THINGS TO DO NEAR RANCHO EUROPA AND
NEDERLAND
Last updated: 24 September 2000
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK
This premier national park, with mountains, lakes, wild animals, and crowded roads
can be
accessed from near the town of Estes Park, about 1 hour drive from the ranch (go to
Nederland, take the 10 o'clock exit from the traffic circle) on the Peak-to-Peak
highway. After descending into the valley just south of Estes Park, look for the Mary's
Lake Road on the left, which bypasses Estes Park and puts you near the Park entrance.
There are hiking trails in the southeast corner of the park that can be reached via
turn-offs
well before Estes Park; many more are within the main part of the park. One of the
highest paved roads in the United States (Trail Ridge Road) crosses
through the park but is closed from about October through May. In summer months, take
the one-way, dirt Fall River Road up to the summit. Estes Park has
numerous
motels and restaurants and is a good base-camp for exploring the northern Colorado
Rockies.
GOLDEN GATE STATE PARK
The mountain on the skyline south of the ranch is Starr Peak. It hides several
additional peaks in the Mt. Thorodin complex just beyond. These mountains form the
center of Golden Gate State Park,
which also has some nice small canyons, meadows, and views of the Continental
Divide.
The park is criss-crossed by hiking trails named after local animals.
There is an easily accessed
view from Panorama Point, about a mile inside the northwest corner of the park along
Gap
Road. The Visitor Center is in the southern part of the park, where two alternate
roads to
Golden divide. (If it appeals to you, drive down to Golden to tour the massive Coors
brewery.) Daily passes to the park cost $4. An annual park pass ($40) gives access to
many remarkable state parks, including Colorado State Forest north of Rocky
Mountain
National Park and El Dorado Canyon State Park south of Boulder (rock climbers
paradise).
CENTRAL CITY/BLACKHAWK: CASINOS AND
MINE TOURS
If gambling and restored Old West towns is your thing, Central City is your place.
Historic buildings, mine tours, and the newly erected casinos draw weekend crowds
from
Denver. Blackhawk (a newer version of Central City with monster casinos) is about
half-an-hour drive
south of the ranch on the Peak-to-Peak
highway, several miles past the road southern entrance to Golden Gate State Park. Central
City
is a mile west of Blackhawk. The precipitous "Oh My God" road leads from Central City
down into Idaho
Springs on I-70.
MOUNTAIN DRIVING
Roads range from the well-engineered Peak-to-Peak highway, connecting Clear Creek
Canyon and Estes Park to rough mountain trails marginally accessible by
4-wheel-drive. A
lovely circle day-long tour on good roads, across 2 mountain passes, is to drive to the
west side of
the Continental Divide, through the resort towns of Winter Park and Fraser, near
Devil's
Thumb Ranch (a cross-country skiing center). Berthoud Pass (US 40) diverts from
I-70
west of Idaho Springs, providing year-round access. In summer months, the circle can
be
completed through Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park (there is no other
road across the Divide
between these two routes). There are pretty roads from the Peak-to-Peak Highway up
toward the Divide: the paved
route to
Brainard Lake from Ward, the rough road from Nederland through Eldora to the
Fourth of
July trailhead, the even rougher (and much longer) road from Rollinsville past
Yankee
Doodle Lake to Rollins Pass (the road is permanently blocked a mile short of the pass in
stark alpine country around 11,000 ft.), and the
4-wheel
drive road to the trailhead for James Peak Lake (which cuts off from the rough
passenger-
car roads connecting Rollinsville, Tolland, Apex, and Central City). Longer trips
include
the road to the top of 14,000-foot Mt. Evans (exit from I-70 at Idaho Springs, pay a
hefty
toll, closed after Labor Day) and Guanella Pass above Georgetown. (Many roads are
closed in
winter; watch for
flash-flooding during thunderstorm season and spring run-off.)
SKIING
This is the major local sport, of course. Eldora Resort, a few miles west of Nederland, is
the closest, less than 25 minutes from Rancho Europa; it has cross-country ski trails, too.
Winter Park (route over Berthoud Pass is described above) is the next closest. The
major ski center is in Summit County, just over the Divide beyond the Loveland Pass ski
area, through
the Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70: Aaraphoe Basin, Keystone, Breckenridge, and Copper
Mountain; A Basin and Keystone are most conveniently reached via Loveland Pass, just
before the tunnel, provided that it is open (less than 90 min. from the Ranch to the small
but spectacular A Basin). (Vail and Beaver Creek are farther west.) Expect steep prices
unless you pick up
coupons at urban supermarkets. Sometimes there is limited summer skiing at one or
two
resorts.
OUTDOOR SUMMER ACTIVITIES
Hiking is the major summer recreation. The most popular trails are often crowded on
weekends, but there are
many wonderful trails where you encounter nothing but
wilderness scenery all day. Hiking maps are available in many stores, including Ace
Hardware in Ned
(The "Trails Illustrated" map #102 of Indian Peaks/Gold Hill covers the whole
neighborhood,
including the region of Rancho Europa, Rollins Pass, the Indian Peaks, and west to
Winter Park).
Horseback riding is
fun (the closest stables to the ranch are in front of the Sundance Motel, just north of
the
intersection of Magnolia Road and the Peak-to-Peak highway, south of Nederland).
Fishing, canoeing, and boating on the many lakes and streams is popular. There is
plenty
of room to go backpacking and camping, but be forewarned that overnight camping is
forbidden in the Boulder Canyon area (i.e. northwest of Magnolia Road); permits are
required in the summer season for the extensive Indian Peaks Wilderness area
northwest of
Nederland. Rock climbing is popular in Boulder Canyon and, especially, in El
Dorado
State Park south of Boulder. There are popular folk and rock festivals in places like
Winter Park and Lyons.
DINING, CONCERTS, URBAN ACTIVITIES
Good nearby restaurants are: (1) The Wondervu
Cafe, south of the ranch, 7 miles along Lazy Z, County Rd. 97, Coal Creek Canyon
Rd.
(C72), Mexican cuisine, an outdoor patio, closed Wednesdays; (2) The Sundance Cafe, a
few hundred feet north of the
intersection of Magnolia Drive and the Peak-to-Peak Highway, near the crest of the
highway south of
Nederland, full dinner menu, fantastic sunset-over-the-Divide dining from the outdoor
deck. Guests
recommend Annie's Cafe in Nederland for breakfast. The Wolf Tongue in
Nederland is a
microbrewery; the Acoustic Coffee House has nightly music. There are several other
restaurants and cafes in Ned, including a large, new German restaurant; we like the small
Kathmandu Restaurant. An expensive wild-game restaurant is the Red Lion Inn about 4
miles before reaching Boulder down Boulder Canyon Drive. Boulder itself has numerous restaurants,
many on or near the Pearl St. pedestrian mall in downtown Boulder, two blocks north of
Canyon. We like the Mediterranean, the Orchid Pavilion, Japango, Antico Roma, Rio
Grande, but there are many others; for exceptional food, away from the pedestrian mall,
there's the Full Moon Cafe and the pricey Flagstaff House (with its enormous wine list and
views over the Boulder Valley).
The Oasis and Walnut microbreweries are within half-a-block of Clark's office at Walnut
and 11th.
Cultural activities
abound in Boulder, including rock performances at the Fox and Boulder theaters,
more
varied performances at Chautauqua and on the University of Colorado campus.
There is a summer
farmer's market on Wednesdays and Saturdays just south of downtown near Boulder
Creek; walking and bike trails radiate throughout Boulder from the paths along the creek.
Theaters
range from the "mystery dinners" at the rustic Gold Hill Inn in the mountain town of Gold
Hill
to professional plays and musicals in Denver (the center of the big city, less than a one-
hour drive from Rancho Europa, also has museums, professional sports, and all the rest).
Red Rocks, less than an hour's drive from the Ranch just south of Golden, is a spectacular
summertime, outdoor venue for a concert.
Clark
R. Chapman's Publications.
Clark R. Chapman's Home Page.
SwRI Boulder Office (Dept. of Space Studies) Web Site
SwRI
Web Site