25 Best Places To Visit In Colorado In The Summer

Best places to visit in Colorado in the summer that will be fun and beautiful. Colorado has many beautiful and cool sights that both locals and visitors can explore and enjoy.

Best places to visit in Colorado in the summer

Most of the places you can visit in the summer are easily accessible. You can plan a road trip through Colorado and visit as many as possible.

You can also visit just a few that are close to each other if you prefer to stay in the same area.

Visiting Durango in the Summer

Durango is a small city in southwestern Colorado, and it is near the Mexico border. Durango is known for many things but the mountains, unbeatable skiing, and historic narrow-gauge railroad make it famous. 

Some people call Durango water town. You will enjoy hiking through the fields of Colorado wildflowers. There are endless miles of bike trails. Raft the waters of Animas River.  

The warm summer or a humid continental climate makes it more comfortable. The climate depends on which variant of the system is used.   

Visiting Ouray  In the summer

Ouray is the Outdoor Recreation Capital of Colorado. The place is the perfect base camp for your explorations. Soak under snore-capped peaks after a long day.  

Ouray has many outstanding artists, craftsmen, and innovative shop owners. Stroll through shops and galleries, you may find high-quality items that are worth taking.

Ouray is a beautiful mountain town surrounded by rugged canyons. There is also the unparallel beauty of the San Juan Mountains. 

Gold hill is located in Ouray where travelers find exciting opportunities to seek gold.    

Visiting Estes Park, Colorado     

Estes Park is a town in northern Colorado, 70 miles from Denver. To get to Estes Park it takes 90 minutes from Denver. Estes lies along the Big Thompson River.

The town was named after Missouri native Joel Estes. Este’s town is at the Eastern entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park.    

Shops, galleries, and boutiques line the main street. Wildlife sightings like elk and bighorn sheep are prevalent. Enjoy world-class hiking, rock climbing, skiing, and scenic drives.   

Estes Park has a humid continental climate. Summer days are typically warm and sometimes hot. Winter days are cold.        

Visiting Grand Lake     

Grand Lake, is a gateway to Rocky Mountain, a statutory town in grand county. Another name for Grand Lake is Spirit Lake, named by the Ute tribe.

Grand Lake is located 1 mile from the Rocky Mountain National Park western entrance. 

The Lake forms a continuous body of water with a man-made reservoir. The water is used for agricultural, municipal, and industrial purposes which is very useful.

Grand lake allows public swimming. There are town boardwalks that take you to the lake. The Lake is popular with boaters, water skiers, and anglers.

Visiting Fort Collins   

Fort Collins is a city in northern Colorado. Fort Collins produces 70% of Colorado’s craft beer and 7 % of the U.S.

The place is vibrant and full of local eateries, pubs, and boutiques. Fort Collins is truly home to fabulous recreational opportunities, diverse cultural attractions, and vibrant nightlife scenes.

In Fort Collins, the summers are warm and mostly clear, the winters are freezing, dry and windy. Winters are freezing, dry, windy, and partly cloudy. The temperatures typically vary from 19°F to 87°F.

The best mountain pie in Fort Collins offers the best specialty pizza. Stroll over on lunch break to enjoy a slice.                                                                                                                                                                                        

Visiting Dolores Colorado 

The town of Dolores is in Montezuma County, Colorado. It is about 380 miles from Denver to Colorado. Dolores was counted as a major railroad town along the Rio. The town has a rich history with a nice downtown.

At Dolores, you will feel like a local with mountain biking, hiking, and paddleboarding. You will be interested in the fascinating shops and boutiques. 

The central portion has forested hills, ravines, and canyons. The eastern portion has San Juan Mountain.   

At Dolores, you will find Gold Medal fly-fishing, historic western buildings, and the railroad Museum featuring the restored galloping goose.     

Visiting Steamboat Springs Colorado 

Steamboat is a city in Northern Colorado. The spring is located in the upper valley of the Yampa River. There is steamboat Spring Airport which is for general aviation. Yampa valley airport is also near.

On Steamboat water, there is rafting, kayaking, tubing, fishing, and paddleboarding. You can also relax in the hot springs. On the dry land try hiking, biking, horseback riding, golf, and zip-lining.

Steamboat is home to natural hot springs. The spring was named because of its bubbling sound like that of a steamboat to early settlers. In 1908 during the construction of the railroad, the chugging sound was silenced.

Steamboat Springs climate is warm- summer humid continental climate. There is heavy snowfall during winter and thunderstorms. Winters are extremely cold and have lows close to zero.

Visiting Vail Colorado

Vail is a home rule municipality in Colorado. It is located in the sunning central Rocky Mountains just 30 miles east of Eagle, and 100 miles west of Denver.

You can easily access Vail from Denver International airport and Eagle County Airport. Vail founded as a ski resort in 1962, and later incorporated as a town in 1966.

The White River National Forest together with Gore Range Mountains surrounds the valley. Vail has world-renowned skiing, diverse shops, a friendly neighborhood, and breath-taking mountain views. 

Vail has warm summers and cold winters. In winter skiing and snowboarding are the top activities. During summer zip lines, mountain coaster, rafting, mountain bike, culinary delights, and golf courses take place.   

Visiting Buena Vista Colorado 

Buena Vista is located in central Colorado. It is situated between the Collegiate Peaks and the Arkansas River.

The name Buena Vista is Spanish meaning good view. There are stunning views of the Rocky Mountains.

There are so many things you can do in Buena Vista, hiking, biking, rafting, and fishing. This is one of the best places to visit in Colorado in the summer.

Take time at Browns Canyon National Monument, Buena Vista Heritage Museum, white water Park, and Cottonwood Hot spring.

We enjoyed food at House Rock Kitchen that makes food from scratch using fresh, seasonal, and local ingredients. We also visited Mount Princeton Hot Springs.

Visiting Crested Butte Colorado 

Crested Butte is a town in the Rocky Mountains southwest region of Colorado. Crested Butte is 227 miles from Denver and it takes around 5 hours to get there. 

 It is a summer destination for mountain biking and hiking. Its meadows with full brilliant wildflowers have earned the title of Wildflower Capital of Colorado.  

Strolling along Elk Avenue is one of the most rewarding ways to experience this unique ski town. Find several museums, art galleries, local shops, restaurants to fill your time.

For biking lovers, Crested Butte features countless mountain biking trails in and around town. We didn’t get time to visit the Gothic Ghost Town located north of Crested Butte but we hope to someday.

Check out this post on Cool and beautiful places to visit in Colorado for more travel ideas.

Final Thoughts

Colorado is one of the best places to be during summer. Although the state is popular for its winter activities such as skiing, you will still have a lot to do in the summer.

I hope the post on the best places to visit in Colorado in the summer gave you some ideas on places you can visit if you find yourself there.

Please share the post, it helps grow my blog and also follow me on VisitingTravelers Pinterest for more awesome travel ideas.

Best Places To Visit In Colorado In The Summer

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