Sports & Recreation

While some people treat river rafting as if it were an amusement-park ride that they just strap into before someone hits the switch, savvier adventurers understand that it’s an outdoors experience fraught with unpredictability that could put you way outside of your comfort zone. The good news is that Colorado offers quite a few rafting experiences with miles of flat water that are just right for first-timers, and this section of Clear Creek fills that bill. Just thirty miles west of Denver, the put-in at Idaho Springs for the Gold Rush segment winds through a historic mining valley for a two-and-a-half-hour float that never gets more challenging than Class III rapids, with most of the seven miles sitting solidly in the Class II range. Kids as young as six can go with the flow here, and this gentle introduction is so enjoyable that rafters of all ages will be begging for big water as soon as they hit dry land again.

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If you’re looking for a double-diamond run that will scare the ski pants off you and possibly make you weep, S1 is the one and only. The second in the series of north-facing (and thus snow-holding) steeps known as the Dumps, S1 flows from International off Ruthie’s lift (you can also link runs to access it from the Silver Queen Gondola, which allows you to check it out to the right on your way up). This shorty is so vertical that it feels like you’re standing on top of an eighty-story building, albeit one covered with rocks and lined with tight, tight trees. You have two choices here: Take the blind rollover and hit the air to drop in, or curl up in a little ball and hope some other crazy person finds you.

Readers’ Choice: Pallavicini

Most ski areas struggle at some point with the flow of skiers and snowboarders, and the sheer size of the 5,289-acre Vail means it has bigger problems than most. What makes the popular resort stand out, though, is its willingness to address the issues, and a big schuss in the right direction was the upgrade of the Chair 11 lift on the front side to a faster six-pack. The revamped Northwoods Express — the resort’s tenth new lift in eleven years — debuted in December, and it immediately had the intended effect of shortening lift lines and wait times for folks trying to access Vail’s intermediate and expert terrain, as well as helping everyone move more efficiently through to the Back Bowls and Blue Sky Basin. It also means getting to the area’s namesake trail quicker: the popular and super-wide Northwoods run, a beautiful blue with a moderate pitch and plenty of space for big carving, with access into the trees that border both sides.

Readers’ Choice: Northwoods Express (#11)

Considering that a pair of wooden skis or a snowboard from Meier — handmade in Colorado, btw — is going to set you back at least $700, Sunlight’s deal is pretty sweet. For that same $700 ($600 for snowboarders), you get the skis (or snowboard), plus a single-day lift ticket (which usually costs $65) to a ski area famous for its 67 mostly intermediate trails, free parking and no lift lines, plus a day pass to soak away your sore quads at the lovely Iron Mountain Hot Springs (regularly $20), with its seventeen pools of varying sizes and temperatures and enviable mountain views. Don’t need new sticks? Spring for the Slope & Soak four-pack for $249, a bargain that gets you access to either the Iron Mountain or Glenwood hot springs.

Readers’ Choice: Epic Pass

Less than fifteen miles from downtown Denver, the free and open-to-the-public Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge offers a fresh-air escape on nearly 16,000 acres of grassland, wetland and woodland that more than 300 species call home. You’re not going to see them all while wandering the ten miles of easy, flat trails — the meandering 1.8-mile Ladora Loop Trail is a good introduction — but definitely seek out the herd of more than eighty bison and keep your eyes peeled for coyotes, deer, bald eagles, burrowing owls and a plethora of prairie dogs. Folks come here just to fish the small lakes and ponds for largemouth bass and northern pike in an area that attracts a lot of migrating waterfowl as well as a staggering variety of birds, and the floating boardwalk leads to a more tucked-away and quiet space with viewing benches. Time your visit for sunrise or sunset to get the best photo ops, complete with the Rocky Mountains and the Denver skyline.

Readers’ Choice: Chautauqua Park

Sometimes it just feels good to spend a night under the stars, but the commitment required to do a multi-day hike can be exhausting. Red Deer Lake Trail, in the Indian Peaks Wilderness just north of Nederland, is just right: a 14.2-mile out-and-back that sits comfortably in the intermediate skill range, with waterfalls, meadows and elk and moose sightings as rewards along the way. The final payoff of the lake itself sits at slightly above 10,000 feet (net gain: 717 feet), with plenty of secluded backcountry campsites. You’ll wind up leapfrogging the day-hikers for the first few miles of the four-wheel-drive Buchanan Pass Trail that connects to the Red Deer path, but most of them fall away at the big switchback that veers toward the St. Vrain Glacier. The killer views include several of the Indian Peaks, including Sawtooth, St. Vrain and Mount Audubon, and fly-fisherfolk will find trout in the lake and Middle St. Vrain Creek along the way. A $5 permit per group is required for camping through the Boulder Ranger District.

Readers’ Choice: Castlewood Canyon State Park

Indian Peaks Wilderness

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Camping in Colorado is always fabulous, but there’s something extra-magical about Rifle Falls, a lush, 48-acre park located thirty miles northwest of Glenwood Springs. Skip the site’s thirteen drive-in RV and tent campsites, and opt instead for one of seven walk-in spots laid out alongside East Rifle Creek. All campsites have a table, fire pit and bear-proof storage boxes, and some have electrical hookups, too. For all you glampers out there, restrooms and water pumps are available near the parking lot. The best thing about this campground is an easy-to-moderate hiking trail connecting campers to a seventy-foot triple waterfall overlooking limestone caves. For a longer trek, follow signs to the fish hatchery. Pets are allowed in the campground but must be on a six-foot-or-shorter leash. Rifle Falls is open year-round, and reservations can be made up to six months in advance when camping between April 1 and October 31.

Landlocked Coloradans are always on the hunt for a beach that feels, well, beachy. With its wide swath of soft sand and much-appreciated amenities — bathrooms, a water fountain, and a small but well-stocked cafe that serves crispy French fries — the lake-like setup at the Boulder Reservoir makes for a nice day at the shore, especially on the much-less-crowded weekdays. Friendly lifeguards patrol during beach hours (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily), and you can rent kayaks, canoes and SUPs to explore beyond the cordoned-off swim area, which also allows rafts and floaties. Swim out to the floating decks for a little peace and quiet and to watch the herons, pelicans and ospreys that call the rez home. There’s a $7-per-person entrance fee, and alcohol in non-glass containers is allowed.

Readers’ Choice: Arapahoe Basin

If there’s anything more embarrassing than face-planting off a rail in front of a full chairlift, we don’t want to make that mistake, either. The truth is, the intimidation factor cannot be overstated when it comes to terrain parks, and so we fully appreciate the lengths to which Keystone Resort keeps going to help riders and skiers get better the right, and easy, way. Enter A51, the name for the resort’s six terrain parks in one sixty-acre area, with lines that lead from beginner to expert, all served from one dedicated lift. With 116 features and more on the way, the park offers extra-small, small and medium features — a variety of pipe sizes, along with boxes, barriers, rails, ramps, tubes, tables, jibs and jumps — plus a staggering selection of big ones, with each skill level smoothly transitioning to the next. Start extra-small on Easy Street, then head to I-70 and the Alley, with their slightly larger features. By the time you hit the hardest area, Main Street, you’ll be ready to go pro.

Readers’ Choice: A51 Terrain Park

This Class IV-V ride is not for the faint of heart, as the Arkansas River turns into a bit of a beast when it hits the Royal Gorge Canyon. But for whitewater enthusiasts, it’s a bucket-list must. Enjoy huge drops, long wave trains and a narrow canyon with steep walls that’s completely cut off from the road. Then get ready for paddle-gripping rapids with names like Sledgehammer, Squeezebox, Wallslammer and Boateater. The Royal Gorge Route Railroad goes past twice a day, and there’s a good chance you’ll see bighorn sheep on the banks, all of which just adds to the dramatic scenery you’re zipping past. The truly courageous should do what local outfitters refer to as the Grand Slam or the Double Dip, the heart-racing river rat’s dream run through the Royal Gorge twice in one day, with lunch in the middle and a shuttle back to the beginning. Forward!

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Just a few miles from Cañon City in the Wet Mountain Valley, Grape Creek winds toward Westcliffe through Temple Canyon. Although it takes some sleuthing to locate the public-access points and a four-wheel-drive vehicle to get in there (BLM 6227 is a good bet, and you can hike in from the bridge parking just west of Cañon), it’s well worth the trouble in spring, early summer and fall for serious anglers looking for gentle stair-step rapids and deep pool after deep pool of brownies, rainbow, brook and cutthroat trout. Fish tales tell of seventeen- to twenty-inchers, but the majority are in the ten- to thirteen-inch range, and because it can take some bushwhacking to get to the best spots, you’re likely to be solo. When the fish aren’t biting or it’s time for a break, hike around the canyon for views of the Sangre de Cristo mountains and the cliffs of Scrapping Ridge.

Readers’ Choice: Golden Gate Canyon State Park

Outside Canon City

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Hit this section of the South Platte River, between Spinney Mountain and Eleven Mile State Park east of Hartsel, at sunrise for the big ones: The browns, rainbows, cutthroats and cutbows are all famously “monster-size.” Named for the late Denver Post outdoor columnist famous for his love of all things hunting and fishing, this section is ideal for beginners, because the high-desert prairie location means there’s very little for the fly to tangle in, and the clear water makes it easy to spot your prey. The fact that the area has become so well known means you’re not likely to be alone, but anglers willing to cast on windy or colder days will be rewarded with some solitude. And don’t forget the waders: This Dream Stream, as it’s also known, is always numbingly cold.

Readers’ Choice: Steamboat Springs

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There are about a dozen Orvis authorized stores around the state offering free fly-fishing classes, but the Cherry Creek shop also has the location going for it, surrounded by good restaurants for that post-lesson discussion about which stream to head to first. And trust us, you’ll be ready: The Fly-Fishing 101 class, which is offered Saturdays from 9 to 11:30 a.m. starting March 31 and running through mid-August, covers all the basics of fly-casting and outfit rigging, and anyone eight and older can participate (under sixteen, bring an adult). Once you complete the course, you get a free one-year membership to the conservationist nonprofit Trout Unlimited, as well as coupons for gear. In the winter, learn Fly-Tying 101 for free, too. Not surprisingly, these classes are popular, so reservations are a must.

Be warned: The Conejos River in the San Luis Valley is remote, and although you can find a guide, there are no services or rafting outfitters running it, and you’re pretty much on your own for access and shuttles (you have to hike a couple of miles through the South San Juan Wilderness to put in). That said, the 52.7-mile stretch from Saddle Bridge to the bridge at state highway 17 can be three to four days of pure trout-fishing bliss, punctuated by Class II-III whitewater and miles-long float-and-bloat sections through high-alpine meadows and past swanky ranches. Because this largest tributary of the Rio Grande runs through private property on its way to Chama, New Mexico, be aware of sections where you can’t use the banks, and also keep an eye out for the dozen or so barbed-wire fences strung across the water, as several need to be manually lifted to pass. Put in just below the Platoro Reservoir for an extra 6.5 miles of Class III-IV rapids, and get a good river map to plot out the named campgrounds you want to hit along the way. No raft? There are several points of public access, and the annual Superfly competition is a hoot.

San Luis Valley

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While the masses head to Grays and Torreys or Bierstadt for their first Fourteener experience, you’re smart enough to take the extra time to get to Quandary in the White River National Forest. You won’t be alone. The thirteenth-highest Fourteener, at 14,265 feet, is still pretty popular, and its easy access from Breckenridge or Fairplay makes it part of a nice weekend getaway. The East Ridge is the standard — and simplest — route, a Class 1-rated, 6.75-mile jaunt to the top on a well-marked, well-trodden trail that’s almost guaranteed to take you past herds of snowy-white mountain goats. At the top, revel in your achievement and check out the views of several other Fourteeners that might be in your future, like Mounts Bross, Cameron, Lincoln and Democrat.

Readers’ Choice: Mount Bierstadt

Tenmile Range

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So you’ve bagged a bunch of Fourteeners and you’re ready for the quintessential Colorado experience. It’s time for Windom, an isolated peak in the San Juans that sports a spectacular view and an even better approach: Take the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad train from Durango or Silverton to the Needleton trailhead in the Chicago Basin ($89 per person, round trip), a scenic ride that drops you at the base camp at 11,000 feet, right at the foot of three Fourteeners. Camp overnight (no permit needed), nail the summit, then take the train back when you’re done. The hike up can start with a quick dip in Twin Lakes, about a mile from the trailhead, followed by a five-mile journey that gains 3,000 vertical feet over rock slabs, streams and some steep scree slopes. Along the way, you’ll be treated to a waterfall and lots of wildlife; after traversing the rocky ridge at the top, look down on Upper Sunlight Lake amid the surrounding peaks.

Readers’ Choice: Longs Peak

San Juan Mountains

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Not only is Denver’s closest Fourteener located at the end of North America’s highest paved road — which means if you’re nervous about your kids’ first time, you can drive nearly all the way to the summit and check out their high-altitude reaction not far from the car — but the 14,264-footer is ideal for all first-timers, with routes rated as easy as Class 1. The shortest and easiest is the 2.9-mile trek from Summit Lake, or you can take more motivated tykes to Echo Lake for the fourteen-mile Class 2 Chicago Creek Route. Make a game of counting the bighorn sheep, mountain goats and marmots, and be sure to check out the 1,700-year-old bristlecone pines at the alpine garden, where your young’uns can make jokes about how they’re almost as old as you.

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Sons of Mile High was started by a pair of Broncos-loving pals, but don’t worry if you bleed colors other than orange and blue. In an example of open-mindedness that’s becoming all too rare in spectator sports these days, the Sons welcome all fans, regardless of their team of preference, and the focus stays fixed on fun and camaraderie, with plenty of suds and grub thrown in for good measure. The group typically arrives at Mile High Stadium five hours before kickoff, with beverages starting to flow within a half-hour, and the gathering spot is usually Lot M (though construction this past season forced a temporary relocation to Lot N). Check the excellent SOMH website for the wheres and whens each week. The Sons tailgate away games, too.

http://sonsofmilehigh.com/

The City Park and Capitol Hill neighborhoods have long been in need of an affordable indoor fitness facility, and the Carla Madison Rec Center certainly delivers. The state-of-the-art gym, which opened earlier this year, has it all: a fully stacked weight room, cardio equipment as far as the eye can see, a gym space that can accommodate volleyball and basketball games, lap lanes for hard-core swimmers, and even a lazy river for those looking to do no exercise at all. The center takes full advantage of our wonderful weather, too, with an exterior rock wall, floor-to-ceiling windows, a rentable rooftop deck with kitchen facilities, and a plaza on the ground floor complete with a bouldering rock (it’s Colorado, after all). With affordable rates for adults and free entry for kids with the My Denver Card and seniors with the My Denver PRIME Card, there’s no better deal in this fitness-obsessed city.

Sometimes it’s all about the basics, and that’s what the Twentieth Street Recreation Center does best. There’s a lap pool, a basketball court with a manually rotating scoreboard, a weight room with just the necessities, and a nice set of ellipticals, treadmills and stair climbers that face soaring windows looking onto 20th Street. The center offers spin classes, pickleball, pottery studio sessions and aqua aerobics, but Twentieth Street’s crowning achievement is its seventy-year-plus boxing program, which serves kids and adults of all skill levels. Built in 1908, the center retains a well-worn charm, from the beautiful banisters on its grand staircase to the tile floors, and natural sunlight pours into the historic structure. The gym’s real secret? A knowledgeable, caring staff that greets you by name from behind a massive wooden desk. Old-school customer service from a truly old-school establishment.

If your resolution was to get fit but you don’t like going to the gym, Chuze Fitness is for you. For $9.99 a month, members have access to over 120 pieces of cardio equipment, along with weights, turf training and express circuit areas. The real genius here? The Chuze Cinema, a full-sized theater where walkers, runners and cyclers can watch first-run movies on the big screen while burning calories. An upgraded membership ($21.99) includes access to a variety of daily fitness classes ranging from yoga and Pilates to Zumba and Kettle Camp. And with an on-site kids’ club, exercise is convenient for moms and dads.

You’ve probably seen Sound Off’s headphones at silent-disco parties, but the company also provides wireless ear gear at various fitness classes it plans in cities around the country, including Denver. Sound Off’s Deep Flow Yoga and Fitness classes — which you’ll find at a variety of studios and events, like the recent McNichols Fit Fest and Yoga on the Rocks — combine movement and sound for a group activity that feels personal, since the instructor’s voice and a curated playlist stream directly to your brain. The world (and your breathy neighbor) will simply melt away.

646-580-4268

soundoffexperience.com

Committing to a gym membership can be hard, especially when it comes with a hefty price tag and unfamiliar equipment or workouts. FIT36 is here to help, with a free-week trial program that lets you get in and get comfortable with classes and equipment before signing on the dotted line. FIT36’s signature workouts take 36 minutes at most, and all are based on high-intensity interval training (HIIT). During your free week, try FIT36’s “push, pull, pulse” system, or work with trainers to challenge your fitness and adjust your form. The flagship location is downtown, and there are outlets all around the Denver metro area, so get moving: This introductory gym package offers big bang for your buck (or lack thereof).

Ticket prices at Coors Field remain ultra-reasonable. For most games, Rockpile seats still go for the ridiculously low rate of $4, and you can reserve a spot in lots of other sections with better-than-expected views for $20 or less. Problem is, the team hasn’t always been worth watching, which may explain why so many people have grown accustomed to visiting the Rooftop and drinking themselves blotto without glancing at the diamond. Fortunately, this year should be different. The Rockies made the playoffs last season, and thanks to burgeoning talents such as Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, Trevor Story, DJ LeMahieu and more, they’ve got a damned good chance to contend again — and give you a reason to put down that beer every once in a while.

Hockey tickets at the University of Denver begin at $18, and great seats can be had for $40 or less, giving fans the opportunity to get up-close-and-personal views of a squad whose players regularly graduate to the National Hockey League. Glenn Anderson, a member of the Hockey Fall of Fame, and Kevin Dineen, who notched nineteen years in the bigs before entering the coaching ranks (he’s currently an assistant with the Chicago Blackhawks), are just two DU alums to have had memorable professional careers, while current NHL-ers include former Colorado Av Paul Stastny, currently with the Winnipeg Jets. Who’ll be next? Drop by Magness Arena and find out.

Ever since Sports Authority went belly-up, the Denver Broncos have been shopping for a new corporate sponsor willing to pay around $10 million per year to have its name and logo on the side of the stadium — and the team maintains that this money is important, as it helps keep ticket prices down. But if that’s the case with one company, wouldn’t the situation be even better with two…or four…or ten? Hell, if all of these businesses with Colorado ties signed up, the entrance fee would probably be around $1.50. Then maybe we could afford to go to the games, too.

Readers’ Choice: Mile High Stadium

Savvy mountaineers know that it’s not just about the Fourteener checklist; many of the Thirteeners in Colorado are harder and far more interesting. Pacific Peak in Arapaho National Forest falls into that category, and has the bonus of Pacific Tarn, the highest lake in the country, which sits at 13,420 feet on the way to the summit at 13,950 (which, by the way, makes it one of Colorado’s so-called Centennial Thirteeners, the state’s hundred highest). Located not far from Quandary, Pacific takes hikers past two abandoned mines and several lakes tucked into glorious high-alpine meadows, and also offers ice climbers two challenging couloirs. The four ridges at the top — choose your route carefully, because each ridge approach varies from moderate to expert in skill level, and all of them require some route-finding — are exposed and rocky, but slow-and-steady to the talus field results in a straight shot at Quandary, the Tarn and the whole Tenmile Range.

Readers’ Choice: Dallas Peak

Tenmile Range

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Very few national basketball gurus pay attention to the Nuggets, and that makes sense on some level. After all, the team lacks superstars and plays in the NBA’s killer Western Conference, where even making the playoffs, let alone advancing, is incredibly difficult — and that’s not to mention our presence in the frequently forgotten Mountain Time Zone. But quietly, the Nugs have assembled a young, vibrant roster whose members have huge upsides. Nikola Jokic is deservedly the center of attention, but guards Gary Harris and Jamal “The Blue Arrow” Murray are maturing rapidly, and Trey Lyles has come out of nowhere (actually, Saskatchewan, Canada) to demand more minutes. If ownership can keep this crew together for a few more years, there’s no telling how high they might climb.

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The amount of podcast content regularly churned out by BSN Denver is downright astonishing. The network has all of Denver’s major sports teams covered, and covered well, with regular podcasts about the Broncos, Nuggets, Rockies and Avalanche popping up, whether it’s in season or out. Moreover, commentators such as Broncos expert Ryan Koenigsberg, a Colorado native who co-founded BSN Denver, dig deep, with recent topics including the draft-centric program “Is It Crazy to Take a Guard at No. 5?” No need to choose between quality and quantity: BSN Denver provides both.

http://bsndenver.com/podcasts

Don’t tell management, but the folks behind the Colorado Rockies Twitter account are weird. Take, for instance, the day last season when every tweet was a quote from a Rocky movie: “Yo, Adrian! It’s me, Rocky!”; “I am not the richest, smartest or most talented person in the world, but I succeed because I keep going and going and going”; “He’s just a man, Rock, so be more man than him! Go get him. Eye of the Tiger!” and more. More recently, during spring training, the tweeters marked Photo Day by creating multiple slideshows filled exclusively with images from disposable cameras. Such messaging is consistently entertaining and frequently left of center. Hope the boss doesn’t find out.

@Rockies

Schlereth was part of a Denver Broncos offensive line whose members famously didn’t speak to the press. But since ending his on-field football career, he’s made up for all those years of silence. He’s currently co-host of Schlereth and Evans, the morning-drive show on 104.3 The Fan, a commentator and more for Fox Sports and FS1, and a sometime actor who’s made multiple appearances on the HBO show Ballers. How the hell he finds the time to tweet is beyond us, but he sends out messages all the time, engages in back-and-forths with fans and detractors alike, and somehow manages to shift effortlessly between goofiness and seriousness without losing his personality.

@markschlereth

In the past, we’ve been lukewarm about Miles, who doesn’t boast the majesty of real-life horse Thunder or the flat-out strangeness of predecessor Huddles — especially when the latter was being portrayed by future Denver mayor Michael Hancock. But his Twitter account has made us change our minds. Miles documents plenty of charitable activities, such as hospital visits in the company of players or cheerleaders, but what we like best are the offhand moments, such as admitting “I think I’m going to barf” during a tense moment in the U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey team’s battle for gold in South Korea. The squad wound up a winner — and so is Miles’s Twitter account.

Denver Broncos

@5280Miles

For an unforgettable frontier experience, nothing beats a weekend getaway to Platte River Fort, a working cattle and guest ranch with some serious Western flair. Platte River Fort is open for visitors year-round, but our favorite time to visit is in the fall, when Colorado history comes alive right before your eyes on “roundup” weekends. During roundups, guests hop onto ATVs and follow cowboys and girls as they herd dozens of longhorn cattle on the 235-acre property. After the roundup, learn to use a lasso, try skeet shooting and archery, pet an alpaca, and visit the resident bull. There’s always plenty of good down-home cooking prepared in an on-site gourmet kitchen. For overnight guests, we highly recommend hunkering down in the covered wagon.

As folks across the country watched the U.S. men’s team win a gold medal in curling, their thoughts were the same: “This is amazing! But what the hell’s going on? And why do those guys have brooms?” The answers to these questions and plenty more can be found at the Denver Curling Club, one of the few rinks dedicated to curling in the West; the next closest centers are in Bismarck, North Dakota, and Tempe, Arizona. The huge center is easy to find and regularly sponsors two-hour introductions to the sport that cost $40 per session or $130 for a five-to-six-session curling course and mini-league membership. Taking part requires a strong back; the so-called rocks that curlers slide along the ice weigh 42 pounds. But four years from now, during the next Winter Olympics, you’ll be one of the lucky few in the know.

Think Eldora is too close to Denver to be a “real” ski resort? Think again. Located in Boulder County a few miles west of downtown Nederland, Eldora gets over 300 inches of snow annually and has 680 acres of skiable terrain that’s perfect for a low-key but insanely fun experience for beginner skiers and snowboarders — or anyone looking to dodge the crowds in Summit County. Eldora’s Mountain Explorer package is the best way to introduce skiing and snowboarding to children ages four to fourteen. Since 2016, the resort has also offered its Woodward Experience for those looking to develop skills. Adult beginner group lessons for ages fifteen and up teach newbies everything they’ll need to know to get after it on the slopes, chairlift basics included. Reservations are recommended for lessons, but walk-up registration is also available on a first come, first served basis seven days a week, beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the Indian Peaks Lodge. For cross-country enthusiasts, nothing beats Eldora Nordic Center’s forty kilometers of scenic trails weaving through quiet forests.

The original Stoney’s has been a Capitol Hill favorite since 2010, a cavernous space that focuses on sports of all kinds, with a particular bent toward Kansas and Louisiana (after Colorado, of course). The giant projector screen is augmented by TVs of all sizes spread strategically around the space, and the three big garage doors at one end open onto a patio with a fire pit. The environmentally conscious spot is built from 150-year-old wood and reclaimed stone, the takeout containers are compostable, and biking is encouraged to the point that you can store your bike if you can’t get yourself home. Just as important, the food here is above average, and daily happy hour covers two-for-one 23-ounce drafts and solid margaritas. When the big game isn’t on, you can play one of Stoney’s (things like Skee-Ball, giant Jenga, cornhole and mini-bowling) or check out live music on the weekends. The second site, on 17th Avenue, opened just this month, and it’s about half as big, has fewer TVs, and is a little snazzier than the original. But the menu is the same, as is the overall sports-loving vibe.

Readers’ Choice: Wally’s Wisconsin Tavern

A hike with kids can be a fun, easygoing day blowing off steam in the fresh air, or it can be hours of misery, with endless whining and a temper tantrum or two. That’s why there are a few requisites for a successful family-friendly outing: the drive to get there can’t be too long; there must be plenty of shade; the terrain should be a mix of hiking, climbing and chilling options; and there has to be a payoff. Located about a half-hour’s drive from downtown Denver, the easy 1.6-mile Bear Creek Trail is a tree-lined paradise, home to lots of birds and small critters and picnic tables with charcoal grills, plus Bear Creek itself, right there alongside the path. If your kids are having a blast, you can keep going past the park boundary for another eleven miles. The only downside is that this is a mountain-biker mecca, too, especially on the weekends — so make a game out of counting them as they whiz by.

A welcoming community of runners of all types and skill levels — from occasional joggers to weekend warriors and marathoners — Rocky Mountain Road Runners hosts a monthly race series of reasonably priced, fully supported and officially timed ten- and twenty-milers ($10-$20 for non-members), along with free track workouts on Wednesdays at North High School for those looking to improve their interval training. You don’t have to be a member, but for the $35 annual fee (or sixty hours of volunteering at the races), you get free entry into all of RMRR’s races, plus discounts at area running-related retail outlets and a year subscription to Colorado Runner magazine, in case you need a little more of a push.

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Readers’ Choice: bRUNch Running

If pursuing something you love is the way to find a like-minded mate, then bRUNch Running is ideal not only for runners, but for brunch fans, too. Each run has a 5K and a 10K option and costs between $35 and $55 per person. Most Sundays, about thirty to fifty runners show up, which ups the odds of making a match. While you’re recovering from the miles, you can get to know each other over French toast and lattes at an area eatery. Not a morning person? BRUNch Running hosts periodic dinner outings, too. The group sponsors one or two annual races, as well, but the rest of the get-togethers are purely social and all about running at your own pace, eating some good food and taking down a mimosa or two. Headed out of town? The Denver founders have started bRUNch clubs in seven other cities, including Boulder and Fort Collins.

brunchrunning.com

The killer scenery alone would make Alderfer/Three Sisters Park in Evergreen a top pick for getting in a good trail run, but this 1,127-acre park — with its fifteen miles of trails and ample parking at either trailhead — features a variety of trail types, from easy and level to steep, steep, steep and rutted and rocky. Plan a weekday jaunt, because that’s when you’re likely to have the sections farther from the trailheads all to yourself. When you need a break from the blazing sun, pull over into the dense old-growth ponderosa pine, and be sure to stop at the top for the Continental Divide views. There are nice restrooms at the trailheads, which start at 5136 South Le Masters Road to the west and 30357 Buffalo Park Road in Evergreen to the east.

Readers’ Choice: Highline Canal

Sloan’s Lake has been our top choice for the best trail before, but its combination of urban and mountain scenery and the breeze that’s usually coming off this pretty lake is worth another shout-out. You get the Denver skyline for half of the 2.6-mile loop around the lake, and the Front Range on the other half. Because the trail and the surrounding grassy park are as flat as your arches (it gains only 17.71 vertical feet), it’s a popular pick for intervals — not to mention that the path is plenty wide enough for dogs, strollers and cyclists. Once you finish, celebrate with a picnic and people-watching, or head across Sheridan Boulevard to one of the many hip eateries in Edgewater.

With its eighteen charmingly decorated cabins, Avalanche Ranch in Redstone has been an overnight destination since the ’70s, but its springs have only been accessible since 2011. Since then, what had always been a lovely place to bring family or friends has turned into a must-visit for fans of natural springs. Three pools, with temps between 92 and 104 degrees, are tiered against the hillside in a way that makes each one feel secluded, with views of Mount Sopris across the way and the sounds of the Crystal River running through the property. The public is allowed in during the day, but the ranch limits the number of visitors to keep your hot soak chill; guests staying at the ranch get unlimited 24-hour access daily except Wednesdays, when the pools close for cleaning. Between soaks, visit the barn and its chickens, sheep, donkey and llamas, play horseshoes or badminton, or hike, bike and ski nearby.

Readers’ Choice: Strawberry Park

There’s something delicious about slipping into a hot springs pool au naturel, and Orvis Hot Springs, just fifteen minutes from downtown Ouray and an hour from Telluride, makes that easy. Four outdoor, sandy-bottomed soaking areas created from natural rock — including the Pond, a forty-foot-wide spring surrounded by a redwood deck, and the Lobster Pot, which can hit 114 degrees — and three indoor pools pull their water from a variety of sources, which means differing temperatures and mineral contents. Because visitors can take it all off all the time, few people bring their kids, and the electronics-free zone is refreshingly quiet. In addition, there are tent and RV sites, as well as six rooms available — with a community kitchen available for cooking on site — in case you want to just walk your naked self to bed when you hit the soggy-noodle stage.

Let’s face it: Kids love the idea of hot springs, but they’d much rather be doing all of the things that are the opposite of relaxing in a 104-degree mineral bath, such as diving for pennies, splashing each other and generally roughhousing. That’s what makes Steamboat’s Old Town Hot Springs and its eight distinct pools such a great idea. The 98-degree main pool is spacious and has fountains and two bridges to swim under, and separate shallow kiddie and splash pools provide more space for frolicking. The much hotter Heart Springs pool, Waterfall Hot Pool and another, smaller hot pool are more for adults, along with the 25-lane, 80-degree lap pool. When tykes are tired of the water, they can hit the aquatic climbing wall, and for an extra fee, they can access two 230-foot water slides and the Wibit, a floating obstacle course. And unlike so many kid-oriented destinations, Old Town lets you bring in your own food.

For those of us who like a little afternoon delight in the great outdoors, Colorado is getting a bit crowded; it can be dang near impossible to find open space that isn’t already occupied. But Castlewood Canyon near Franktown attracts few enough people on the weekends, and mid-day during the week, it’s pretty much empty. Because it’s located on the plains and not in the mountains, this state park with thirteen miles of trail is often overlooked, and the paved, wide-open trail that leaves from the parking lot definitely does not foreshadow what lies ahead, which includes a canyon with plenty of nooks and crannies and a cliff-lined path leading past a small cave to a trail edged by thick forest with plenty of soft ground. Looking for a little romance? Check out the waterfall on the Creek Bottom path, and remember, the trees aren’t talking.

cpw.state.co.us

Sure, the main reason to go to a sports bar is to watch the sports, but we’re likely to be there for a while, which is why picking a place like the casual and fun Society makes so much sense. Not only is there ample opportunity to sit in front of or near a TV — two floors’ worth, including two projectors and twelve TVs upstairs — but this raucous spot pays particular attention to the menu, offering more than the usual pub grub plus eighteen local beers on tap. Try the Dank Nuggets, which are corn fritters fried sweet and crispy ($4 during weekday 4 to 7 p.m. happy hour), the chicken and waffles or the whiskey-smoked wings. And — score! — Monday Night Football brings $15 bottomless PBR.

Readers’ Choice: Blake Street Tavern

You want to watch the game, but some of your friends couldn’t care less. What to do? Head to Star Bar, of course, which has the requisite TVs for checking in on your team and a rotating craft-beer roster. The brews alone should keep fans and non-fans happy, but the appealingly divey (and also quite comfortable) bar also has Skee-Ball, foosball, video poker and a Rolling Stones-themed pinball machine. Music is always an option, as well — not only on the TouchTunes jukebox anytime, but via karaoke on Tuesday and Thursday nights and live music on the weekends. Star Bar is BYOF, which means ordering from the surrounding eateries, which are all more than happy to deliver to the bar. You might even be there on a night when the bar is sending out watermelon-chile boozecicles.

Rhein Haus is a biergarten-style sports bar that also serves up good German fare, 24 beers on tap, and enough TVs for fans keeping an eye on the score. We come for the bocce, though, which is played on four beautifully maintained courts. From Sunday to Thursday, the bocce courts can be reserved ahead, but they’re first come, first served on Friday and Saturday and cost between $5 and $7 an hour per person. When you’ve worked up an appetite, go for the giant pretzel with four sauces to share and the currywurst with a wendel (a fried, salted, spiral-cut potato on a stick). If bocce is your game, consider joining Rhein Haus’s Sunday winter league.

Readers’ Choice: Blake Street Tavern

Over the years, the tiny Berkeley neighborhood park that is now named for the labor and civil-rights leader has put tax dollars to good use by re-sodding the grass, planting trees, upgrading and maintaining the playground and establishing new areas for basketball, hopscotch and, amazingly, some sweet concrete ping-pong tables. But it’s the bocce courts that get us psyched to pétanque-a-donk-donk. The two concrete pits lined with crushed gravel make for some competitive weekends and leisurely weekdays of play. Once you’ve worked up an appetite, pack up your balls and head down Tennyson’s restaurant row.

You don’t have to be a world-class table-tennis champion to show off your ping-pong skills: Simply show up at Ace Eat Serve at 6 p.m. on Tuesday to grab a free spot in its weekly Tuesday Tournaments. Registration is first come, first served, and up to 32 can play — but only the winners will walk away with prizes. Can’t make it on a Tuesday? No problem. Housed inside the old Storz Garage space, Ace Eat Serve’s massive, industrial-chic pong hall is open daily. Patrons can grab a paddle and create their own match while drinking craft cocktails and noshing on the joint’s delicious Asian-inspired shareable plates.

The 2012 Best Skate Park winner when it was still brand-new, Arvada Skate Park remains a must-do for serious skateboarders, skaters and cyclists as well as those just starting out, because it’s been well maintained and features a fabulous flow. During the week, skaters drop in throughout the day to practice and try new moves without much fanfare. On the weekends, though, the crowds gather to watch the highly skilled strut their stuff on the big and small bowls, the deep and windy snake run, the series of handrails and stair sets, and lots of ledges. At more than 40,000 square feet, Arvada’s park is the third-largest in the country, which means there’s plenty of room to work through your tricks, and the fact that it’s open daily from sunrise to 10 p.m. means more time to play.

Readers’ Choice: Arvada Skate Park

A dedicated beginners’ area (with a beginner bowl), steel-edged ledges for grinding and an eighteen-foot, capsule-ended full pipe (rideable inside and out) are among the many charms of this mountain-town skate park, which also has Mount Sopris as its backdrop. Set up as one long snake run rimmed with a street course and sporting 26 undulating hips, solid corners and waterfalls, the smooth flow on the intermediate and advanced sections makes for a low-stress sesh. Bikers and rollerbladers are welcome, too.

When the crowds at Rocky Mountain National Park make it tough to turn around without whacking someone with your backpack, head to Hermit Park, which sits less than a mile southeast of Estes Park and offers 1,362 acres of open space teeming with wildlife, ponderosa pines and wildflowers. And while it’s not as famous as Longs Peak — which is the northernmost of Colorado’s iconic Fourteeners and also one of the most prominent in the Front Range — Hermit’s own climbable peak, Kruger Rock, is a lot easier, gaining 940 feet over 1.8 miles on the way to the summit at 9,355 feet. Throughout the half-day’s worth of hiking, you’ll get unobstructed views of Longs Peak, along with Mount Meeker and the Continental Divide.

We’re talking about new arrivals here, because the aptly named Colorado Journey is a little trip through some of the Centennial State’s best-known attractions. Two eighteen-hole courses, each xeriscaped with native plants and individually themed, depict must-see spots for the just-arrived, including Garden of the Gods, the Mesa Verde cliff dwellings, Eisenhower Tunnel, St. Elmo and the Cripple Creek Mine. Some holes have water features or other hazards, and the scorecards offer reading material on the sites, so you can get educated while your friend takes forever lining up a shot. Check it out at sunset, another Colorado icon, and don’t forget to take notes on which places you want to visit soon.

Just like Thirteeners, Twelvers are often overlooked because they’re not Fourteeners. The highest summit in the Vasquez Mountains, which sit on the Continental Divide, the 12,947-foot-high Vasquez Peak is a true hidden gem, a mostly easygoing stroll on an old mining road and well-cut trail through forests of spruce and fir, krummholz and endless fields of wildflowers, interspersed with a few steep, rocky segments. Far fewer crowds and the flora and fauna of the surrounding wilderness areas are definite draws, but the best part of this hike is the 360-degree vista at the easily attained summit, including the Indian Peaks and Gore Range, as well as Pettingell Peak, Hassell Peak, Mount Machebeuf, Bard Peak, Mount Evans, Grays and Torreys, and even Longs Peak in the distance. Translation: Don’t forget the camera.

Vasquez Mountains

alltrails.com

It takes only one class to earn your wings at Atherial Fitness. The aerial fitness studio offers yoga, barre and dance classes, most of which incorporate aerial silks — long strips of fabric that allow fliers to hang from the ceiling while getting a serious workout. Work your core and raise your heart rate in Atherial HIIT and Aerial Core. Use the silks to elevate your yoga practice, and find yourself in inversions after a few flow classes. After flying from one pose to another, lower the silk hammock closer to the ground and settle in for Atherial’s more restorative classes. Learn aerial choreography in DanceFly, or take signature barre moves to the air in Barrefly. Once you get the hang of it, fly solo during open gym sessions.

Ever wonder what it’s like to free fall from a 12,500-foot drop zone? iFLY’s vertical wind tunnel looks like something out of a 1980s sci-fi flick. Giant fans create a cushion of air that propels fliers skyward, at a speed adjusted to a flier’s body weight, as professional guides coach participants through their flights. In fact, iFLY’s wind tunnel is so realistic that professional skydivers and military personnel frequent the Lone Tree site for training purposes. A first-time flier package includes a pre-flight training session, all necessary flight gear, instruction and hands-on assistance. The experience takes an hour and a half start to finish, and fliers who want to soar toward the top of the tunnel can add on an exhilarating “high flight” for $9.95.

The winner in 2017, Westminster Hills is still the champ. Dogs love it for its muddy canal and swimming ponds, its 420 acres of meandering trails and wide-open roaming space, its drinking fountain, and its opportunities to chase the occasional prairie dog. Their people love the shady benches, the gorgeous views of the Front Range, the hiking feel of the space, and the fact that pups usually pass out from exhaustion soon after they leave. The park is kept extra-clean by regular poop-pickup events, and abundant baggies and trash cans help, too. If Fido is a bolter, be aware that there are fenceless areas, but it’s easy to avoid them if you head toward the center. Not enough of a workout? Put the leash back on and head to nearby Standley Lake.

Readers’ Choice: Westminster Hills

A good dog bar should first and foremost be a fun place for all involved, and Forest Room 5 fits that description and then some. With a pet-friendly outdoor space designed to resemble a campfire circle — albeit one with comfy hewn-log seats, a little stream running through it, and the fire itself nestled in lava rocks — and meats on the grill making pooches and their humans drool, this happy-hour hot spot is convivial and laid-back, and the staff is particularly accommodating of furry friends. The medium-crust pizzas, the gooey mac and cheese made salty with bacon, and the freshly steeped sangria are all stellar.

Open Thursday through Sunday only, the super-friendly Switchback is perfect for pooches and their people fresh off a hike and hungry — particularly those following a Paleo diet. The pets-welcome patio offers picnic tables and a picturesque setting next to Bear Creek, and the smokehouse results in some of the best barbecue around, from sweet-and-salty smoked bacon to juicy smoked duck to peppery, paper-thin brisket (get the grilled asparagus, too). Spot is never going to love you more than when you’re slipping him some of your ‘cue — if you can bring yourself to share.

Over the years, Willis Case has done nothing but improve, from a $4 million clubhouse remodel to a more recent upgrade to the on-course bathrooms. Less than ten minutes from downtown, the entire course, part of the Denver Golf family, offers a view that spans the Front Range from Pikes Peak to Longs, which makes for some spectacular play (good luck concentrating on the ball after the panorama of the first tee). This is kind of an everyman course, though; the medium-slow greens, open fairways and no water make it hard to lose a ball here, and lavish landscaping all around, plus strong stands of pine that provide shady rest stops and plenty of parking, add up to an above-par experience. Not to mention that the fees are $28 weekdays and $40 on weekends.

Readers’ Choice: Arrowhead Golf Club

Tom Lehman revamped the original Arthur Hills design of this Glenwood Springs gem in 2014, which resulted in cutting back the bunkers from seventy to forty and a kinder, gentler back nine (though still a rugged series that starts off with four holes known as the “Lost Horizon”). In stark contrast to the meadows of the front nine, the back comes with rock walls, a drive across a ravine, deep gullies and jaw-dropping views across the Roaring Fork Valley, including of Mount Sopris. You’ll get more of a workout here than golf is known for — the steep course, with its fast greens and sweeping slopes, gains 495 vertical feet before the twelfth tee — and be prepared for the sand, water and tall grasses that will try to take your ball. The only public course in Glenwood Springs, Ironbridge is also meticulously maintained, and the practice facility is top-notch. Also, did we mention that it’s in Glenwood Springs? There’s a soak in your future.

Readers’ Choice: Fossil Trace Golf Course

Nairobi has been one of Denver’s ten siblings in Sister Cities International since 1975. While there are parks dedicated to other sister cities, we’re partial to the one that the City of Denver revamped to honor its relationship with the capital of Kenya. Originally designed by noted local landscape architect S.R. DeBoer in 1950, the park was renamed as the City of Nairobi Park in 1976 and dedicated by Nathan Kahara, who later became the mayor of Nairobi. The 2.3-acre park has the usual kid-friendly options — swings, slides, monkey bars, climbing structures — but this nicely landscaped space was made even more appealing to tykes with the addition of three animal sculptures they can climb, including a lion cub, a hippo partially submerged in sand, and a twelve-foot-tall giraffe. Surrounded by spruce groves and swaths of Rocky Mountain juniper, the park has become selfie central for Kenyan visitors who, like most people who come here, immediately climb onto the back of the giraffe — from which you can see Longs Peak and the Mummy Range, as well as the Denver skyline.

Tiny Town Miniature Golf is a native, too, one that for more than sixty years has offered reasonably priced entertainment in what invitingly feels like a 1970s paneled basement of mini-golf courses. The eighteen holes serve up old-school putt-putt scenes like a windmill and a crocodile, but the nineteenth hole is special: A hole in one gets you a free game. Sadly, Bob Mitchell, who started the Tiny Town course in 1965, passed away in 2016; the good news is that nearby Trout Haven Resorts bought it and spent the past year upgrading the site. And the commitment Mitchell had to making mini-golf fun for the whole family is still there in spirit, along with his beloved flower gardens.

What was once the Arapahoe Greenway Trail was renamed in the mid-’90s for Mary Hampton Carter, who as mayor of Bow Mar in the ’70s also took over leadership of the South Suburban Park Foundation, helping the organization pave the way for more trails and greenways in the area. Her namesake eight-mile, multi-use path winds through the southern suburbs along the tree-lined South Platte River, between West Dartmouth Avenue in Englewood and Viable Road in Chatfield State Park. Not only does it exemplify the best of urban bike corridors — the foundation stays on top of improvements, recently cutting the number of signs along the trail in half to put in better ones that were more easily understood, adding more parking en route and upgrading crushed-gravel spurs — but it also connects other trails in the Denver metro greenway system, including the South Platte River Trail, the Bear Creek Trail and the C-470 Bikeway. On any given day, you’ll find commuters, families, dog-walkers, rollerbladers, you name it. Thanks, Mary.

Readers’ Choice: Cherry Creek Trail

walkridecolorado.com

Ready for a ride you won’t forget? Park at the lot for Beverly Heights Park, located at the base of Lookout Mountain Road, to embark on a 4.3-mile, 1,300-foot ascent from downtown Golden to the summit of Lookout Mountain. Arguably the best hill climb in Colorado, this ride was included in the U.S. Pro Challenge not once, but twice. If the 5 and 6 percent grades don’t take your breath away, we guarantee the stunning views will. Bonus: The top of the ride is also the site of Buffalo Bill’s grave. Cyclists can stop off at the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave to re-up on water and snacks before zooming downhill, preferably toward Coors Brewery.

visitgolden.com

If you’re up for a big ride, the whole Lake Dillon Loop enchilada is 41 miles and goes from Breckenridge to Frisco, around Lake Dillon and on to Keystone, gaining more than 2,000 feet in elevation and pretty much ensuring that you’ll need a late-afternoon nap (note that the majority of the uphill comes during the return to Breckenridge). For the less motivated, the 18.6 miles around the lake itself is a lovely ride at half the elevation gain, with the chance to see a moose or two, short but sweet sections through lodgepole pine, and plenty of views of the lake. Numerous spurs offer the chance to add more mileage. The best part, though, is the many options along the way for refueling with good food, coffee or cocktails.

summitbiking.org

A push for intermediates and still darn challenging for advanced riders, White Ranch just north of Golden is classic Colorado singletrack, with a little doubletrack thrown in for good measure. With plenty of technical drops, rock gardens that may require some walking, soft sand and several wavy-gravy sections, the twenty miles of trails offer something for everyone, but mostly for the more experienced rider. The hurtin’ starts with the four miles of climbing on Belcher Hill, with a 1,849-foot gain. Once you reach the top, there are a few options for downhill fun, including 2.2 miles of rocky, tree-rooted, tight-turning trail, plus periodic planks and drops. That’s nothing, though, because Maverick to Longhorn is probably one of the best top-to-bottom trails in the state; not only does it offer the usual ruts and rocks, but it also has several smooth, sweet singletrack sections for speed demons who can handle switching back and forth. The good news about that brutal climb: It’s all gonzo going back down.

Readers’ Choice: Buffalo Creek

Golden

jeffco.us

Teaching kids how to mountain-bike in Colorado is just like teaching them how to ski: You can’t make it so painful and unpleasant that they never want to do it again. The clean, clear Shadow Pine Loop in Conifer — not so far that it’s a chore to get there, but far enough into the foothills to feel like you’re mountain-biking — is just right for introducing the finer points, from pushing a little on the uphill and navigating singletrack to watching for pedestrians and crossing a small bridge. Most of the 3.4-mile lollipop loop trail, some of which is a little wider than typical singletrack, is completely shaded by trees, and the initial ascent is about as gentle as it gets, a very gradual climb that opens onto a meadow and the chance to see some elk and deer. The return downhill is easy but fun, too, and pretty much guaranteed to make your budding biker a lifelong fan.

Conifer

mtbproject.com

Mountain bikers have discovered what cross-country skiers have known all along: The Dirty Bismark, which runs alongside the Morgul Bismark road-race course, is a winter wonderland, a rural paradise that’s perfect for fat-tire fun in the snow. More plains riding than mountain, the fifteen-mile loop trail, known locally as the “Happy Meal Loop,” alternates between singletrack and dirt road, but you still get plenty of mountain views all around, as well as a little bit of uphill and a lot of wide-open prairie to fall into without hitting anything but powder (and maybe a few cows).

Marshall Mesa Trailhead

bouldermountainbike.org

From Fort Collins, head west through Poudre River Canyon on Highway 14 toward Walden for the 220-mile-long Walden Loop. It makes for a lovely day trip, bookended by Fort Collins on one end and the North Park town of Walden — aka the Moose Capital of Colorado — on the other, cutting through Rocky Mountain National Park and zipping right past Grand Lake. Less popular than other motorcycle routes, Walden is thus much less trafficked; while there are a few restaurants and stops on the way, expect long stretches of just you and the well-maintained roads. For an even more isolated journey, hop onto County Road 27 at Rand, a nicely graded gravel road that leads to Gould, where you can get back onto 14.

motorcycleroads.com