Visiting Colorado. Tourist-free places to see? (Denver, Grand Junction: home, school, camping)

[ATimeTraveler]

Hey guys! Let's rule out the canyon, Aspen, the Rocky Mountain... I could be visiting the US next year, with my camera, and I'd like to know what places do coloradans visit in their daily life. Lakes, mountains, roads with great views, small cities... that kind of places that only coloradans know and that there are little to no tourists at all.

[jim9251]

Good luck the state is packed with tourists year around. Fall after school starts is usually quiet, I would recommend looking at Montrose visit the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, drive to the top of the Grand Mesa, visit Ridgway and Ridgway State Park.

Have fun on your trip.

https://www.visitmontrose.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Mesa

https://ridgwaycolorado.com/

https://www.nps.gov/blca/index.htm

[bluescreen73]

I hate to be a downer, but you're kind of looking for a unicorn. There are places you can go that won't have a ton of tourists, but they may not be the prettiest or the most happening.

The Eastern Plains, for example, has almost no tourists because there aren't any mountain vistas, there are few trees, and most of the population centers are very small. There are a few places with scenery, though, like Pawnee Buttes, Vogel Canyon, Picture Canyon, and Picketwire Canyon. Picketwire Canyon contains the largest set of dinosaur tracks North America, but you have to hike 11 miles round-trip to get to them. During the spring, the river can make getting to the tracks difficult, and in the summer it's hot, there's little shade, and rattlesnakes are common.

In the mountains you have to go to places like North Park that are isolated and have very few people. The town of Walden is ringed by mountains, but it sits in a large, nearly flat, windswept prairie at around 8,000'.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison won't be as packed as other places, and you can get away from most of the tourists if you're capable of hiking down into the canyon floor.

Browns Park National Wildlife Refuge and Dinosaur National Monument (outside of the visitors center) don't get much tourist traffic, either, but they're also very isolated and the scenery isn't stereotypical Colorado.

The Grand Junction area is a bit like Moab, Utah. It has similar scenery, but on a MUCH smaller scale.

If you've got backcountry camping and backpacking skills there are places like the Eagles Nest Wilderness and Lost Creek Wilderness where you can go camping in the forest and not see many people at all. You've just got to be prepared for whatever Mother Nature throws at you.

[pikabike]

Originally Posted by ATimeTraveler

Hey guys! Let's rule out the canyon, Aspen, the Rocky Mountain... I could be visiting the US next year, with my camera, and I'd like to know what places do coloradans visit in their daily life. Lakes, mountains, roads with great views, small cities... that kind of places that only coloradans know and that there are little to no tourists at all.

Any place that is far away from where wheeled vehicles or horses can travel.

BTW, there is more than one canyon in the state.

P.S.
Do you really expect anybody to give up “secret places” so that an unknown Internet entity can blast photos of that place all over the WWW when you go? That has been the death knell for many formerly nice places.

[davebarnes]

Downtown Craig, Colorado. Coal is dying.
Yuma, Colorado. Hometown of Senator Cory Gardner.
Branson, Colorado. Just 64 people.

[Mike from back east]

Now Dave, we'd be remiss if we failed to mention the Blue Lagoons of Canon City.

You ask, what Blue Lagoons?

Well, I'm glad you asked...

The Blue Lagoons of Canon City are that local attraction where liquid nuclear wastes are contained after the processing of Uranium was performed in the glory days of the Cold War. On certain nights, when the moon is full, the harmonic resonance of the lagoons syncs with the harmonic resonance of the moon's gravitational pull which results in tidal quivering at 44Hz which releases a captivating blue glow emanating from the depths of the lagoon. Swimming fully clothed is a local fan favorite, the radiation thus captured in the garments renders them permanently dry-cleaned, well starched, warm in winter, and reflective for walking about safely at night for those KKK re-enactments.

Nearby, intrepid tourists may visit the retirement home of world famous aviator, Richard Reid, always a treat.

Can't make this stuff up....

To the west are stunning mountains and hordes of tourists tubing and rafting the Arkansas River, oh, never mind.

[Parnassia]

Impossible request...

Wherever you go, there you are!

And, you'll be a tourist right?

[Arrby]

Your syntax makes me think you are not a native English speaker and are therefore coming from outside the US - yes? If so, there are things you need to know.

Nearly half of Colorado is dry grassland plains of limited interest. If you arrive at Denver International Airport this is what you will see to the north, east, and south. Substantial portions are desert or near desert valley floors, particularly the San Luis Valley in south central Colorado. That leaves a considerable area that is very scenic, true, but it is a much smaller area than you might think, and this smaller area is where people tend to congregate.

There are no undiscovered interesting towns.

Lakes are not at all common in Colorado and all but a very few are not-particularly-scenic man made reservoirs. There are some natural lakes on Grand Mesa alongside quite a few reservoirs - all small. Grand Lake and Lake San Cristobal are more or less natural mountain lakes and there are other very small ones scattered about.

Tourist crowds are going to be at their worst on weekends between the week before Memorial Day and maybe the week after Labor Day. If you must come in June, July, or August, you will avoid the very worst crowds by going Monday through Thursday. The difference can be extreme sometimes, but the most popular spots will always be crowded any day of the week.

There are scenic places with fewer tourists, however. Most are going to have few services and will be harder to get to. Dinosaur National Monument has been mentioned. I think the Uncompahgre region in west central Colorado is under appreciated. The Wet Mountains and the Sangre de Christo mountains see fewer tourists.

If there is a "secret spot", it is the thousands of miles of dirt roads that go here, there, everywhere through the mountains. The problem is that most require at least an AWD SUV, some need dedicated off road vehicles, and some really are best on an ATV or horse. Jeeps can be rented, but you need to know how to drive one and how to find your way around the back country safely.

Finally, none of us know what you mean by "the canyon".

[ATimeTraveler]

Hey thank you very much to everyone! I appreciate all your recommendations and advices. I'm going to check every location in google maps and let's see what I can find. The best way to get to know a country is to be around people from that country.

Your syntax makes me think you are not a native English speaker and are therefore coming from outside the US - yes? If so, there are things you need to know.

Just out of curiosity and I know this is a bit offtopic but I have to ask anyway. I never intended to pass as a native speaker, but I can't see anything wrong in my syntax. What makes it so obvious that I'm not a native?

[Neditate]

Originally Posted by pikabike

Do you really expect anybody to give up “secret places” so that an unknown Internet entity can blast photos of that place all over the WWW when you go? That has been the death knell for many formerly nice places.

1000% this^
Many of the special places that I hold dear have been discovered. The few that are left I will never share on a forum and never tag on Instagram.

Good luck to you though! I hope you find what you are seeking.