Jan 17

Jan 17 Long Weekend in Denver, Colorado

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This year we rang in the New Year with some of our best friends in Denver, Colorado. I debated posting this because of the time we are living in, but decided to go ahead and share it, as we really didn’t get in contact with anyone other than our group… the airport being the only exception.

We were all tested for COVID-19 pre-trip and exhibited great caution. We were originally supposed to fly back to LA from Dallas after Christmas, but decided to fly straight to Colorado from Texas instead, as a way to minimize contact.

All that to say, I think that travel is something that is doable right now if that is something you are looking to do. I thought sharing this would be helpful as road trips and domestic travel are growing in popularity. I have heard that Denver has had some ordinances put in place that you must stay there at least 14 days to rent a property and such; however, we were staying at a friend’s home and didn’t encounter any trouble. Now that my preface is all over with, here is what our time in Denver looked like!

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Group photo at Saint Mary’s Glacier

Everlane Down Military Parka (c/o) | Columbia Ski Pants

Tuesday: We arrived in the evening. Our friends came and picked us up. We hugged, then promptly ordered takeout from US Thai Cafe. The drunken veggie noodle was my favorite!
Wednesday: We slept in, then packed up to head to Saint Mary’s Glacier. We stopped at a ski shop on the way there to pick up snow shoes. I would not recommend hiking the glacier in the winter without them. They make it so much easier!! It’s kind of steep and zig zag, but worth it. It plateaus a bit and there’s a lake you can step / walk on. You can also continue going up the side of the glacier if you would like. We did the next steep incline past the lake, then called it a day. We rolled down the hill for fun. Hah! People also sled / snowboard, ski down it. On the way back with picked up Beau Jo’s pizza. So yummy!! This evening the girls got welded bracelets from Links by Lou. They come to your home (wear a mask and everything) and put them on for you. The metals are top quality and really chic. They offer bracelets in Kansas City, Nashville, Denver, and soon to be Dallas! After that, we called it a day. So tired and sore!!
Thursday: This was New Year’s Eve, so we took it easy and laid low. We went to SloHi coffee (love Huckleberry roasts!) and walked around Sloan lake and the surrounding areas. We had a bonfire and grilled.
Friday: New Year’s Day! We celebrated two birthdays and hung out and played games.
Saturday: We decided to make the most of our last full day by sledding at Ken Caryl Sledding Hill. It was fun, but it hadn’t snowed since before we had arrived, so it was kind of thin. Because of this, we didn’t spend a ton of time there. We finished the day by hiking the castle trail at Mount Falcon Park. It is in Morrison / near Red Rocks! There is another trail near the amphitheater that is more like walking / easier, though I don’t think this one was very hard.
Sunday: We left mid-morning! We flew Southwest and omg it was the longest line we have ever waited in. It took an hour and a half to check our bags and we barely made it before they started boarding the plane. I think it might have been because it was right after New Year’s (the 3rd) and people extended travel due to COVID. Either way it was crazy!! We were gone almost 3 weeks total, so we were happy to be back in Los Angeles.

Saint Mary’s Glacier

Beau Jo’s Pizza // Links by Lou bracelets

At Ken Caryl Sledding Hill

Madewell Quilted Pullover (c/o) | Everlane Down Military Parka (c/o) | Pom Beanie | Sunglasses

Where we ate:

We mostly ate in (thanks to our friends preparing for us!!), but here are some places we ordered take -out from. When we went, indoor dining as closed, though outdoor was open. We never did outdoor due to the cold weather.

US Thai Cafe

Beau Jo’s

Slohi Coffee

What we did:

Got welded bracelets by Link by Lou

Snowshoed at Saint Mary’s Glacier

Played Games like Ticket to Ride

Sledded at Ken Caryl Sledding Hill Park (we also considered going tubing at Colorado Adventure Park, but did this instead)

Hiked Mount Falcon Park

Walked around Sloan Lake

At Ken Caryl Sledding Hill

At Mount Falcon Park

Overall it was such a fun trip and had little to no contact with anyone outside our group. Indoor dining was closed when we were there. We could have done outdoor dining, but it was a little too cold for our taste for that. I will say that wearing a face mask did keep our faces warm - hah! We did consider skiing, but we were with friends we don’t get to see that often and skiing doesn’t really harbor much conversation. Plus it is expensive! We went in January, so this is a post more geared to winter months / ski season, but I’d love to go back in the summer! I’ve only been to Colorado in the winter.

Oh and I realize that we weren’t really there for a “long weekend”, but that just made the post title easier than “5 nights and 6 days in Denver, Colorado.” Hah! Hope this helped you!! Let me know if you have any favorites I forgot that I need to try next time. Keep scrolling for previous Colorado blog posts. Enjoy!!

P.S. I’d love recommendations for other cities like Aspen and Vail, as I’ve never visited them!