Colorado
I’ve never been able to do a proper trip to Colorado before, and luckily for me, one of my close friends is currently living in Boulder, so I decided to plan a short summer visit. It had been a long time since I’d been able to do some real camping and hiking, so we made sure to fit that into the plan for the trip. Colorado has a seemingly endless amount of spots to hike, fish, offroad, camp, etc., and the weather in the summer is practically perfect, so I was really looking forward to this getaway!
Day 1
The first day of my visit was the 4th of July. We stopped for drinks at January Coffee before picking up some groceries for the party that we were going to later that day.
Everyone was down at the river for the holiday and we enjoyed suntanning and swimming for a few hours, watching people float the river and rope swing.
Later on we went to a fourth of July party at one of the houses near campus, grilling and playing some drinking games. I always love getting to see what life is like for the friend I’m visiting and meet their friend group.
Day 2
The next morning we packed up and left for our camping trip in Rollins Pass. The drive there was absolutely beautiful with blue skies, white clouds and rolling hills. We even saw a herd of water bison on the side of the road!
This was my first time doing dispersed camping, which essentially means you’re not paying for an officially marked campsite. We found a great spot in a little open meadow with some shade before driving up to a beautiful Alpine Lake called Jenny Lake.
The road up to Rollins Pass was pretty rough, luckily my friend had 4-wheel drive so we were able to make it all the way up. If you’re considering trying to hike or camp in this area, you’ll definitely need a vehicle that’s lifted off the ground a decent amount with AWD or 4WD.
Isaac fly-fished for a bit while I relaxed by the lake, then we headed back to the campsite to make dinner and sit by the fire.
Day 3
The next morning we headed back to Boulder, it was such a pretty drive criss-crossing over the river and through the canyons. The sun was shining again and the temperature was perfect.
It was a gorgeous afternoon when we got back to Boulder so we decided to drive up to Chautauqua Park, a beautiful park with rolling hills, stunning views and plenty of walking and hiking trails.
Afterwards e went to dinner at The Post, which had some delicious cocktails and dinner options. We also checked out some of the bars and clubs in the area later on with some of Isaac’s friends.
Day 4
For my last day in Boulder, Isaac and I drove up to Gross Reservoir and hung out in downtown Boulder, shopping and stopping for dinner when the rains started to roll in. I loved all the little stores, bars, murals and restaurants in this area!
This was a super fun trip for me and I loved getting a proper taste of Colorado. It was perfect combination between hiking/camping and spending time in town, going out for drinks and dinner. This city and state are absolutely gorgeous and I definitely want to get back out here sooner rather than later.
