COLORADO Questions!

[Carlyzmom]

OK, much to my dismay (I'd rather go to WDW), I have been out-voted and we are going to Colorado for Spring Break. Nothing against Colorado, I am sure it it gorgeous...it's just that I don't tolerate the COLD very well. BUT, we are going, so.....
Any hints or tips? I would love any input. I have never been skiing or even in the snow.
We are headed to Buena Vista, CO. Not sure what there is to do in that area. Any experts out there?

 

[Carlyzmom]

OK, has anyone ever been to Colorado?

 

[AKL_Megs]

What MAJOR city is Buena Vista near? I'm not familiar with that city.

Growing up, my parents had a timeshare in Colorado Springs. We spent pretty much every other summer there, and honestly, it's not all that warm in the SUMMER! I remember vividly wearing jeans and a jacket in July. You aren't missing much!

If I know the general area, I might be able to suggest some things.

 

[goofy!]

What MAJOR city is Buena Vista near? I'm not familiar with that city.

Growing up, my parents had a timeshare in Colorado Springs. We spent pretty much every other summer there, and honestly, it's not all that warm in the SUMMER! I remember vividly wearing jeans and a jacket in July. You aren't missing much!

If I know the general area, I might be able to suggest some things.

I don't know about it not being very warm here. It is October 20th, and still in the mid 70's. Today was HOT with the sun beating down.

As for Spring Break - that can be just about anything. You could have 70 degree days or you could have 3ft of snow. March is our snowiest month. Or you could have a 70 degree early day, only to be hit by the blizzard in the evening.

Buena Vista is in a valley and has milder temps.

http://www.buenavistacolorado.org/

 

[AKL_Megs]

I don't know about it not being very warm here. It is October 20th, and still in the mid 70's. Today was HOT with the sun beating down.

As for Spring Break - that can be just about anything. You could have 70 degree days or you could have 3ft of snow. March is our snowiest month. Or you could have a 70 degree early day, only to be hit by the blizzard in the evening.

Buena Vista is in a valley and has milder temps.

http://www.buenavistacolorado.org/

It was exceptionally warm here in Michigan today, too. It still doesn't change the fact that it can and IS usually much more chilly in Colorado Springs in the summer than here in Michigan. More sunny there, probably. Warmer, probably not. Of course, that's not to say that you won't have 90 and 100 degree days.

 

[IDoDis]

The only time I've known people to go near Buena Vista for a vacation is for white water rafting -- and they've had some bad years in the past with that because of the drought. The rafting isn't good until summer. It's too cold in the spring and the melt-off hasn't occurred yet.

What is there to do there in the spring? There's no ski area nearby that I'm aware of. Are you going in April or March?

I love Colorado, but I don't think I'd choose to go there in the spring. If you want to go play in the snow, maybe think about going somewhere in Colorado where you can ski.

 

[Carlyzmom]

I am going in March. BV looks to be about 60 miles west of Colorado Springs. I know there will be a place to ski a little north of where we are staying. Mostly we just want the kids to play in the snow and enjoy the scenery.

 

[goofy!]

I am going in March. BV looks to be about 60 miles west of Colorado Springs. I know there will be a place to ski a little north of where we are staying. Mostly we just want the kids to play in the snow and enjoy the scenery.

Do you have family or friends that necessitates you visiting Buena Vista? If not, I would suggest one of the mountain towns instead.

As mentioned above, BV is mainly known for white water rafting and not much else.

 

[Carlyzmom]

Do you have family or friends that necessitates you visiting Buena Vista? If not, I would suggest one of the mountain towns instead.

As mentioned above, BV is mainly known for white water rafting and not much else.

Yes. We have family that has a vacation home there and we can use it for free. That way, I can save more $ for our next Disney trip!
A friend told us about a place called Ski Cooper in Leadville that has a nice place to ski. Skiing is not the main reason for going. We live in TEXAS...my kids will be happy just building a snow man!

 

[ColoradoMom!!]

This is too funny! My hubby graduated from Buena Vista High School. And yes, you guessed it, he was a river guide in the summer! Great job by the way.

OK - March - not a lot to do in Bueny. (by the way, it is pronounced like it rhymes with prune - Bune-a Vista). Last time we visited, I don't think they have graduated from the one stoplight in town.

Good news is that if the roads are clear, you can do a lot elsewhere! It is exactly two hours from our house, so Denver is a option, not just the Springs. Salida is only 20 minutes down the road, and has a little more to offer. I wonder if Mt. Princeton Hot Springs in open in March???http://www.mtprinceton.com/index.html

Leadville is still an hour or so up (literally - At an elevation of 10152 feet, Leadville is the highest incorporated city in North America)
so you could try elsewhere to ski. There is a great, but twisty/turny road from Bueny to Aspen - might be fun for a day.

Let me think some more. How many days total? Are you flying in and renting a car?

 

[Carlyzmom]

Well, ColoradoMom!!! You are just the person I am looking for!! We are flying into Denver and staying for a week - Saturday to Saturday. I'll IM you my e-mail address in case you think of anything you need to tell me, if you don't mind. Like I said, I am a Disney/beachy vacationer. I am excited about seeing Colorado, I'm just like a fish out of water! TIA!!!!

 

[golfgal]

If you have never been skiing I would not suggest your first outing be on a mountain in Colorado . What I WOULD do is find a company that does snowmobiling tours in the mountains. Those are a BLAST and the kids would love it. Take a trip up Pike's Peak, it's pretty amazing. Go see the Garden of the Gods. There are some pretty spectacular rock formations there. The Air Force Academy is near there, that was worth a quick tour. If the weather is nice enough for white water rafting that is a blast too.

 

[IUTBAM]

We live in Denver, but there are a ton of great things to do near the Springs. One thing I've learned since moving to Colorado...the weather can change in an instant, and even if it snows in the morning, it could very well be gone by evening. It's nothing like the snow we dealt with living in Minnesota.

I'm not familiar with BV, but again, the Springs is awesome. Depending on how much snow is on the ground on Pike's Peak, you can possibly take the cog railway up (may not make it all the way to the top), or depending on road conditions, you can drive. There's an Olympic training center there that offers tours, Garden of the Gods is a NOT TO BE MISSED attraction (and it's FREE), the USAFA can be toured (they have an amazing chapel there), and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is really nice (smallish, but very nice). You can also check out all the cool shops in Manitou Springs (which is just outside Garden of the Gods).

If you spend any time in Denver, it's fun to walk along the 16th street mall downtown at night, and we also have a very nice zoo, downtown aquarium, and some great museums.

 

[jsmith]

It was exceptionally warm here in Michigan today, too. It still doesn't change the fact that it can and IS usually much more chilly in Colorado Springs in the summer than here in Michigan. More sunny there, probably. Warmer, probably not. Of course, that's not to say that you won't have 90 and 100 degree days.
__________________

UM really? my son and DIL live in Ann Arbor-we are on average 10 degrees warmer any day-summer or winter than them-just no humidity.


OP-if you are going to BV look into the cost of flying here-Colorado Springs-as opposed to Denver-it might be cheaper-and its closer and theres less traffic. I agree with previous posters -you wont have trouble finding things do to - i do think the road Colorado mom mentioned from BV to Aspen is closed in the winter-but Mount Princeton is Open i think-and its only a couple of hours to vail-where you can really see how the other half lives-and ski if you want-although honestly for beginners Ski Cooper is a great place-you can probably also do some nordic skiing around BV. Althought right now skiing isnt looking real promising-southern colorado is extremely warm and dry and not forcast to get snow soon.
Theres alot of stuff to see and do here and we have some great weather in march-as a PP said-it can be 70 degrees at noon and blizzarding at 5 pm-literally-so watch weather forcasts closely-but Garden of the Gods is beautful any time of year-as is the Air Force Academy-and that whole area around BV-but it is a small, quiet mountain town.. it will be quiet different than Texas-but not nessiccarily cold or even snowy-just depends on how things go.

 

[brockash]

I used to live in Colorado Springs, and honestly, I'd never want to go there for vacation for spring break. Summer is okay, but the spring time is a really high time for snow and cold. Last spring break we went back to spend time with family, and my nephew's school was closed the day before he went on spring break because of snow. Colorado is not bad, but when I think of spring break, I think of going somewhere warm, and that's not what you're going to get. I've never been to Buena Vista, but I'm sure there's some sight seeing you could do. You could also take a drive one day to Garden of the Gods (on a decent weather day) in the springs.

 

[jsmith]

what your not saying-or maybe didnt know is that the day the school closed for snow-i think it was the 27th of March-was the ONLY storm we had all winter-and that it was 60 and beautiful by noon the next day-yes it snows-but it goes away quickly.

 

[Carlyzmom]

If you have never been skiing I would not suggest your first outing be on a mountain in Colorado . What I WOULD do is find a company that does snowmobiling tours in the mountains. Those are a BLAST and the kids would love it. Take a trip up Pike's Peak, it's pretty amazing. Go see the Garden of the Gods. There are some pretty spectacular rock formations there. The Air Force Academy is near there, that was worth a quick tour. If the weather is nice enough for white water rafting that is a blast too.

Well, I did ski, once in New York. Almost killed myself! So, probably will leave the skiing to the kids. I just want to enjoy the scenery and hope not to freeze to death.

 

[Carlyzmom]

We live in Denver, but there are a ton of great things to do near the Springs. One thing I've learned since moving to Colorado...the weather can change in an instant, and even if it snows in the morning, it could very well be gone by evening. It's nothing like the snow we dealt with living in Minnesota.

I'm not familiar with BV, but again, the Springs is awesome. Depending on how much snow is on the ground on Pike's Peak, you can possibly take the cog railway up (may not make it all the way to the top), or depending on road conditions, you can drive. There's an Olympic training center there that offers tours, Garden of the Gods is a NOT TO BE MISSED attraction (and it's FREE), the USAFA can be toured (they have an amazing chapel there), and the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is really nice (smallish, but very nice). You can also check out all the cool shops in Manitou Springs (which is just outside Garden of the Gods).

If you spend any time in Denver, it's fun to walk along the 16th street mall downtown at night, and we also have a very nice zoo, downtown aquarium, and some great museums.

I do appreciate all of your suggestions. I am making a list!!

 

[Carlyzmom]

UM really? my son and DIL live in Ann Arbor-we are on average 10 degrees warmer any day-summer or winter than them-just no humidity.


OP-if you are going to BV look into the cost of flying here-Colorado Springs-as opposed to Denver-it might be cheaper-and its closer and theres less traffic. I agree with previous posters -you wont have trouble finding things do to - i do think the road Colorado mom mentioned from BV to Aspen is closed in the winter-but Mount Princeton is Open i think-and its only a couple of hours to vail-where you can really see how the other half lives-and ski if you want-although honestly for beginners Ski Cooper is a great place-you can probably also do some nordic skiing around BV. Althought right now skiing isnt looking real promising-southern colorado is extremely warm and dry and not forcast to get snow soon.
Theres alot of stuff to see and do here and we have some great weather in march-as a PP said-it can be 70 degrees at noon and blizzarding at 5 pm-literally-so watch weather forcasts closely-but Garden of the Gods is beautful any time of year-as is the Air Force Academy-and that whole area around BV-but it is a small, quiet mountain town.. it will be quiet different than Texas-but not nessiccarily cold or even snowy-just depends on how things go.

We actually already have our plane tickets. We got a REALLY good deal to Denver. A good friend did recommend Ski Cooper. Like I said, it's not really a "ski" trip - we just want to try it a day or two. Mostly are interested in sight seeing. Plus we aren't going until March - so the snow should be OK by then, right?
Thanks for all of the info!!

 

[jsmith]

snow tends to be the best from mid feb to mid march-not so dry as earily and not soft enough you are mostly skiing on rocks like later.