Where to go after Telluride this year?

[GWTWTLW]

So, our annual Telluride trip is coming up shortly and we're starting to ponder how to spend our week after the festival wandering home. We've done a lot of desert the last couple of years and are thinking about spending some more time in Colorado this year. We're thinking maybe doing a loop up towards Denver and then home from there. We'd love to find a nice spot somewhere in the mountains on a lake or river where we can stay parked for a couple of days.

Any ideas or insight into favorite places would be most appreciated!

Thx!

Pete
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89 Syncro Westy - GW 2.5, now with a double knob job
@gwtwtlw

[sageandspirit]

ALthough it is a National Park, and gets crowded, and therefore not exactly a place in the mountains, have you considered Mesa Verde National Park? I thought it was pretty fascinating.

http://www.visitmesaverde.com
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1987 VW Vanagon, Wolfsburg Edition Weekender w/ pop top, 2.1L WBX & 4spd Tranny

[GWTWTLW]

We did Mesa Verde 3 years ago and loved it. we are thinking we want to head north this year. We have a friend in the Denver area we would like to see for a night and figure we can take 4 days or so to get there from telluride.
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89 Syncro Westy - GW 2.5, now with a double knob job
@gwtwtlw

[fairweather]

There are alot of places where you can do exactly what you want. I've spent most of my time in Gunnison and Pitkin counties and they both are 85% public land and most other mtn counties are similar.

From Gunnison:

South on 114 to the Stewart Peak area, endless possibilities with few people. South on 149 thru Lake City to Engineer Pass then possibly continuing to Ouray if the snow is melted.

Camp on Blue Mesa Res just west of town, a few people but good swimming

East of town are Whitepine/Alpine tunnel area; old monarch pass rd, Marshall Pass rd, Cumberland Pass,etc.

Avoid the Taylor Res area, lots of atvs

And north of Gunny on 135 drive through the town of Crested Butte and head up the Slate river (lot of good spots but people) then left at Pittsburg and you run into this spot:

You could also go up the East river drainage to Schofield Pass
or hit Brush creek just south of Crested Butte or etc...

On the Pitkin (Aspen) side try Lincoln crk off of Independence pass, or Pearl Pass via Castle Creek.

From Marble you can get up into Lead King basin



Here's a potential route to hook up all these places from T-ride: Go over Dallas Divide into Ridgeway, soak in Ouray HotSprings, easy way is over Owl Creek Pass towards Silver Jack to Hwy 50 then past Blue Mesa Res to Gunnison OR over Engineer Pass if open to Lake city then Gunny (hard way, 4wd road). Really hard way just go east out of T-ride, giddyup!

From Gunny go to Crested Butte, then over Kebler Pass, then McLure Pass/Marble, then Aspen, then over Independence Pass to Leadville.

Can get to Denver quickly from there north to I70 or head south through South Park veering off to do Guanella Pass etc......

This just scratched the surface but I've been to all of them in my van and they are all quite scenic

[GWTWTLW]

Wow! Thanks fairweather! That spot looks amazing.

We almost always stop at Orvis when leaving Telluride if we're heading that direction.

I'd be amazed if a Syncro could make it over the pass from Telluride. Not mine at least! I was thinking of taking the pass from Ophir though. That's an easy route.
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89 Syncro Westy - GW 2.5, now with a double knob job
@gwtwtlw