Pick-Your-Passion Itineraries / COME TO LIFE SNOWSHOEING ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK Estes Park Fort Collins Boulder ELDORA MOUNTAIN RESORT Nederland GOLDEN GATE CANYON STATE PARK Denver Evergreen 70 ELK MEADOW PARK Aspen TENNESSEE PASS COOKHOUSE PINE CREEK COOKHOUSE Leadville FOOTHILLS Denver COZY COOKHOUSES FRONT RANGE FRONT RANGE: 47 MILES Just steps from Eldora Mountain Resort ’s downhill ski area near Nederland, 40 kilome-ters of groomed trails wind through quiet, shady forests and wide-open meadows. To the north, most of Rocky Mountain National Park ’s 571 kilometers of trails can be explored on snowshoe, opening up dozens of options for length and difficulty for your trek. COZY COOKHOUSES: 129 MILES Aspen and Leadville are both home to a particular snowshoeing delight: backcountry cookhouses. At the Pine Creek Cookhouse near the ghost town of Ashcroft and Tennessee Pass Cookhouse , visitors earn their fine-dining lunch or dinner by snowshoeing to the lodge for a warm meal. Don’t eat too much — you have to get yourself back to the trailhead afterward! FOOTHILLS: 32 MILES Two spots not far west of Denver make it easy for city explorers to stretch their horizons a bit when the snow falls. Golden Gate Canyon State Park in Golden has 12 trails that intersect often, allowing you to create a personalized itinerary as you travel through aspen forests and open meadows. A short drive south, Evergreen’s Elk Meadow Park provides easy access to trails for all abilities and the opportunity to spot its namesake wildlife. WANT MORE? COLORADO.COM/SNOWSHOEING ICE FISHING CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: TENNESSEE PASS NORDIC CENTER, JAMES BRANAMAN; ELEVEN MILE RESERVOIR, CHAPRRAL PARK GENERAL STORE IN HARTSEL; ICE FISHING NEAR KREMMLING, MILES/MATT INDEN. LAKE JOHN Walden NORTH Denver NORTH: 63 MILES Lake John near Walden is a 565-acre state wildlife area in a stretch called North Park, a high-elevation basin between the Continental Divide and Park mountain range where hunters and fishers seek a quiet paradise anytime of year. There’s a similar scene south near Kremmling at Wolford Mountain Reservoir , which is also popular with RVers year-round. Both spots hold ice-fishing contests each January/February. CENTRAL: 26 MILES In another “park” — this time South Park — you’ll find Antero Reservoir south of Fairplay near the headwaters of the South Platte River, rich with many fish. Eastward near Lake George, the Gold Medal waters of Eleven Mile State Park boast plenty of kokanee, trout and pike all winter long. CENTRAL WOLFORD MOUNTAIN RESERVOIR Kremmling 9 70 Fairplay ANTERO RESERVOIR ELEVEN MILE STATE PARK Buena Vista Lake George WANT MORE (INCLUDING IMPORTANT SAFETY TIPS)? COLORADO.COM/ICEFISHING COLORADO.COM / 83
Colorado Official State Vacation Guide 2018: Page 83
