Rocky Mountain National Park

This is as spectacular as it gets in the mountains.  About an hour northwest from Denver and you're at one of the main entrances to an incredible experience.  The drive through the park can take a few hours or you can spend days driving and stopping to take pictures. The park is split by the continental divide at its highest of just over 12,000 feet.  That part of the park is open only from late spring till October due to the heavy snow fall.  The continental divide is where all the water flowing from the eastern slops of the Rockies form the rivers flowing east and conversely, the runoff from the western slopes all form the rivers to the west flowing west. 




Vistas are so varied including mountain streams, waterfalls, moose, mountain meadows, year round snow at the highter elevations and rest stops along the way for unbelievable panoramas and pictures.  In driving through the park, I recommend coming in one way, like from Estes Park and exiting at Grand Lake on the western side of the Park.  You can do a drive from Denver and through the Park and return as a day trip.  Have a photo taken of yourself playing in the snow at one of the higher elevations in July.  At least once in your lifetime you need to be high up in the mountains and look around you and down into the valleys below to appreciate the "purple mountain majesty," you sang about as a child in American The Beautiful.
  

Estes Park

Leaving Boulder behind, you wind your way up highway 36 heading north west about 40 miles to Estes Park.  Now you're about 7200 feet above sea level.  In July its generally dry and quite pleasant during the days with cool evenings.  Estes Park is a picturesque small town (population 5200). 

 

Estes Park is quaint, and has loads of character and charm.  You are already in the mountains now.  On the western edge of town is the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park.  The area is spectacular for scenery at all times of the year.  I have been to Estes Park twice and both times in the late summer.  It is walkable and has a great small town feel.  There is a mountain stream that bisects the town and a walking area with art galleries, restaurants and shops line the creek with outside seating.  The town has so much to offer and is worth a visit.  

 

https://www.google.com/hotels/?gl=US#search;l=Estes+Park,+Colorado;q=estes+park+lodging;d=2013-05-19;n=1;si=7041b950;av=r

Estes Park has many reasonably priced hotels and some cool western style saloons and restaurants.

 

 

Just outside the small downtown is The Stanley Hotel, built in 1909.

Begin with Boulder

About 25 miles northwest of Denver and at about the same elevation you'll find Boulder, Co.  This is a really cool artsy community with sort of a "hip" vibe located at the base of the mountains. 

The center of town has a pedestrian street running east and west called Pearl Street.  This mile long street now called the Pearl Street Mall is tree lined with sitting areas and hundreds of shops, restaurants, and boutiques.  At the Boulder Arts and Crafts Gallery (www.boulderartsandcrafts.com) you can get feel of the local art including western, mountain, southwestern, Native |American and Mexican.   The U of Colorado is located less than a mile south of Pearl Street and a nice walk or drive.

 Continue west on Pearl and you'll quickly start climbing into the Rockies.  If hikeing is your thing, the Boulder Creek Path runs from the University west, winding its way right up to the hills west of town.  Where else can you start a hiking trek in a down town

and end up in the mountains?  Here is a link to all those fun arty festival activities in Bolder in the month of July from "Band on the Bricks" (Pearl St Mall) to an open air art show to beer tasting:

http://www.bouldercoloradousa.com/things-to-do/events/?e_ViewBy=month&e_sDate=07-01-2013&e_sortBy=eventName

The Uof C is also home to the Colorado Shakespeare Festival.  The festival runs from June through August and features popular works daily with ticket prices beginning at $10.  Here is the summer scheduel.
http://www.coloradoshakes.org/2013-season

Art on the Pearl St Mall. 
 Next week: Estes Park