Innholdsfortegnelse for 2016 i 5280 Traveler

A YEAR AGO, I wrote three words on a pink sticky note and posted it next to my computer at work: “2016 Machu Picchu.” My brother had recently returned from a five-day hike to the famed Inca site in Peru, which I jealously experienced via social media. I, on the other hand, was restless; it had been four years since I’d traveled beyond North America’s borders. I griped to anyone who would listen that I needed to get away—far away. Machu Picchu became my focus. The travel deities must’ve heard my pleas: My best friend and her husband announced they would be spending eight months backpacking around South America, and they invited me to join them for a portion of their journey. Which is how, in late April, I found…

DO THIS! RIDE the Little Scraggy Trail The first half of Little Scraggy Trail (part of the Buffalo Creek trail system) opened for riding in September 2014. Pedal more than six miles of flowy single-track through rocky outcroppings on the stretch of undulating climbs and descents from the trailhead to Kelsey Campground. You’ll have to turn back just past the campground for now, but when the other half of the trail to Buffalo Campground is finished next summer, you’ll get to tackle an additional several miles without any backtracking. HIKE the Colorado Trail from Kenosha Pass to Deadman Creek The Colorado Trail from Denver to Durango generally takes four to six weeks to complete. But the nine-mile out-and-back section from Kenosha Pass to Deadman Creek can be done between breakfast…

IN COLORADO, GETTING “R & R” MEANS something more—rest, relaxation…and ranches. In 2012, the most recent year for which figures were available, Colorado was fourth in the country for agritourism revenue (from corn mazes to vineyard tours) with $28 million. Expect that to climb as more operations target the latest trend: farm stays, where guests pay to overnight and help out around the homestead in exchange for good grub, reconnecting with the land, and stellar scenery. Here, three places to catch up on your “R & R & R.” GETTING YOUR GOAT AVALANCHE FARM AND DAIRY | PAONIA Set among the pasturelands of the North Fork Valley, Avalanche Cheese Company’s 130-acre dairy farm is home to close to 600 goats, three llamas, and 200 chickens. That presents plenty of chances…

We’ve all been there—that miserable moment on the slopes when you have to yank off your toasty gloves, dig your phone out of your pocket, and fumble through your playlist with frozen fingers. Happily, Gaugewear in Boulder has partnered with the University of Colorado’s College of Engineering to develop a line of sensor-based wearable technology that can solve your frostbite woes. The design, a single strip of conductive fabric, integrates easily with outdoor apparel and responds to simple motions like swipes and taps to control your electronic device via radio frequency. So next time you need to hit record on your GoPro or start your watch timer on a run, don’t worry about peeling back the layers and hunting for a button. Keep the gloves on, swipe your sleeve, and…

Contributors: Kasey Cordell, Amanda M. Faison, Natasha Gardner, Jessica LaRusso, Lindsey R. McKissick & Daliah Singer The quintessential Colorado postcard shows snow-covered slopes and rosy-cheeked skiers sipping hot cocoa. Winter, after all, is king in the Centennial State. But here’s a surprising statistic: According to the Colorado Tourism Office, 5.4 million tourists visited the state during the months of June, July, and August in 2014— about 2.3 million more than visited during January, February, and March. In fact, according to Ralf Garrison, director of Denverbased DestiMetrics, a destination-travel research company that follows resort and lodging reservation activity, summer business in Colorado has been doing better than good. “Just prior to the recession, winter and summer experienced record years,” Garrison says. “But since then, the summer market has rebounded and grown…

Since DIA sits a good 20 miles from downtown, just getting there to catch your flight is no small feat—never mind if you’ve got to drop Fido off at the boarder first. Paradise 4 Paws, which opened in December 2014, eliminates at least one of those problems. Situated less than three miles from DIA, Paradise provides pet boarding and onsite parking ($12 per night), so you can say goodbye to Spot and hop on a free shuttle to the terminal. It’s not just about expediency, though. Paradise is also about luxury for your four-legged friends: The 25,000-square-foot facility nixes cages, offering only suites— some of which have TVs and human-size beds. A day for a canine guest might include a morning massage, a dip in the pool, peanut butter à…

When you hike Iowa Hill Trail in the White River National Forest, you expect to find lush aspen groves, burbling creeks, and perhaps a passing deer. Come August, you might also happen upon a cellist. Trail Mix, a series of 24 miniconcerts along the trails near Breck, is part of the second annual Breckenridge International Festival of Arts (BIFA) from August 12 to 21. “A festival needs to be fun and entertaining, but I also think it needs to be relevant to a community,” says Robb Woulfe, president and CEO of BreckCreate, a two-year-old nonprofit dedicated to promoting arts and culture in the mountain town. ¶ BIFA certainly accomplishes that. Its multidisciplinary programs— from dance to music to workshops, the majority of which are free—explore the merger of high-elevation culture…

The National Park Service turns 100 this year—and we’re celebrating by packing up our cars and zooming 370 miles southwest to Mesa Verde National Park (one of Colorado’s four national parks). The captivating 52,000-acre site is home to 600 cliffside abodes that were inhabited by the Ancestral Pueblo people more than 700 years ago. Adventurous explorers will want to sign up for the one-hour, ranger-guided Balcony House cliff dwelling tour, which involves crawling through a tunnel, scrambling up steep cliffs, and climbing ladders to view the location’s 40 well-preserved rooms and two courtyards. If you want to expand your visit into a long weekend but aren’t in the mood to camp (Morefield Campground has 267 sites to choose from and easy access to some great hiking), book a room at…

There may be no “I” in team, but there’s a whole lot of it in Salida’s two-year-old Captain Zipline Aerial Adventure Park. Unlike a team-building ropes course, aerial adventure parks are larger and more complex, designed to be selfguided using a smart belay system that attaches participants to fixed safety cables at all times. Tucked in the Arkansas River Valley’s Lost Canyon, the 120-element Captain Zipline includes swinging bridges, tightropes, tunnels, suspended ladders, trapezes elevated up to 50 feet off the ground, and six 200- to 700-foot zip lines that form an adventure mecca. “This is the place where Indiana Jones meets Spider-Man,” says owner Monty Holmes. Hundreds of aerial parks exist in Europe, where the concept originated, but Captain Zipline is Colorado’s first, and the largest in the Western…