Sports & Recreation >>

• Best Bike Ride -- Trail
  Mountain Lion Trail
  The biggest problem for Denver's mountain bikers is that there are so many good trails to choose from, starting with the serpentine paths along Cherry Creek and extending to the numerous routes crisscrossing the hogbacks and foothills just west of town. For variety and a tough nearby challenge,... More >>
• Best Private Climb
  Culebra Peak
  When you're trying to bag all 54 of Colorado's fourteeners, Culebra Peak could be your steepest challenge. Not because it's such a difficult climb; the mountain rises relatively gently above what used to be the Taylor Ranch west of Trinidad in Culebra County. The problem is that Culebra Peak... More >>
• Best Discography (1 Comment)
  Old and In the Way Ultimate Frisbee Team
  It wasn't so long ago that the guys of Boulder-based OAITW were a decent-enough disc-tossing bunch. But they weren't getting any younger, and so a couple of years ago they decided to do something so drastic it is virtually unheard of in many Frisbee circles: practice. It paid off. In 1999, the... More >>
• Best Annual Running Race
  Evergreen Parks and Rec Races
  For the past fifteen years or so, the little town of Evergreen has been staging a series of trail runs that add up to the best race of the year. "People up here are used to running on trails," says Evergreen Rec Superintendent Sharon Martin. "They don't like going down to run on roads." This... More >>
• Best Water World for the Masses
  Gates Family Foundation Interactive Fountain
  The Gates Family Foundation Interactive Fountain, a refurbished, space-age amusement, popped up a couple of summers ago behind the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Since then, it's become Denver's best imitation of Water World -- except admission is free. Here's what you'll find by the... More >>
• Best Pro Acquisitions
  Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle
  While they can't build a new stadium, Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd and manager Buddy Bell hope to win a division title and entertain World Series dreams. So they imported two expensive free-agent pitchers to carry the pennant freight. Mike Hampton is a cream-of-the-crop left- hander who... More >>
• Best Online Campsite Reservations
  ReserveAmerica
  Forget hanging on the phone to reserve your favorite campsite this year. At 7 a.m. Monday, April 2, the online campsite reservation center opens, giving you full access to information on all the Colorado State Parks -- as well as the ability to book a site. ReserveAmerica also handles... More >>
• Best Place to Snag a Foul Ball at Coors Field
  First baseline
  When you're sitting in sections 151-156 in left field, the combination of batting practice and Rox bombs can make it seem like a target range. But those who know the meaning of "some lucky fan just got dinged" sit in sections 119-116 and those nearby, where Larry Walker's liners often land. And... More >>
• Best Gymnastics for Tots
  Gymnastics Plus
  Under the watchful direction of coaches Tim Frye and Cheri Steffes, Gymnastics Plus offers a full array of instruction for all levels of Olympic wannabes. They also believe in starting 'em young, whether it's just for fun or in anticipation of a future in the gymnastics spotlight. Beginning with... More >>
• Best Sports Team -- College
  University of Denver Ski Team
  The Pioneers had been there before, but this was something special. On March 10 in Middlebury, Vermont, the University of Denver ski team won the NCAA championships for the second straight year -- and for a record sixteenth time in school history. A perennial power on snow (particularly in the... More >>
• Best Bronco
  Brian Griese
  Not long ago, there was little doubt about which sport ruled and who was its golden king. But John Elway has gone, and the mighty Broncos have scuffled. Still, there's pigskin promise. Bob Griese's kid Brian -- going into his fourth season as a pro -- has developed the strength, savvy and... More >>
• Best Sports Coach -- College
  Sonny Lubick
  Colorado State University Rams
  Some argue that college sports have become little more than the minor leagues for the pros, and with the hype surrounding most Division I sports, it's hard to argue. But sometimes the "old college try" still involves more than the bottom line. Such is the case with Sonny Lubick. Many big-name... More >>
• Best Bison Bones
  Wray Museum
  You may have seen some of them at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, or maybe at the Smithsonian, but only in Wray, on the southern edge of the Sand Hills near the Nebraska border, can you see where these 10,000-year-old bison bones came from. They were originally unearthed in 1972 when a... More >>
• Best Metro State College Athlete
  Rashawn Fulcher
  Roadrunners Men's Basketball
  When the Metropolitan State Roadrunners won the NCAA Division II basketball title last spring, they were loaded with senior talent. This season, the senior star is power forward Rashawn Fulcher, a 6'2", 220-pound bruiser who looks more like an inside linebacker than a hoopster. Dubbed "Buff" by... More >>
• Best Historic Resort
  Winks Lodge
  Beginning in the early 1920s, Winks Lodge gave African-Americans their very own private retreat in the mountains -- an important resource, since other resorts were often closed to them. Some of the best-known entertainers of the day, including Lena Horne and Duke Ellington, are said to have... More >>
• Best Place to Get Creamed on the PGA Tour
  The International
  Everybody from former winners Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson to the craziest heatstroke victims screaming "You da man!" from the gallery on fourteen agree: The creamy, Häagen-Dazs-laced milkshakes for sale at The International golf tournament at Castle Pines Country Club are the best on... More >>
• Best Bike Club
  Team Evergreen
  There are plenty of bike clubs, but several factors separate Team Evergreen from other velocipedal gatherings. Start with location: Most of the training rides -- usually every Sunday -- wind through (and up and down and up and down) the foothills west of Denver, some of the most scenic and... More >>
• Best Place to Cream Your Boss
  Action Pursuit Paintball
  After a certain point, running around a field blowing away your buddies just isn't enough. Even the most dedicated sniper craves variety. Action Pursuit Paintball offers four separate killing fields to hold your interest. The main field encompasses nearly 24 acres and is dotted not only with the... More >>
• Best Locally Owned Racehorse That Flies
  Reraise
  We are not talking $5,000 claimers here -- the manes-and-tails that run at Arapahoe Park. Reraise, majority-owned by Denver rock promoter (and longtime student of the breed) Barry Fey, is what racetrack people call a "freak" -- an animal that regularly runs faster than anyone thinks possible. In... More >>
• Best Place to Be a Junior Meteorologist
  Skinner Middle School
  Meteorologists are made, not born. Seventh-graders at Skinner get the chance to not only give morning weather reports but also do serious scientific data gathering, thanks to the state-of-the-art weather station on the roof of the school. One of only six in the country donated by Canadian... More >>
• Best Knee-Destroying Ski Run
  Pallavicini
  Arapahoe Basin Ski Area
  Colorado ski areas present an embarrassment of riches for the downhill crowd, but a mind-bending, knee-breaking bump run at Arapahoe Basin called Pallavicini deserves special mention. Named for an Austrian nobleman who was also a skiing pioneer, it's a broad field of daunting moguls piled up on... More >>
• Best Deal on the Slopes
  Copper Mountain's Four Pass
  Sure, we all love skiing and boarding the Rockies. It's the expense that gets us down -- fuel, lift tickets, parking, lunch, equipment rental and so on. Thankfully, Copper Mountain eased the pain this season: It offered four full-day lift tickets (with only a handful of blackout days) for a... More >>
• Best Web Site for Slow Modems
  All About Glaciers
  Created by the communications group at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder, this award-winning site leads users through the life of a glacier via rare archival photos. The site contains everything anyone would ever want to know about glaciers, plus some... More >>
• Best Liquid Asset
  David Jamiel
  No one can accuse ranger David Jamiel of not making the most of his assignment at Two Ponds National Wildlife Refuge -- a 73-acre Arvada "sub-unit" of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. Jamiel has attracted almost seventy volunteers and 6,000 visits to the prairie paradise, an accomplishment that... More >>
• Best Use of a Mile-High White Elephant
  'N Sync concert at Mile High Stadium
  You thought the crowd made noise for the Broncos and Patriots? Let's hear it for the boys! 'N Sync returns for its second concert in little more than a year at the doomed arena -- giving Mile High Stadium reason to stand a little longer and providing Mayor Wellington Webb with a handy excuse for... More >>
• Best Nugget
  Antonio McDyess
  The long-beleaguered Nuggets' shaky playoff hopes may have faded on the road in February, but Antonio McDyess, the team's indispensable power forward, continues to be one of the NBA's finest players -- as evidenced by his selection to the 2001 All-Star team. The 6'9", sixth-year man out of... More >>
• Best Yurts
  Colorado State Parks
  More than a tent, less than a cabin: That's the yurt, the newest camping option offered in selected state parks. The semi-permanent shelters consist of a wooden-lattice wall and rafters surrounded by weatherproof canvas and topped with a clear domed skylight. Construction costs are less than a... More >>
• Best View of the Ballpark Neighborhood
  Thorndyke's
  Taking up residence in the historic Burlington Hotel last year, Thorndyke's bills itself as the "Ballpark Neighborhood's Living Room" -- and this is truly a room with a view. At any given time during any given day (except Sundays), you can catch up with the locals here over a beer, sandwich or... More >>
• Best Jazzercise Instructor
  Brooke Sirhal
  Need to lose a few pounds or gain some energy? Peppy and upbeat, Brooke Sirhal has several years of experience as a Jazzercise instructor, and she keeps things moving. The friendly ladies who work at the door welcome new students and make sure they don't get lost during the sometimes-complicated... More >>
• Best Mascot
  Ralphie the Buffalo
  In the best of all worlds, a team mascot should represent the players and inspire them at their game. When you think Division I college football players, what comes to mind? Exactly -- huge, muscular, hairy, dangerous, and perhaps just a little bit rank. If you're going to grind out a... More >>
• Best Sports Dynasty
  Gentlemen of Aspen Rugby Club
  The Avs might win their second Stanley Cup in five years, and the Broncos did achieve a back-to-back, but the real sports dynasty resides a couple of hundred miles west of Denver, in Glitter Gulch. The Gentlemen of Aspen first started winning USA Rugby Club championships in 1997, and they... More >>
• Best Mile High Salute to Broncos Fans
  Mile High Stadium tours
  Even without Elway, there were plenty of glorious memories coming out of Mile High Stadium. And for those who wanted to bask in a sure thing -- the glow of past glories -- Denver provided one last chance. After all, many Broncos boosters were never able to afford tickets to games at Mile High,... More >>
• Best University of Denver Athlete
  Wade Dubielewicz
  DU Pioneers Hockey
  The University of Denver Pioneers had a mediocre season, but sophomore goaltender Wade Dubielewicz is widely regarded as a potential All-American. In his first 27 games this year, he gave up just 2.19 goals per game -- sixth in the nation and first among goalies in the tough Western Collegiate... More >>
• Best Dinosaur Tracks --Indoors
  St. Cajetan Event Center
  Since late last year, a portion of the world's largest collection of dinosaur tracks has been housed in a church basement. University of Colorado paleontologist Martin Lockley spenty twenty years making molds of dinosaur tracks from around the world; today the collection spans more than 300... More >>
• Best Lunatic-Jock Quote
  Rae Carruth
  After being convicted of conspiracy in the murder of his pregnant girlfriend, Cherica Adams, former University of Colorado and Carolina Panthers wide receiver Rae Carruth went on television to tell his side of the story -- which included the claim that he was barely acquainted with the victim,... More >>
• Best Place for an Active Family Reunion
  Bruce Spruce Ranch
  Nestled deep in the San Juan National Forest, at the base of Wolf Creek Pass, the Bruce Spruce Ranch can hold 75 of your nearest and dearest in search of an active outdoor adventure. In addition to the lodge -- which accommodates up to thirty people -- fourteen rustic log cabins as well as RV... More >>
• Best Bike Race
  Bob Cook Memorial Mount Evans Hill Climb
  There's just something compelling about a race whose waiver begins: "I acknowledge that this athletic event is an extreme test of a person's physical and mental limits and carries with it the potential for death, serious injury and property loss." The hill climb, scheduled this year for July 28,... More >>
• Best Ecosystem Trail
  M. Walter Presman Trail
  This 1.5-mile trail -- completed in 1962 through the efforts of the Denver Botanic Gardens and the U.S. Forest Service -- winds up a peak in the Mount Evans ecosystem, about 55 miles west of Denver. From the lower trailhead in a stand of ancient bristlecone pines, up past the timberline, through... More >>
• Best Flying Canine
  Clever Corbin
  Speedy Clever Corbin has blown away the competition since breaking in last year at the Mile High Kennel Club. Just two years old, the star of the Bryon Legg Kennel won 35 of his first 49 starts, with four seconds and four thirds, and he's lost just once, during the current meet at Cloverleaf... More >>
• Best Animal-Attraction Encounters
  An Adult Wild Night
  The Denver Zoo
  An offshoot of the zoo's wildly popular Bunk with the Beasts overnight programs for kids and families, this slumber party is just what it's billed to be -- a campout in the Gates Conservation Center for the 21-and-older set, featuring a guided walk through the zoo after hours (during which... More >>
• Best Spring Tailgating
  Arapahoe Basin Ski Area
  From April through closing (usually around July 4), A-Basin proves that life's a beach, even at 10,000 feet above sea level. Memorial Day features theme buffets, live music, dancing, volleyball games, cookouts, snow biking, beachwear and tailgate parties. And because many of the events happen in... More >>
• Best Fishing Hole
  Cheesman Canyon
  We may live in one of the most populated areas between Chicago and L.A., but we can still cut out of work a couple hours early and hit one of the best trout-fishing streams in the country. Take Santa Fe Boulevard south to Sedalia, go west on Route 67 over the Rampart Range to the South Platte,... More >>
• Best Water-Skiing School
  Soda Lakes Water Ski School
  Just off C-470 at Morrison Road are two bodies of water: the Soda Lakes. The larger one is open to all manner of water activities, such as wind surfing and kayaking, but the smaller lake is reserved for one activity: water skiing lessons. For $99 per hour, you can rent skis, towrope, life... More >>
• Best Guess for When Mile High Stadium Will Disappear
  From the hearts of Bronco fans, never. From the sportscasters' lips, August 20
  Three weeks before the Broncos' first home game of the official NFL season, a month after the 'N Sync gang has left Mile High and about a minute after the Broncos's pre-season face-off against Dallas on August 19, Mayor Wellington Webb will finally relent, acknowledge that Invesco Field at Mile... More >>
• Best Local Float Trips
  Flexible Flyers Rafting
  You don't have to drive hours for a fascinating raft trip. Just sign up for a leisurely float on the South Platte River through the Carson nature preserve with Flexible Flyers Rafting, a Durango-based outfit. The two-and-a-half hour jaunt may not be much in the way of a wild ride, but there's... More >>
• Best Rapid
  Marcelo Balboa
  Soccer's dazzling "bicycle kick" -- a 180-degree flip, with the shot taken as head and foot are absolutely reversed -- is not attempted often and rarely yields results. But on April 22, 2000, in Columbus, Ohio, veteran Colorado Rapids defender Marcelo Balboa scored with it -- and catapulted... More >>
• Best New Rec Center
  Apex Center
  The North Jeffco Parks and Recreation District opened what it claims is the largest municipal recreation center in the nation this past summer. And we're not about to argue: Apex Center's 168,000 square feet encompass two indoor ice rinks, a therapy pool, an indoor walking and running track,... More >>
• Best Historic Ballpark Collection
  Bruce Hellerstein's Ballpark Museum
  Safe at home! Bruce Hellerstein calls it "the one and only museum totally dedicated to our national pastime's ballparks," and it's certainly the biggest baseball museum this side of the Mississippi. It's also the only one located in a home, but still open to the public (by appointment only, and... More >>
• Best Young Planetarium
  Steele Elementary
  Once upon a time, Room 103 of Denver's Steele Elementary School was just another classroom -- then it became a shining example of educational enterprise. First, in 1983, someone hung a dome from the ceiling and added a projector to throw changing images of the night sky across it. Then, in 1989,... More >>
• Best Sporty Marshal
  McMike Shanahan
  While the pot o' Super Bowl gold has eluded him recently, Broncos coach Mike Shanahan felt at home as grand marshal of this year's St. Patrick's Day parade in Denver. Although parade organizers make a point about it being the "second largest" such event in the U.S., it's doubtful that Shanahan... More >>
• Best Sports Dynasty -- Kids' Division
  Colorado Rush Soccer Club
  Even within the circle of Colorado's intensely competitive kids' soccer leagues, the Lakewood-based Rush teams stand out as almost unwholesomely dominant. This past season, boys and girls playing for the club nearly made a clean sweep of the state tournaments, winning fifteen of the eighteen... More >>
• Best Mile High Fans' Salute to the Broncos
  Loudest stadium roar
  By belting out a roar at halftime during the Broncos-Patriots skirmish, the vein-popping fiends, er, fans at Mile High bested the previous Guinness world record for loudest stadium roar. Their combined efforts, which measured 128.7 decibels, drowned out the previous record set in 1998 at an... More >>
• Best Rockies Parking
  Colorado Coalition for the Homeless
  Tired of paying more for LoDo parking than you did for Rockies tickets? Pull into the fifty-space lot tucked into the intersection of 22nd and Stout streets, and you'll feel a little more energized. A mere six blocks from Coors Field and only $3, it's loads cheaper than many of the spots located... More >>
• Best University of Colorado Athlete
  Mandy Nightingale
  CU Buffs Women's Basketball
  Women's hoops are suddenly resurgent in Boulder, and CU point guard Mandy Nightingale is one of the big reasons Ceal Barry's team cruised into post-season tournament play. And although the Buffs lost to Vanderbilt, the 5'6" junior from Sapulpa, Oklahoma, had half of her team's twelve assists.... More >>
• Best Dinosaur Tracks --Outdoors
  Dinosaur Ridge
  An oldie but goodie. And we mean old: The tracks that appear to climb up the sandstone mountainside were made in a muddy streambed more than 165 million years ago by passing ornithopods and theropods. Pull over over on the side of the hill across from Red Rocks Park and take a gander at this... More >>
• Best Place to Do It in the Moonlight
  Dream Canyon
  Not everything takes place under the sun. Sometimes the moon produces strange effects. There's a narrow gorge near Boulder County's Sugarloaf mountain that's a favorite place for gay men to sunbathe or moonbathe in the nude, skinny dip in the streams and have sex along with the birds and the... More >>
• Best Place for a Less Active Family Reunion
  Como Christian Camp
  Como
  Perhaps your family isn't into unhealthy competition. Maybe you just want to take in some beautiful scenery as you throw a frisbee in a gentle, loving manner. Consider renting Como Christian Camp, located in the tiny old railroad town of Como that's about an hour southwest of Denver on Highway... More >>
• Best Bike Ride -- Road
  Left Hand Canyon
  Forget dodging in-line skaters on the bike paths and riding in endless circles around Cherry Creek Reservoir. You live in the Rockies, so you might as well ride in them. Head to Boulder for a scenic, challenging and expeditious -- give it an hour and a half -- ride up and back down the canyon.... More >>
• Best Way to See the Aspen Turn -- on Horseback
  Aspen Lodge at Estes Park
  The glorious colors of turning aspen trees in autumn are not to be missed -- but the traffic caused by other nature lovers pouring up I-70 is a must to avoid. The solution? A horse, of course. The Aspen Lodge Resort in Estes Park organizes fall aspen-viewing rides, pairing riders with trusty... More >>
• Best Dog Park
  Off-Leash Dog Park
  When running at large can get your owner a big, fat ticket, but there's no place in the city to blow off some steam, what's a pooch to do? That was the quandary facing the Aurora Parks Department, and last year they finally did something about it. The Off-Leash Dog Park -- basically a five-acre... More >>
• Best Snowshoeing
  Montezuma
  More than 125 years ago, Montezuma was a major silver-mining center best reached in winter on cross-country skis or snowshoes. Today, the route from Montezuma to Breckenridge is the site of the annual Mail Run race, in honor of the mail carriers who made the trek long ago. For fun, you can drive... More >>
• Best Place to Buy a Custom-Made Bamboo Fly Rod
  South Creek Ltd.
  The fly rods made by owner Mike Clark at South Creek Ltd. are works of art with a purpose: catching fish. These handmade beauties are created to the individual's specifications, and South Creek is the only place in the state (and one of only a handful in the nation) where you can buy such a rod.... More >>
• Best Anagram for Invesco
  Novices
  What's in a name? Ask Invesco Funds: It's still fielding complaints for buying the naming rights to Mile High Stadium's replacement. For $120 million, Barron's recently reported, Invesco purchased the title "Invesco Field at Mile High" -- as IF -- and also bought itself a "big black eye." More >>
• Best Lakeside Campsites
  Heaton Bay
  Rated one of the best campgrounds in the state by Gil Folsom in his Colorado Campgrounds: The 100 Best and All the Rest (Westcliffe, $24.95) for quality of scenery, privacy, shade, tent space and overall "niceness," Heaton Bay has one more critical feature: access to water. Located in the White... More >>
• Best Rockie
  Todd Helton
  Sure, the Rockies brought in two massive, mountainlike hurlers. But they already had a bedrock to build on. So what more can you say about a 27-year-old who flirted with .400 for most of 2000 and wound up with All-Star numbers -- .372 batting average, 42 homers and 147 RBIs? Well, let's note... More >>
• Best Denver Park in Progress for Teens
  Skate Park
  Dude! The largest, most expensive public skate park in the country, right here in Denver? Awesome! It's still under construction: Phase I is scheduled to open in July, but when it's done, it will be 1.5 acres of radical concrete, with a seating structure and a promenade where the wheel-impaired... More >>
• Best Old Planetarium
  Baehr Observatory
  Last summer's Hi Meadow fire in southwest Jefferson County came within feet of the historic Pine Valley Lodge, constructed in 1927 by Chicago businessman William Baehr. The Bavarian-style mansion -- which became known as the "Baehr-den of the Rockies" -- was built out of local granite and white... More >>
• Best Sports Team -- Professional
  Colorado Avalanche
  No contest: All year, the Colorado Avalanche has been a juggernaut, leading the National Hockey League in wins, goals scored and points. Bob Hartley's playoffs-bound club is a brilliant collection of All-Star experience (Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Raymond Bourke, Patrick Roy) and talented youth... More >>
• Best Av
  Joe Sakic
  Scholars have been debating the strength of various dynasties since King Tut lined up his Egyptians for a scrimmage against other chariot riders. Contemporary Denver is no different, and one of the best debates involves the MVP of the Avs. Forsberg? Roy? Borque? At age 31, Avalanche captain and... More >>
• Best Sports Coach -- Professional
  Bob Hartley
  Colorado Avalanche
  With the Avs' dominance, it may seem like a no-brainer, but some may start grumbling if former Hershey, Pennsylvania, farm-club coach Bob Hartley doesn't lead his team to the Stanley Cup promised land again. Still, it's hard to fault Hartley's handling of the team. And based on what's happened... More >>
• Best Garden of the Gods
  Sacred Earth Garden
  Denver Botanic Gardens
  Inspired by the heritage of Native Americans from the Four Corners region, the Denver Botanic Gardens has dedicated space to the plants that serve as medicines, building materials, dyes and food in traditional cultures; also included in the new Sacred Earth Garden are growing things that play... More >>
• Best Colorado State University Athlete
  Rick Crowell
  CSU Rams Football
  A tough, lightning-fast senior from Chula Vista, California, Colorado State's 6'3" senior linebacker Rick Crowell led the Mountain West Conference last season with 125 tackles and was a first-team all-conference selection, as well as the league's most valuable player on defense. As the Rams... More >>
• Best Rock That Looks Like George Washington
  Roxborough Park
  Colorado State Parks
  Twenty miles south of Denver, the jumble of red rocks known as the Fountain Formation includes an outcropping that looks remarkably like George Washington's profile. The resemblance is so startling that the area in which the rock stands was known as Old Washington Park for years, until confusion... More >>
• Best Moonlight Walk
  Plains Conservation Center
  Although it's sometimes difficult to tell the difference between the lights on E-470 and the light of the moon, the evening walks at the Plains Conservation Center, a 1,100-acre plot of preserved prairie, can still transport you to another time and place. The center hosts a walk during the full... More >>
• Best Place to Cream a Golf Ball
  D'Lance Golf
  We're not necessarily advocating this, but thanks to D'Lance Golf, there is such a thing as nonstop golfing. A membership to this high-tech practice facility will buy you, among other things, access to the 6,000-square-foot building's practice toys any hour of the day. Thrill to the Dead-Solid... More >>
• Best Moonlight Ride
  The Moonlight Classic
  If you've ever stumbled out of a LoDo bar on a certain weekend night in August to find yourself surrounded by bicyclists, don't worry -- it wasn't that fourth martini. Every year, thousands of riders gather near downtown at midnight for the Moonlight Classic, a twenty-mile, after-dark ride that... More >>