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ROAD TRIPS ROCKY MOUNTAIN MAGIC DENVER TO GRAND CANYON AND BACK 1,375 miles CHASM LAKE IN ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK

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Page 1: PROOF ROAD TRIPS ROCKY MOUNTAIN MAGIC 1,375 milesROAD TRIPS ROCKY MOUNTAIN MAGIC SANDY GETAWAY Bring your sled and your beach umbrella to Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve

86 GRAND CANYON JOURNAL 2018

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ROAD TRIPS ROCKY MOUNTAIN MAGICDENVER TO GRAND CANYON AND BACK

1,375 miles

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CHASM LAKE IN ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK

PROOF

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MYGRANDCANYONPARK.COM 87

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Rocky Mountain MagicDiscover hot springs, ruins and the Old West on this 1,375-mile road trip.

ARIZONA

COLORADO

UTAH

NEWMEXICOARIZONAARIZONAARIZONAARIZONAARIZONA

COLORADOCOLORADOCOLORADOCOLORADOCOLORADOCOLORADOCOLORADOCOLORADOCOLORADOCOLORADOCOLORADOCOLORADOCOLORADOCOLORADO

UTAHUTAHUTAHUTAHUTAHUTAHUTAH

NEWNEWMEXICOMEXICOMEXICOMEXICO

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Monument Valley

Farmington

Albuquerque

DurangoCortez

Alamosa

Santa Fe

Montrose

Denver

BuenaVista

PagosaSprings

Grand Canyon

SouthRim

Glenwood Springs

Vail

Flagsta�

Cameron

Williams

Arches National

Park

Rocky MountainNational Park

CanyonlandsNational Park

NavajoNationalMonument

Chaco Canyon National Historical Park

Great Sand Dunes National Park and PreserveGrand

Staircase-Escalante National Monument

Colorado National Monument

Grand Junction

GrantsWindow Rock

Silverton

Tuba City

Mesa VerdeNational

Park

There are few road trips that take you to the base of 14,000-foot peaks, the heart of red-rock canyons, the front door of ancient ruins, the rim of the Grand Canyon and the rejuventating waters of Colorado's hot springs like this one. Start in Denver before heading west to Glenwood

Springs to take a dip. Farther west and south explore ancient ruins and artifacts in the Mesa Verde National Park area. Cross into Arizona, stopping at Flagsta� , a university town, and then the Grand Canyon’s South Rim. On your way back, visit Farmington, N.M., before heading to Durango to take a historic train to one of Colorado's most scenic towns, Silverton. Take a dip in Pagosa's hot springs and explore Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Some of our favorite road-side stops follow in the next several pages.

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88 GRAND CANYON JOURNAL 2018

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DENVER TO GLENWOOD SPRINGS, COLO.

186 miles and 3 hours and 10 minutes

Top 5 Soaking SpotsColorado is dotted with incredible hot springs. Dip into some of the state’s best on your trip.

Hot Sulphur Springs Resort & SpaHot Sulphur Springs, Colo. This quiet facility west of Grand Lake features a series of small, soothing pools, some blazing hot, and four for kids. A spa offers massages, herbal wraps and mud masks; hotsulphursprings.com.

The Springs Resort & Spa Pagosa Springs, Colo. Home to the world's deepest geothermal hot spring, this resort offers a variety of pools with temperatures ranging from 66 to 110°F. A 79-room hotel is part of the complex; pagosahotsprings.com.

Ouray Hot Springs Ouray, Colo. Nestled in a tight valley over-shadowed by 13,000-foot peaks, this large sulfur-free mineral pool on Main Street has three slides and is open year round. Massages are of-fered; ourayhotsprings.com.

Strawberry Park Hot Springs Steamboat Springs, Colo. Head north of Steamboat Springs to find this series of beautiful pools surrounded by evergreens. Massages are available. At night, it's adults only at the hot springs; strawberryhotsprings.com.

GLENWOOD SPRINGS POOLGlenwood Springs, Colo.

Take a break from I-70 at this historic resort at the intersection of the Colorado and Roaring Fork rivers, once a place where Utes wintered. Today, it is home to the world's largest hot springs pool, complete with water slides, a kiddie pool, a spa and 107-room lodge. It's just steps from Glen-

wood's charming downtown; hotspringspool.com.

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90 GRAND CANYON JOURNAL 2018

ROAD TRIPS ROCKY MOUNTAIN MAGICGLENWOOD SPRINGS, COLO., TO CORTEZ, COLO.

313 miles and 4 hours and 51 minutes

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Four Corners GemsFrom a thriving restaurant scene to rare opportunities to learn about our nation’s ancient history, Cortez, Mancos and Dolores offer more than just uncrowded trails

in one of Colorado’s most undiscovered corners. Here are the top 6 things to do in Mesa Verde country.

MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARKWHY GO:Described as the pyramids of

North America, the ancient ruins at Mesa Verde hold the early stories of our nation. TIP: Take the 700 Years Tour that bring you via motorcoach on short hikes to see the earliest houses from 600 A.D. to complex villages built in the 1200s. Sign up for this four-hour tour at visitmesaverde.com.

2. ANASAZI HERITAGE CENTERWHY GO: Grind

corn, touch ancient pottery sherds and learn to weave on a Pueblo-style loom at this museum in Dolores, Colo., with real artifacts removed from area sites to preserve them. TIP: This serves as the visitor center for the Canyon of the Ancients National Monument, and it digs deep into the 2,000-year history of the area, which

culminated in the settlement of Mesa Verde.

3. WILDEDGE BREWING COLLECTIVEWHY GO: The newest

brewery among the area’s fi ve, WildEdge in Cortez is wildly cre-ative with its small-batch brews.TIP: If it’s on the menu, order the Columbine, made from kettle-soured wheat beer refermented

with boysenberries. Its bright magenta color captures the beauty of this concoction.

4. CORTEZ CULTURAL CENTERWHY

GO: Housed in a 1909 build-ing, this center features free Native American dances Monday through Saturday at 7 p.m. late May through the beginning of September.

TIP: Buy tickets here for culinary and ranch tours at local farms and ranches. Transportation and lunch are included. Tours start spring 2018.

5. CROW CANYON ARCHAEOLOGICAL CENTER

WHY GO: Tour an excavation site, join a dig or analyze artifacts at this center founded three decades ago on the belief the public plays a critical role in archaeology. TIP: Go on a free one-hour walking tour to learn more about Crow Canyon’s archaeological research. Or dive in for an Archaeology Day Tour.

6. DOLORES RIVER CAMPGROUNDWHY GO: Fall asleep to the

sounds of the Dolores River in a yurt, vintage trailer or cabin. Or pitch your tent or pull up an RV. TIP: Reserve the 1950 Spartan Spartanette, a vintage trailer with original woodwork, a retro kitchen and a private patio.

Stop in the Colorado Welcome Center, 928 Main St. in Cortez or go to mesaverdecountry.com to learn more.

CLIFF PALACE

DOLORES RIVER CAMPGROUND

1.

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True TreasuresNative American history meets natural wonders and innovative libations

in Farmington, N.M. Plus, Farmington is just about 35 miles from Bisti Badlands/ De-Na-Zin Wilderness area, dotted by spires, sculpted rock and hills of various colors.

Here are four stops in and around Farmington.

DINETAH ROCK & PUEBLITOSExplore some of the more than 200 Navajo pueblos built between 1680 and 1775. Simon Canyon Ruin is a one-room struc-ture built on top of a 20-foot-high boulder in 1754. It can be accessed via the Simon Canyon Recreation area 3.4 miles below the Navajo Dam. A half-mile hike will bring you to the ruin. Learn more at farmingtonnm.org/list-ings/dinetah-rock-art-pueblitos.

KOKOPELLI’S CAVEOriginally conceived to be geologist Bruce Black’s office, Kokopelli’s Cave is a spectacu-larly wonderful bed-and-breakfast venue. Hike along a sandstone path to get to your 1,700-foot cave suite equipped with a kitch-en, Jacuzzi tub, queen-sized bed and a replica Native American kiva. Sunset views of Shiprock, a sacred Navajo mountain, are gor-geous. Learn more at kokoscave.com.

THREE RIVERS EATERY AND BREWHOUSELocated in the historic Andrews Building built in 1912, this local favorite has 12 of the brewery’s 50 beers on tap at any one time. While you are there, check out the more than 600 beer labels hanging on the walls. Donated by Henry and Margie Glosser in 1999, they constitute New Mexi-co’s largest beer label collection. Learn more at threeriversbrewery.com/brewery.

HOGBACK TRADING POSTFourth-generation Native Ameri-can trader Tom Wheeler runs this authentic trading post located in a 10,000-square-foot Hogan-shaped building just outside of Farmington. Wheeler’s great grandfather established the fam-ily’s original post in 1871. Today, travelers can buy Native American jewelry, Navajo rugs, baskets and alabaster sculptures. Find it at 3221 Hwy. 64, Waterflow, N.M.

Learn more at Farmington Museum and Visitor Center, 3041 East Main St. or at farmingtonnm.org.

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92 GRAND CANYON JOURNAL 2018

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FARMINGTON, N.M., TO DURANGO, COLO.

48 miles and 1 hour

Voted a � nalist in Outside Maga-zine’s 2016 “Best Towns” cate-gory, Durango really lives up to its stellar reputation. Perched at 6,512 feet, this charming

historic town has six craft breweries, one distillery and more restaurants per capita than San Francisco. It also has fantastic mountain biking and hiking trails.

But at its heart is the railroad. Found-ed by the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Co. in 1880, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad attracts approxi-mately 200,000 passengers per year. Find out why this is such a popular attraction

by taking the nine-hour round-trip train excursion from Durango to the tiny, his-toric mining town of Silverton. Or if you have limited time, opt for the Skyway Tour, in which you ride the train one way and a bus the other.

Durango’s best-kept secret? You can ac-cess the longest zip line in North America by riding the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad with Soaring Tree Top Adventures based in Durango.

Stop by The Durango Welcome Center at 802 Main Ave., or go to durango.org to learn more.

Best of the WestDurango offers an amazing downtown, great food and a ride

on a steam train.

DURANGO & SILVERTON RAILROAD BY THE NUMBERS

136 YEARS OF SERVICE

$300,000,000WORTH OF PRECIOUS METALS HAS BEEN HAULED BY THE TRAIN

10,000GALLONS OF WATER IS USED EACH TRIP

12,000 POUNDS OF HAND-SHOVELED COAL USED EACH TRIP

1882 YEAR TRACKS TO SILVERTON WERE COMPLETED

Source: Durango Area Tourism Offi ce; Silverton Area Chamber of Commerce

DURANGO AT NIGHT

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Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad888.872.4607 - durangotrain.com

Discover A Dozen Vacations in one Destination™

ChimneyRock

MesaVerde

GrandCanyon

ChimneyRock

Your Gateway to

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94 GRAND CANYON JOURNAL 2018

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DURANGO, COLO. TO GREAT SAND DUNES NATIONAL PARK & PRESERVE

175 miles, 3 hours and 24 minutes

ROAD TRIPS ROCKY MOUNTAIN MAGIC

SANDY GETAWAY Bring your sled and your beach umbrella to Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve 37 miles from Alamosa, Colo. From here, you can explore the tallest sand dune in North America. High Dune on First Ridge is a two-hour, 2.5-mile round trip walk up 699 feet of sand. Sled down for a faster descent. Be sure to bring a lot of water, start early and wear closed-toe shoes as sand temperatures can reach 150F mid-day.

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