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Colorado
A few pointers.1) Drink A Lot!!! you are at a much higher altitude than your body is used to and there is usually 0% humidity, this means you can easily dehydrate! and visitors often do!
2) Use sunscreen! being that you are that much closer to the sun, you get sunburnt that much faster, and 0% humidity means that it feels cooler than it actually is out.
3) when going to/up the mountains bring sweatshirts and other warm clothes, even on a scorcher of a summer day it can be freezing and windy on top of a mountain.
Denver
There are three jewish areas which are part of denver they form a rough triangle roughly 20 minute drive from one another so they kind of feel like three seperate cities.West side: is the yeshivish neighborhood, home to the Yeshiva, the Bais Yaakov, the Kollel, 60-80 families, the oldest shul in denver (over 120 years old and only one currently on the west side) the Bronco's stadium, and quite a few homeless people.Not much else noteworthy for the vacationer. There are no jewish stores there and the bulk of stores that do exist there are pawn shops and used car lots, Oh yeah and retail marijuana shops! Sloans lake is a beautiful lake half a block from most of the jewish neighborhood, roughly 3 miles around you can get some nice views of the mountains over the lake, but it isn't inside the eruv and certainly not worthy of a special trip.
SouthEast/Greenwood village: Is a relatively new part of Denver, something like 10-20 years old the community is largely a kiruv community in all stages of growth centered around the only shul Aish. There is also a decent group of Bnai Torah who live there as well. The SouthEast is an upscale waspy suburbia and the stores and citizens are generally more upscale as well.
They have a pretty good frozen Yogurt shop called Yogurt Yuphoria which is certified by the scroll k (the local and very reputable hechsher) but is mostly cholov stam. They do have some sorbet and sometimes pareve frozen yogurts that are labeled "dairy equipment" and are surprisingly good, you can also get some parve razzles and the like. They close at 930PM. Also the King Soopers nearby(a grocery chain which is part of the whole ralph's/kroger thing) has a small kosher meat section, kosher product section and almost entirely kosher fresh bakery (note most things are cholov stam!).They are open either to 12PM or are 24hrs.
East Side: is currently the largest and fastest growing part of Denver, here is where you will find almost all of the jewish/kosher amenities. The East side is a diverse crowd but the bulk of it is modern orthodox.
The Shuls:
EDOS (East Denver Orthodox Synogogue)is made up of an older crowd, very few young people, and is modern orthodox.
DAT (Denver Acadaemy of Torah) is a shul inside a school. Here is where the vast majority of the 20 and 30 somethings daven, it is a modern orthodox shul and is strongly zionist.
BMH-BJ (bais medrash hagodol-beth joseph) is technically an orthodox shul as it is part of the OU, but they don't have a mechitza and most of it's mispallelim drive to shul on shabbos. They do have a smaller minyan in a side room known as sharai simcha or "the mechitza minyan" which does have mechitza and it's mispallelim are local.
Bais Yisroel/Beit Uriel/TRI are three shuls housed in one building, Beit Uriel is the local Sephardic Shul, TRI is an old minyan for russian jews and Bais Yisroel is the yeshivish shul on the East side, they recently renovated and is gorgeous and spacious,with almost a intown feel.
The Restaurants:
ESKD (East Side Kosher Deli) http://www.eastsidekosherdeli.com/ It is located in the back of the only kosher store in town. In the store they have very nice meat and dairy departments. (although if you are just looking for a steak to grill you might to better off going to trader joes and getting one of their luscious teva's black angus kosher rib steaks). They also carry a full line of heimish products and wines, they are both a bit overpriced, but not crazy for this far out of town. They also have a full delicatessen/bakery in the store, their coldcuts are usually excellent. They close at 9PM.
Back to the restaurant (literally). They have a lunch menu which is significantly cheaper for many of the same things. Certain nights of the week they sell sushi which i haven't tried but hear is all right. The ambiance is not to great but the food is very good for the price (18-35 a main). I would suggest the sesame chicken, steak fajita's, cowboy burger, and onion ring brick, they are all delicious. They have some wierd things that you may like or hate for instance a burger with pastrami jammed between two greasy Latkes etc. Read the menu carefully. Also their shwarma is not up to par.Wine by the glass is surprisingly cheap for upscale restaurant standards, but ask when it was opened. They don't get a lot of wine orders.
. We really enjoyed back in August)Brooklyn Pizza http://brooklynpizzadenver.com/ They have some really good pizza and some really out-of-the box toppings like fake pepperoni (which supposedly tastes legit), smoked lox and capers, mac and cheese, and chocolate and riccotto cheese, if you are into that type of thing.All the above are made to order so give yourself some extra time. Their fries are good and the calzones are beyond enormous (enough for two). At peak times there will be a wait and a dearth of seats.They close at 9 PM and are open late on Motzoi Shabbos.
Next door is a King Soopers with a pretty big kosher item section (3 small isles) a small fresh meat and dairy section and a fresh bakery that is kosher but mostly cholov stam. Across the side street is a liquor shop called the grapevine which has a pretty large selection of kosher wine at a fair price, they are open very late.
Rosenberg Kosher (formerly The Bagel Store) http://www.rosenbergskosher.com/ Note, open to the public on Fridays and holidays. makes solid bagels and challah, they also make amazing doughnuts but only sell them on fridays, and for some odd reason they get stale very very quickly, so enjoy them right away.
Mordy's Falafel https://www.mordysfalafel.com/ Falafel Truck
High Point Creamery: https://www.highpointcreamery.com/ Ice cream shop across the street from EDOS. Small batch ice cream shop with unique flavors.
Hotels:
Colorado
has enough amazing sites for one to visit one a day for several years and not run out. I have spoken to avid hikers and natralists who live in Denver for 20-30 years and gathered that they havn't hit all the popular spots yet and are constantly finding new places. Below you will find a long but limited list of popular trips, anyone will have different favorites, enjoy!Unique Attractions In Denver
--Denver Museum of Nature and Science. hands-on interactive Kid oriented science museum. Very interesting exhibit on health/human body. Special exhibits and IMAX films are extra(Admission is free if you have membership at other science centers through the ASTC passport program. Good for a rainy day or if acclimating to the altitude). https://www.dmns.org/--History Colorado Center: Museum (Admission is free if you have membership at other science centers through the ASTC passport program. good for a rainy day or if acclimating to the altitude). https://www.historycolorado.org/history-colorado-center
--Slick City Denver West (Check groupon for deals. Usually $30/pp). An indoor trampoline-type park with water-free version of water slides. You ride down various slides on low-friction mats. https://slickcity.com/denverwest/
--Hammonds Candy30 minute factory tour. Free. Runs every 30 minutes. Reservations are recommended. Some of their products are kosher. location is at 5735 Washington Street
Denver, CO 80216 https://hammondscandies.com/pages/factory-tours-new
Day Trips from Denver
Children friendly short trips from Denver:
Tiny Town- a little boring, but nice stop for little kids. They charge $5 for adults and $3 for kids above 2. This is about 25 minutes from Denver, it is a miniature kid sized city! All this houses and stores are built with great detail and there are about 10 of them the kids can climb into and peer out the windows and such. It also has a child sized railroad that drives around the town for an additional 2$ a pop. When it gets boring there is a nice playground and picnic area.The whole town is set in a scenic locale in the foothills and has small creek meandering through it. I'd say it would be a nice 1-2 hour trip (not including traveling for 1-6 year olds)
St. Mary's Glacier(town of Alice): is about 50 minutes from Denver. It is a easy/moderate short hike (hour round trip) with a rewarding view on top. A great day trip idea for those who don't want to work too hard to see the views. The top has a really pretty clear lake fed from a glacier melt with a mountain view surrounding it. Really nice!!
Red Rocks: closest really scenic mountainy spot to denver. Beautiful red rock formation and kid friendly hiking trails, 25 minutes from Denver and nice for adults and slightly older kids as well (figure 3 years old and up)
Lariat Loop: scenic/historic 40 mile drive with stops all around golden and lakewood colorado. (most stops are western/cowboy themed)
Falcon Ridge short hike/amazing view
Buffalo Bill's Grave and museum - see @Yehuda's TR below
Coors factory tour-see @Yehuda's TR below
Roxbourough national park: A short half hour drive from Denver, this park has huge striking dramatic red stones (couple hundred feet high) the park is set in the middle of wild country and warns that bears and rattle snakes are very often seen, while the scenery is some of the best this close to Denver, the trails are a somewhat distant from the rocks (50-500 feet) and i wouldn't feel comfortable going off trail with all the rattlesnake warnings. This kinda puts a damper on the feel.
Lookout mountain-see @Yehuda's TR below
Boulder- 45 minutes north of Denver has quite a few family friendly trip options
Celestial Seasons tea factory tour: interesting and fun, with free tea sampling. Entering the "Mint room" is a highlight you won't soon forget, watching the fully automated factory whirl is remarkable and exciting. Avoid going on a Sunday because the factory floor is not on and you lose that experience. You can also purchase all their discontinued teas in their tea store. They suspended tours during COVID and now charge $5/pp. (they don't allow children under 5 years old on the tour). https://celestialseasonings.com/pages/tea-tour
Eben G. Fine Park: is a nice place to eat a lunch dip your feet in the river or just relax a bit, there is also another gorgeous park across the street but i can't remember the name.
Pearl Street: get a taste of the eccentric lifestyle of boulder, explore the stores and watch street performers. You are guaranteed to be amazed and amused by the eclectic locale!
Breweries: Colorado is home to dozens of microbreweries, of which quite a few are located in Boulder. Consider a short tour to see the less commercial side of beer brewing.One example is Avery brewery.
Eldorado Canyon: Is not in boulder but right near it. It is a beautiful site with a supposedly "stroller friendly" hiking trail. I took my double citymini up there and about halfway up had to hide it in a bush and continue with both kids on my shoulders, that being said it is a fairly easy stunning short trail which you could take a jogging stroller on if you were so inclined. There are often people crock climbing hundreds of feet in the air which makes for a fascinating watch.
Longer day trips from Denver
Mt. Evans: about an hour west of Denver.Then you begin the long drive up to the top a 14er (one of America's highest paved roads) the trip up is exhilerating and the switchbacks are steep with huge drops on either side, you pass two incredibly beautiful lakes en route and usually some mountain goats and big horn sheep. As you get higher it gets colder and it is not unusual for there to be a hailstorm or even snow in the middle of a 100 degree day in Denver, so bring a sweatshirt. The view from the top is astounding (unless you are unlucky enough to arrive on a foggy day on top).
Estes Park: is the city at the base of Rocky Mountain National park and is set by a large lake with great views and a plethora of local activities and interesting shops. It is an hour and half north of Denver
Rocky Mountain National Park: It is large enough to spend a few weeks exploring(more than 400 square miles!!), one can easily spend two days there, although there are no upscale hotels nearby. There are two main scenic drives, The view from Trail Ridge Road is arguably the the most beautiful astounding sight in Colorado and is not to be missed! Old Fall River Road is a harrowing winding one way dirt road that will constantly have you on the edge of your seat and affords you rawer less commercialized views of the park. You can take Old Fall River Road to the peak at the Alpine visitor center and take Trail Ridge Road back down the mountain. If you're looking for a hike geared for Intermediate/Advanced hikers, Flattop mountain is a great trail ~3 hours hike up, ~1.5 to get back down. The bear lake area is the most popular with scenic Alpine lakes surrounded by mountains. NOTE: In addition to the regular entry to national parks You now need to reserve entry online to the park and to the popular "bear lake area", as they try to control the increase in crowds post COVID. see https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/timed-entry-permit-system.htm
Peak to Peak Scenic Byway https://estes-park.com/peak-peak-scenic-byway
Colorado Springs area: - 1-1.25 hrs south of Denver
Garden of the G-ds: https://www.gardenofgods.com/ Is a mind bogglingly beautiful park with the same redstone rocks found in red rocks and roxborough, the important difference is that you are allowed to and encouraged to climb on the rock in the Garden of the gods, this makes the view personal and significantly more fun, you can spend hours exploring and not get bored! (tip: don't spend much time in the first official parking area, it is all paved but not accessible or nearly as much fun as some of the other spots in this park, park in one of the pull offs later in the park or especially at the balancing rock at the end and explore! You won't be disappointed!
US Air Force Academy: https://www.academyadmissions.com/visit-the-academy/self-guided-tours/visitor-center-information/
Cave of the Winds: https://caveofthewinds.com/
Pikes Peak: https://www.pikes-peak.com/ Amazing views at 14,115 FT. You can also bike down from the peak with various tour companies.
Royal Gorge Bride & Park: https://royalgorgebridge.com/
Royal Gorge Railroad: https://royalgorgeroute.com/
Manitou Springs: https://manitousprings.org/
Manitou Incline: http://www.manitouincline.com/
White water rafting on the Arkansas river (royal gorge or buena vista)
brainard lake
Kruner rock hike
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (sounds pretty ordinary but this zoo has the beautiful background of the Rocky mountains, as well as many fascinating animals (lions, tigers, bears, and more!) It also has a chairlift that can take you above zoo level so you can see from bird’s eye view! 4250 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Rd. Colorado Springs, CO 719-633-9925
Vail Area:
Hotels:
Grand Hyatt Vail
Vail Residences At Cascade Village
Activities:
1. biking down from vail pass. Vail Pass is at exit 190 on Hwy 70 (about 15 miles east of Vail). It's several thousand feet higher than Vail. There is popular bike path from there to Vail, that stays near hwy 70 with stunning views that is 95%+ downhill (going west from 'Vail Pass' to 'Vail'), which makes for an amazing bike ride). You can rent bikes in Vail from many bike shops, and most rental places offer services to transport you and your rental bike to Vail Pass. Use of the bike trail itself is free. Bike rentals cost vary and the cost to transport bikes to Vail Pass can be more than the bike rental.
2. Zip Lining
3. Gondola rides to top of Vail, (and scenic trails at the top)
4. Razor Tours Above & Beyond 4x4 Guides
5. Lake Dillon Boat Rental Dillon Marina
6. There is a BikeShare program in Vail called "Shift" with Pedal-Assist bikes (e-bikes). The first 30 minutes is $3, then $0.40/minute. You need a smart phone to get the bikes. There are various stations. They don't include helmets. Note: certain trails don't allow E-bikes. see https://shift-bike.com/
7. Copper Mountain is around exit 195 on Hwy 70. They offer Gondola rides at $15/pp (vs $50/pp at Vail). They also offer an summer activity pass with a package of rides including: gondola ride, zipline, go-karts, obstacle course, climbing wall, mountain coaster, bungee trampoline for $62-$80/pp. see https://www.coppercolorado.com/things-to-do/activities-amenities/summer-activity-passes
8. Hiking. There are many hikes in and around Vail. With Vail being in a valley surrounded by mountains, many involve substantial uphill sections. E.g Strawberry Lane (starts at Vail Gondola), Upper Piney River Trail (Stunning hike, but need to travel along a 10 miles unpaved, very bumpy road with potholes to get to the start, ideal to have an SUV when travelling on that road). See Alltrails.com or the alltrails app for more hikes in the area (including difficulty, length, pictures, user rating, and popularity).
9. Scenic Walking/Bike Paths: There are also relatively flat walking/biking paths in Vail, (e.g. Gore Creek Path) along the gore creek along the base of the mountain.
10. Sunday Farmers Market and Art Show in Vail.
11. Betty Ford Alpine Garden Small botanical Garden in Vail, (Free: less than an hour). There is also a nice playground there. https://bettyfordalpinegardens.org/visit/
12. In the nearby town of Avon (10 miles west of Vail). There is a small lake with Pedal boats, Kayaks, and SUP rentals ($35-$50/hour). see https://www.avon.org/431/Nottingham-Lake-and-Beach
Shul:
Chabad of Vail has a thriving shul centrally located http://www.jewishvail.com/ https://minyanmaker.co/s/Chabad_Vail
Food:
Kosher Vail - Run by the Chabad of Vail
Glenwood Springs:
1. Hanging Lake https://www.visitglenwood.com/things-to-do/hanging-lake/ (you now need to get passes online to enter $12/pp)
2. Glenwood Caverns (Modest size amusement park on top of a mountain with 10-20 rides including a mountain coaster, about 1 hour west of Vail. Need to take a gondola up to the park. Entry to the park also includes access to two cave tours they offer.) https://www.glenwoodcaverns.com/
3. Bike path from Hanging lake to Glenwood Springs, gently downward sloping. You can rent bikes in Glenwood Springs and some of those shops will transport you to the Hanging lake area, for a one-way gently downhill bike ride, or do the round trip.
4. Aspen is 1 hour from Glenwood Springs. It's a different feel than Vail, with more of a residential community, as opposed to just temporary vacationers. In Aspen there are various shops, bike rentals, art galleries, a Chabad, etc.
5. Near Aspen there is Maroon Bells lake with a short trail. Access is limited and requires a pass to drive your car to the trail head (only after 5pm) or you can take alternative transportation. For details see https://aspenchamber.org/plan-trip/trip-highlights/maroon-bells/reservations.
To be continued...
If you have any questions or need any help please feel free to PM steeeveknowsbest and i'll get back to you ASAP
TRs
Yehuda Summer 2014 (trip divided up by day into several posts, so keep reading!)
Yehuda's Trips to Denver
Something Fishy's TR
CGR
kivabb trip report
Joel TR
yungermanchik TR
Friars500 TR
LMB TR
« Last edited by yochai on October 20, 2023, 11:21:21 AM »
