Please Welcome August Guest Blogger, Avery Wickersham, With Her Post: Travel Hotspots and their Accessibility in Colorful Colorado

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There’s no doubt that Colorado has a wide breadth of incredible tourist traps for every season of the year. There’s 300 average days of sunshine, plains out east, mountains out west, and a buzzing metro area in between—Colorado is nothing if not sundry! As a native of Colorado, I’ve had the great pleasure of visiting many of these places, venturing hours into the mountains or minutes into the city to find places to enjoy time with family and friends. 

When I was eighteen months old, I was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, later renamed Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, until finally, I turned eighteen. Once I hit eighteen, it was just Rheumatoid Arthritis. Growing up with a disease like this makes a lot of the activities Colorado has to offer difficult, to say the least. I’m very grateful to still have use of my body, and can tell you all firsthand the difficulty rating, on a scale from one to five, of each of the places below for those with mild to severe accessibility issues—one being least accessible and five being most accessible. 

Anne U. White Trail (Boulder, CO) 

*Two-point-five out of Five*

This trail is located in Boulder, a place in Colorado located just within the foothills of the Rocky Mountain Range. The forest view, the wide-open spaces, and youthful energy of the city makes it a good destination for the younger generations to move to. Many students attend the University of Colorado Boulder for just the hiking trails alone.

The Anne U. White trail is more of a backwoods trail away from the bustle of the city, though it’s still extremely popular. While the parking is limited, the path is long and twisted, winding up the mountain and over little creeks with—wait for it—boulders as stepping stones. Hiking boots or tennis shoes are the best footwear. I would never suggest hiking in any kind of sandals, especially because of all of the loose dirt on the inclines. There are many places in the trail where it evens out, but for the most part, there’s nowhere to go but up.

Colorado is home to many varied kinds of vegetation, and there is no shortage of beautiful wildflowers on the Anne U. White trail. In the summer, during peak hiking, the leaves, moss, and other plants are such a vibrant green, especially compared to the white, purple, and pink wildflowers, each of the flowers like little pinpricks of paint in a landscape oil painting. The tree limbs reach into the middle of the trail, and while the leaves of the trees and other plants are soft to the touch, you have to be careful. Some of the plants are easily mistaken, and instead of brushing your hand against an innocent bush, you might be dragging it through poison ivy.

As far as any mountain trail in Colorado goes, accessibility is pretty limited depending on the ailment. For myself, I have to take frequent breaks. There are little areas or benches on this specific trail that make it a two-point-five as opposed to a lower score. However, if your pain is manageable with a bit of Ibuprofen, I encourage you to go for it! Be careful on the stepping stones and with the loose rocks and soft dirt. It’s incredibly easy to twist a joint or fall, which might put a bit of a damper on your trip. 

Downtown Denver (Denver, CO)

*Three-point-five out of Five* 

Downtown Denver is an enormous city nearly smack in the middle of the state. There are so many delicious restaurants, museums filled with priceless history and art, as well as beautiful parks surrounded by skyscrapers that reflect the scenery of the state. 

While much of Denver is a business district, there’s the Denver Center for Performing Arts, where many plays and musicals of great renown have been performed. Near the DCPA is a restaurant, called Sam’s, and it has some of the best burgers in the state. The Denver Art Museum and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science are very different but are always exhibiting such interesting pieces. They’re definitely worth the price of admission. While I haven’t been to the art museum in a while, the last exhibit I saw there was about King Tutankhamun and his life in Egypt. It was incredibly well done, and revitalized my love for art and for Egypt. The Denver Museum of Nature and Science has many traveling exhibits, but also many permanent exhibits, such as: Prehistoric Journey, a hall of animals, Expedition Health, rocks and geodes, and another Egyptian exhibit that I visit every time I go to the museum. 

The Denver Zoo is also downtown, and is full of so many species in special habitats very similar to pictures I’ve seen of places worldwide. The entire zoo takes about four or five hours to complete, but has a slew of different restaurants and interactions with animals. When you’re at the Denver Zoo, the chocolate-vanilla swirled ice cream is the best treat to have while walking around in the hot sun. Make sure to cool off inside in the reptile house, the bird house, and the house inside the Toyota Elephant Passage to see snakes, lizards, penguins, an Asian fishing cat, and a smaller breed of Asian otters (much different from the ones in the United States). 

To close out the day, take a stroll down 16th Street Mall to see the lights of the city. The lights are in great big bulbous lamps, and there are many restaurants and bars to sit in at night to marvel at them. You can also take a free shuttle ride up and down the street, to see not only the lights and the city, but also to see the different stores to visit. Another place in Denver to visit, away from the more concentrated part of the city, is Sushi Bay 17. There are many different rolls, classic and special: some of them are even representative of Colorado! Try to go in the evening, when the sun starts to set to witness an incredible sunset over the sights of the city. 

Despite its size, Denver is fairly accessible, especially with the shuttle in the 16th Street Mall and the different handicap access points in the parking garages. Denver is a very inclusive city, and it really tries to keep the city as accessible as possible for all types of visitors. Even the Zoo, even though it takes a whole day to get through, has many opportunities for visitors to sit, wheelchair accessibility, and restaurants with disabled seating. 

Estes Park (Estes Park, CO)

*Three out of Five*

Estes Park is a major destination in Colorado for outsiders and natives alike to visit. It’s always bustling with patrons downtown in the shopping center, in the national park for a hike, out on the lake participating in water sports, or at the Stanley Hotel, trying to spot a ghost in the lobby. 

The Stanley Hotel is the infamous hotel based upon in The Shining by Stephen King. Even if you aren’t staying at the Stanley, you can go into the lobby and take a look, as well as walk around in the topiary maze and through the gardens. It’s a surreal experience in the summer, but the ghost tour is much more fun in the winter when it gets darker at an earlier time. With the ghost tours, you roam around the hotel, including the many other buildings, either during the day or at night to try and see or talk to the ghosts rumored to be living there. If you want to scare yourself, try the tour at night. 

The rest of Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park are also great places to spend the day. The shops in Estes Park are varied, but there’s an independent bookstore, ice cream shops, a blown glass shop, and little diners, to name a few. There’s always going to be a store for everyone, so take a stroll, get some candy, and go to Smokin’ Dave’s BBQ about five minutes outside of town for dinner. Smokin’ Dave’s has many locations in Colorado, but the one in Estes always has great food and great service. Rocky Mountain National Park has many different hiking and picnic spots in the summer if you’re less than inclined to shop, and in the winter, they have Hidden Valley, an optimal place for sledding if you’re too timid to ski or snowboard, like myself. 

I give Estes a three out of five in terms of accessibility because it still is a mountain town. The city where the shops are try to be accessible, but many of them have steps to get inside the door. The stoplights are good, however, because they have the little voice that dictates when people can cross the street, enabling the vision impared to know when to go. Rocky Mountain National has great picnic and hiking areas, but they’re not incredible accessible for any wheelchairs or crutches. However, for those with mild physical ailments, so long as you take an opportunity on the benches or at restaurants to rest, your pain should be tolerable and manageable to visit Estes. 

Evergreen (Evergreen, CO)

*Four-point-five out of Five*

Evergreen and Idaho Springs are connected by a big loop, but are such different places. Evergreen is what the name suggests—the pine trees all year round provide the city with a dark green color, mixing in with the green leaves of the aspen trees in the summer. However, the center of the town in the Evergreen Lake. Unlike many places in Colorado, the Evergreen Lake has activity in every season. When the weather is nice and the water is crisp and refreshing, people are out paddleboarding, paddle boating, or kayaking across the circumference of the lake, followed by a picnic in the soft grass a short walk away from the water. In the winter, ice fishers drill holes in the thick ice to fish, while others like to ice skate. Some brave souls walk out on the ice in their winter boots, laughing and shrieking as they slip and slide. Regardless of your seasonal preferences, Evergreen is a great day trip. Don’t forget to complete the loop and visit Idaho Springs!

Evergreen is incredibly accessible, even for someone to get around on the lake. Paddle boating is a great water sport for those who can’t paddleboard (shoulder injuries or any damage in the upper body makes paddleboarding incredibly difficult!), as there are four seats with pedals. Only two people need to paddle, so if you’re worried about your knees, fear not! You can still enjoy being out on the water. There is also a ramp around the lake to sit near the water without actually being on it, so if you or anyone in your party needs wheelchair accessibility, there’s that option. The only place that may have less accessibility is the shopping center. Many times, shops are up on hills with lots of stairs, so keep that in mind before going out on the streets. 

Glenwood Springs (Glenwood Springs, CO)

*Four out of Five*

My favorite place in Colorado, no contest, is Glenwood Springs. A town built around two naturally-occurring hot springs, Glenwood is home to the Glenwood Hot Springs, Iron Mountain Hot Springs, Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, white-water rafting on the Colorado River, the historic Hotel Colorado and other sight-seeing places around the city.

The Glenwood Hot Springs Pool (and spa) is a literal hotspot for the town. Once you go in a pay for a membership or just for the day, you go through the locker room and onto the pool deck, where it’s normally crowded from people all over the world to enjoy the hot springs. The pools themselves are naturally heated: the long, more casual swimming pool is approximately 90  degrees Fahrenheit, while the smaller, healing pool is approximately 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Even on summer days, the mineral pools are refreshing and enjoyable; though, if you get hot, you can always cool off in the tube slide built like the Colorado River and its white-water rapids. 

While the Glenwood Hot Springs are incredibly popular, Iron Mountain Hot Springs also resides in Glenwood and consists of many pools with different temperatures of water—they’re isolated little pools with a separate area for the kids to maintain a level of relaxation and quiet for the patrons of the hot springs. 

If you’re looking for the opposite of relaxing on your trip, you’ll want to check out the adventure park and the numerous white-water rafting companies located throughout the city. The  adventure park is located on top of a mountain, and the best way to get there is a sky tram that functions all day. The tram overlooks the city, the mountain range, and the snaking Colorado river before delivering adventurers to the park. Many rides swing out over the canyon or follow suit with the mining theme, common throughout the Rocky Mountains so that each of the riders in the park can take part in some cultural heritage of the state. 

From the Colorado River, you can see some of the rides of the adventure park from down below before hitting a slew of rapids that bump the boat and splash each rider with icy snowmelt. Depending on the season, the rapids are deeper and faster or shallower and rockier: both provide for great fun when rafting. I, myself, prefer category four’s and five’s as far as rapids go, where the waves splash up over the boat and threaten to tip everyone out. 

For much of Glenwood, I would rate the accessibility a four out of five, especially regarding the hot springs pools. These pools are natural healers, and many of the patrons of the pools go there to relieve pain in their entire body. While I’m normally stiff and sore, especially after sight-seeing and walking around the town, the pools are a great source of comfort. The minerals help revitalize my body and leave me feeling refreshed and without pain for a couple of days following. However, the trails (such as the trail to see outlaw Doc Holliday’s grave), the adventure park, and white-water rafting are much harder to complete depending on how differently-abled you are. I participate in all of these activities, but I am used to my pain and know my tolerances. Hiking and the adventure park have opportunities for rest, but white-water rafting is a half-day to full-day trip, and even I struggle with pain afterwards. Ultimately, between downtown Glenwood, the different hotels (and their elevators), and the pools, Glenwood Springs is a beautiful destination for your vacation.

Echo Lake (Idaho Springs, CO)

*Two-point-five out of Five*

While it’s hard to say which hiking destination is the prettiest in Colorado, Echo Lake is a definite winner and an amazing day hike. A caveat of this location is the parking situation, but if you’re up and at ‘em early, you’ll have closer parking to the trail; although, be warned—the parking is on either side of the winding road up the mountain. Before you get to the trails, marvel at the lake and stare at the timberline. After a certain point on the side of the mountain, the altitude is too high and trees can no longer grow. On bright, sunny days, the water resembles a clean mirror. It’s reflective and transparent all at once.

The hiking trails branch off in different directions, so you’ll have plenty of choices. Each of them are miles long, so be sure to grab water, food, and your hiking boots or sneakers. The tree roots are snaggled and rough, even on protected feet. The trail around the lake is much mellower without many steep inclines, but you’ll have to walk on the side of the road to make it back to your car. The other trails are tougher on your body, but they’re the only way to see the breathtaking and anxiety-inducing views of the valley below. If you’re afraid of heights, take the lake route; if you’re a daredevil, however, take those steep hikes and have your panoramic camera out to capture insane pictures.

When you’re done at the lake, swing by the Idaho Springs cemetery before venturing into the city. The cemetery has been in use for over a hundred years. In fact, people have been buried there within the last decade. It’s a very quiet walk, and each gravestone tells a story of historical context. The city is an old mining city, with the Argo Mine active for tours, and downtown Idaho Springs still retains much of the architecture from the birth of the city. Like the other mountain towns, there are shops with souvenirs bearing the Colorado insignia. Many of those stores sell the same products besides the little coffee shops and ice cream parlors. While these stores are fun to poke your head into, make sure you eat lunch at Beau Jo’s Pizza Parlor. Beau Jo’s is a Colorado-specific pizza chain with a thick crust. In Colorado, we don’t use ranch or marinara sauce for the crust. Instead, we drizzle honey inside of it and eat it as a sweet-savory dessert. 

While the city is accessible, even including hanicapped parking spots, there’s less accessibility in the actual mountain itself. Neither the lake nor the trails have any wheelchair ramps, and the road is all dirt and gravel. That being said, the lake does have picnic tables and a enclosed area for lunch right by the entrance to the lake. I would also advise caution on the trails. They are incredibly steep with many rocks and roots in the narrow path. Those with milder pain will have a greater chance of completing the trail, but pain relievers are a must. 

Jefferson Campground (Jefferson County, CO)

*Three out of Five*

The Jefferson Campgrounds are in Jefferson Country, near the city of South Park, the city the Comedy Central show is based off of. The campgrounds are outside of the city by a few miles, and consist of a great, open space surrounded by soft mountain peaks, and a few miles up the road, there’s a lake perfect for water activities.

Each campground itself has a fire pit, perfect for small and big fires alike, where you can roast hot dogs before the sun sets and marshmallows for gooey s’mores underneath the vast sheet of stars. Hopefully, when you choose Jefferson, you bring plenty of food and water, tied up and away from the critters around camp, a tent, or a camper, because the campgrounds have no running water or electricity. Your phone will only last you for so long, so make sure you have a camera and extra batteries to capture the landscape. ATV’s are also a must as the trails are rugged and all-terrain with a magnificent. The infinite plain of peaks is enough to make anyone cry—think Mont Blanc by Percy Bysshe Shelley. After a day of setting up camp, hiking or ATV-riding, and reading in the gentle mountain breeze, you can climb into your tent and camper and fall fast asleep. That is, until the pronghorn or bears poke around your camp, making for a great story when you get home!

Jefferson Lake is another must-see while camping, especially if you are an avid fisherman. During the summer, crawdads (crayfish, crawfish, mudbugs—it’s all the same) like to breed near the rocky shoreline, making for a fun challenge. If your heart so desires, you can take them back to camp and have a crawdad boil. For the most part, though, many campers like to catch-and-release the crawdads and the fish in the lake. If you’re anything like me, I like to catch the fish and pawn them off to someone else to clean for dinner. The lake is a wonderful activity to switch up your camping activities. Each night, so long as there’s no fire ban, you must have a campfire. It’s Colorado’s rules!

Unless you are out on the ATV’s or hiking, Jefferson is a fairly accessible place for everyone, provided you or your fellow campers aren’t in a wheelchair. The entire campground is au natural, so there are many rocks, tree roots, and other potentially rough and dangerous items that would make it hard for anyone to get around. Besides that, there are many places to lay out chairs or hammocks for people to rest, and the ground in the actual campgrounds is as flat as it gets in the mountains. The ATV and hiking trails are really rocky and steep in some places, so make sure you bring plenty of Ibuprofen for those of you with milder symptoms. Go out and explore!

Ultimately, Colorado is more or less accessible depending on the part of the state you want to travel to. Even so, many of the mountain towns have areas for everyone, even for those with more severe symptoms. I have grown up with arthritis that makes it difficult for me to walk, grasp things in my hand, or even to move on some of my worst days, but I still am able to visit these amazing places and to still have a great time while managing my pain. If you’re in the same boat I am, I wholeheartedly believe you can do the same. Take some time and plan a trip to Colorado soon. Adventure awaits!