Colorado is home to some of the most impressive and unique adventures. You can explore the extremely popular Native American sites like Garden of the Gods all the way to remote caves outside of Eagle. Here, we want to provide you with some unique adventures you’ve probably never heard of. If you’re looking for your next adventure off the beaten path, consider checking out these top destinations.
Penny Hot Springs
Right on the banks of the Crystal River just a short drive south from Carbondale is a hot springs tucked into one of the more unique locations, under Highway 133. Enjoy this alternative to the often over crowded traditional springs. Here you can soak in the sun or bask under the moon in a gorgeous location under granite cliffs named “Hell’s Gates”, all for free.
Find it: 3.2 miles north of the main southern entrance to Redstone on Highway 133. There is a parking turnout near mile marker 55.
Things to know: There are no amenities, bathroom facilities, or no trash containers. Everything you pack in needs to be packed out. The best time to go is Summer, Fall, and Winter. In the Spring, snow melt can cause sporadic flooding.
Devil’s Slide Trestles
In the early 1900s, if you wanted to go from Denver to Salt Lake City, one option was a railroad seemingly clinging on to the edge of the rocky mountains. Over 11,000 feet above sea level, within the South Boulder Canyon, you can see the remains of this once heart pumping journey.
Today, you can visit these decaying bridges over 1,000 feet up with a few options to get there.
Eastern: Head south from Nederland on Colorado 119, turn west on Rollins Pass Road. The trailhead gate is 16 miles from Rollinsville. Take a quick 3/4 mile hike over Needle’s Eye to find the remains of the old rail beds. .
Western: Take Rollins Pass Road (Corona Pass Road) out of Winter Park Ski Area to the top of Rollins Pass. The trestles are about a mile from the old Corona station site.
Smaller cars are not recommended for Rollins Pass. 4WD and AWD is not required either, just a little extra clearance is needed.
B-17 Bomber Crash Site
Nested off a trail in the Comanche Peaks Wilderness, 30 miles west of Fort Collins, sits a haunting display of an Army training mission turned nightmare. On June 13, 1944, a crew of ten took off from Rapid City, South Dakota. For some, this was their last mission.
While over the Rocky Mountains they started to experience engine troubles that sent them off course. Unable to regain their path they were suddenly slammed into the mountain side. Miraculously, 6 of the 10 were able to survive.
Today this is known as the Crown Point B-17 crash site and has become a must see destination for hikers and WWII enthusiasts alike. The 5.6 mile out and back hike is a moderate difficulty with a few steep sections. You can expect to complete this in about 3 hours depending on how much extra exploring you do.
Picketwire Canyon Trackway
Over 150 million years ago, during the Jurassic era, dinosaurs carved their paths through Colorado and the rest of our world. Stomping around at their size was sure to make an impact. Sure enough in the form of easily identifiable foot prints.
Today, Dino enthusiasts and adventurers can explore the largest dinosaur trackway in all of North America. In all, there are over 1300 tracks in 100 separate trackways baked into a 1/4 mile of limestone rock.
These are not some small tracks tucked away in the hills. These were made by Allosaurus and the absolutely massive Apatosaurus and Brontosaurus.
This Canyon was also home to some other prehistoric visitors who left their artwork and numerous rocks. You can also see tools and pottery they left behind. Tour guides are recommended for any groups who really want to discover all the hidden stories of this canyon. There are certainly more, including The River of Souls Lost.