The Hot Springs
Geothermal water has been coming out of this canyon since long before the miners showed up. Soak in the caves, the mineral baths or an outdoor pool — the best possible end to a day on the mountain.
Clear Creek County
Idaho Springs is a gold-rush town wedged into a canyon at 7,500 feet, half an hour from Denver and about ten minutes from the front door of the high country. You can soak in a hot spring, tour a gold mine, drive to 14,000 feet and eat a mountain pie the size of a hubcap — all in one day, all from the same parking spot.
Geothermal water has been coming out of this canyon since long before the miners showed up. Soak in the caves, the mineral baths or an outdoor pool — the best possible end to a day on the mountain.
The red-roofed mill terraced up the hillside is the town's landmark. Tour the mill, walk into the tunnel that ran four and a half miles through the mountain to Central City, and pan for gold afterward.
Two blocks of old brick storefronts holding down pizza, brewpubs, coffee, ice cream and a candy shop or two. This is where you go for dinner and where you end up afterward.
The creek runs right through the middle of Idaho Springs and half a dozen outfitters launch from here. Spring runoff is the big water; late summer is the family float.
A paved path along the creek for an easy spin or a morning walk, and a jumping-off point for the singletrack above town. Hang the bike in your room overnight.
The road up Mount Blue Sky — you may still hear it called Mount Evans — begins right here in Idaho Springs and climbs to just under 14,130 feet, the highest paved road in North America. Bring a jacket whatever the thermometer says in town, and check the seasonal opening dates and reservation requirements before you set out.
Loveland sits at the top of the pass, with Winter Park over Berthoud and Keystone, Arapahoe Basin and Breckenridge beyond the tunnel. Stay down here, sleep lower, and beat the morning traffic up the hill.
A short, steep hike to an alpine lake and a permanent snowfield people still ski in July. Get there early — the lot fills, and you'll need a parking pass.
A narrow-gauge steam train over the Devil's Gate High Bridge between two Victorian mining towns. Georgetown itself is worth the stop for the main street alone.
Casinos, an opera house and some of the best-preserved mining architecture in the state, reached by the Central City Parkway or the old Oh My God Road if you're feeling brave.
Walking distance
Starts in town
17 miles
27 miles
45 miles
Straight-line distances from the property. Driving times swing a lot with weather, season and I-70 traffic — check before you go.
Park at the door, sleep well, and be on the trail before the crowd gets up the hill.
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