish I was still in academia :).

Thanks,

Dr. PITUK

I agree with previous posters concerning the Hotel La Fonda in Santa Fe. It's the real-deal - a classic southwestern inn located right on the Plaza. Parking is a royal pain near the Plaza, so the La Fonda parking garage is a big plus.

I've stayed at this property several times and no two rooms are alike. The upper floor suite I stayed in one time had a fireplace. Check the website for many room photos.

Keep in mind that by mid-October it will be quite cold already in Colorado and northern New Mexico. You should be able to see beautiful fall colors everywhere. Bien Viaje!

I'd also like to fit Leadville in there for a long hike on the way back if we can.

Leadville is an interesting town, they've got a great bakery on Main St (quite impressive at 10,000 ft!), and hiking along the Colorado Trail (west of town and a couple miles down dirt roads), or in the area around Turquoise Lake (closer to town) is quite pretty.

Watch your speed when driving through town - you quickly go from middle-of-nowhere doing 60+ to a 25-MPH limit in town which is enforced rather regularly by cops who sit on Main St. and wait for the tourists.