Northeast California Tourism
Northeast Colorado Tourism on COBeautiful.com. Colorado Northeast Tourism Region - your Northeast Colorado Travel Guide to Vacations, Attractions and Events
Kit Carson County Carousel - Burlington, Colorado
Visit the Kit Carson County Carousel in Burlington, Colorado. Travelers who are passing through or vacationing in the Burlington area of Colorado should take time to visit the beautiful Kit Carson County Carousel. Visitors can find the carousel, as well as the museum that chronicles its history, located at the fairgrounds in Burlington. Read more
Aurora History Museum - Aurora, Colorado
Aurora History Museum - Aurora, Colorado
This is a local museum dedicated to sharing the history of Aurora with everyone. With free admission the museum is a wonderful resource center for those looking into Aurora’s past.
It provides both permanent and temporary exhibits. The museum collects and exhibits artifacts and documents pertaining to Aurora’s and Colorado’s history. The rotating exhibits change about every three months.
The museum offers free downloadable audio tours to compliment temporary exhibits. They also allow you to use your cell phone to hear live stories and information that can be accessed from any cell phone or by using one of theirs. You will hear the accounts of personalities from Aurora’s past, tidbits on life through the ages and tales of the suburbs.
Several of the museums exhibits return each year so it you miss it one year you can catch it the next.
There is a room called the Hands-on Room for children where they are engaged in history through direct experiences and at their own pace. Neat place.
It is the goal of the Aurora History Museum’s exhibits to educate visitors on Aurora’s place in the greater context of regional, national and international history and culture.
MUSEUM HOURS
Tuesday – Friday, 9am – 4pm
Saturday & Sunday, 11am – 4pm
ADMISSION IS FREE
Call 303-739-6666 FRONT DESK 303-739-6660
LOCATION
15051 East Alameda Parkway, Aurora, Colorado 80012
Closed on normal National and State Holidays.
STAFF
Gordon Davis—Executive Director—303-739-6433 gdavis@auroragov.org
Jennifer Kuehner—Education Curator—303-739-6667 jkuehner@auroragov.org
Mike Thompson—Collections Curator—303-739-6664 mthompso@auroragov.org
MaryJane Valade—Exhibits Curator—303-739-6658 mvalade@auroragov.org
Jeanne Ramsay—Preservation Assistant—303-739-6661 jramsay@auroragov.org
Ken Clinton—Facility Manager—303-739-6660 kclinton@auroragov.org
Wonder Tower - Genoa, Colorado
Wonder Tower - Genoa, Colorado
Remember when the saying "There is a sucker born everyday?" was popularized by PT Barnum? Well, the Wonder Tower probably is something of the same type of attraction. Not much but just so weird that you really will get a kick out of it (probably).
The Wonder Tower in Genoa can be seen from as far as a mile away. There are signs all along the way that say things like "See Six States!" (hand painted for that down home touch…or cost savings whichever suits your fancy). You will see cars in the parking lot and people at the top of the Tower. Yes, that’s what you see from a mile away.
Now, when you get there you will see that the cars are probably 40 years old and have their tires buried into six inches of windblown dust. Those people you saw in the tower are just fakes, and not very good ones at that.
This attraction was built in 1926 at the highest point between New York and Denver. At that time the Tower was a major stopover spot for travelers. Story has it that Charles W. Gregory, the owner, would stand on the Tower and spot license plates of approaching cars and when they were within earshot he would use a megaphone and yell out things like "How are things in the Hawkeye state?" He had a billboard that said "Eat, drink, gas and pop at the Tower."
Change came with the interstate and C.W. died. That cut down on the tourists so when the new owners, Jerry and Ester Chubbuck, who have owned it for 20 + years now, have continued the tradition of the Tower charging just $1 for admission. They tout their "Animal Monstrosities," and "Two-headed calf" with small signs at the entrance.
The Chubbucks have stuffed the tower with an unorganized mess of spoons, farm implements and arrowheads, much of it inexplicably nailed to the ceiling. The Branding Room, Petrified Room, Indian Room (with its rock walls "painted by an Indian princess") are jammed with junk.
In the Animal Monstrosities Room, the jar containing the eight-footed pig leaves something to be desired with the coating of dirt and dust as well as the one-eyed pig jar has formaldehyde leaking from it. Real quality stuff, but hey, it’s fun.
Jerry quizzes people with a game called "Guess What." He points out ten unusual items and if you can correctly guess their identity or purpose you get your dollar back. There are some strange things there so be ready!
Of course you will want to climb to the top of the Tower for the view. You will not want to do this climb if you are afraid of the height or a little too heavy but if you make it up the view is truly great.
Address: 30121 Frontage Rd, Genoa, CO
Directions: I-70 exit 371 (Hwy. 109).
Hours:8 am - 8 pm. (Call to verify)
Phone: 719-763-2309
Swetsville Zoo - Timnath, Colorado
Swetsville Zoo - Timnath, Colorado
Here is a zoo that doesn’t have to worry about the food budget or cleaning up the messes made by the animals, this zoo is a sculpture park comprised of over 150 dinosaurs and other real and imaginary animals, flowers, and windmills. Each of these were constructed from car parts, farm machinery and other scrap metal.
The zoo was created by Bill Swets when he retired from farming. His town is only 230 in population and he grew up here. He married his high school sweetheart, Sandy, and then carried on with the dairy operation and farming as well as serving as a volunteer firefighter for 22 years.
He said that he would come home after pulling a guy out of a wreck and wouldn’t be able to sleep so he would go to the shop and work. He had never taken an art of welding lesson but that didn’t stop him. He copied a bird ornament on a friends lawn for his first sculpture. That was in 1985. For the next decade he churned out more than 15 pieces a year.
The Chinese twins, Yin and Yang, guard the entrance to the zoo, and Puff, a two-headed winged dragon, overlooks the Poudre River. Swets sculpts spaceships, robots, aliens, insects, and zoo animals, but dinosaurs are his specialty. The largest, Ali Senior, a 20-foot-tall, one-ton Allosaurus, was built in sections over two months.
The ex-dairy farmer regularly turns down offers to buy his work, although several are on permanent loan to the communities of Loveland and Fort Collins, Colo.
Location: 4801 E. Harmony Road Fort Collins CO 80528
Phone: 970-484-9509
Hours: Daily, dawn to dusk
Cost: Free; Donations appreciated
Ages: All Ages
Young Gulch Mountain Bike Trail - Fort Collins, Colorado
Young Gulch Mountain Bike Trail -
Are you looking for a "gulch" ride? Here at Young Gulch, located off of Colorado Highway 14 in
Young gulch is an out-and-back singletrack ride. Now this isn’t a breeze of a ride, it is technical in spots and contains a great number of stream crossings. You are in the mountains so you will be facing spring runoff which can make the stream crossing deep and dangerous. It would be best if you rode this trail in early fall or during a dry period in the winter. There will, most likely, be water in the streams regardless of the time of year but if you go in the summer or spring you will have a most difficult time crossing them.
The ride is cool and forested with the lower section being rocky and rooty. There is curvaceous singletrack in the upper section. This is a more technical than nearby Hewlett Gulch and Dadd Gulch. But if what you are looking for is more than the standard paved track then you will truly enjoy this ride. Make sure you bring plenty of water since you will be working up a sweat on this ride, particularly if you are biking or hiking. Don’t hesitate to take a break and observe the area, you may see some wildlife or just enjoy the steams and beauty of the area.
This trail follows two streams up the bottom of the gulches, crossing them more than 30 times. It is almost impossible to avoid getting your feet wet if you are hiking. The trail climbs about 1,200 feet in five miles. It is a very gradual climb and almost seems level. It winds up the gulch through beautiful stands of cottonwoods and ponderosa pine tress, interspersed with lush grassy meadows. Wild flowers are abundant in the spring.
Fires and camping are prohibited within a quarter mile of the trail. For all practical purposes these activities are eliminated because of the width and the steepness of the sides of the gulch. You would have to climb out of the gulch to get the required distance away. However, there are many beautiful spots to picnic.
Trail length: 5 miles; Elevation range: 5,800 to 7,000 feet; elevation change: 1,200 feet.
This is a trail that you can both ride your bike or your horse and of course hike.
Old Flowers Road/Buckhorn Canyon Mountain Bike Ride - Fort Collins, Colorado
Old Flowers Road/Buckhorn Canyon Mountain Bike Ride - Fort Collins, Colorado
Just over the top of Rist Canyon from Fort Collins is a challenging 32 mile ride blessed with beautiful scenery. The trail is mostly direct and 4wd trails except for the short section, nearly 5 miles, of paving along Stove Prairie Road.
Are you ready to challenge yourself with an all uphill ride? If you take this trail you will follow an improved gravel road (which you can do in your car) through private property, the Sky Corral Ranch. Because this is private property it is expected that you will show the courtesy of leaving the gates as you found them as you enter through another gate to the National Forest land.
Now the road surface gets rougher and the climb steeper. Flowers Road alternately climbs and descends as it heads west. There are several side road along the way (so you could detour to one of them for something different) but the main route should be obvious to you. After a LONG descent you will come to the intersection of Old Flowers road and Monument Gulch road. Pingree Park road is just 100 yards away to the right.
Now follow Monument Gulch road to the left up and over the shoulder of West White Pine Mountain, until it intersects with Buckhorn Canyon road which is an improved gravel road where you will encounter more traffic so be ready for it. Point your bike downhill and enjoy the long ride to the Stove Prairie Road. Now turn left and you will come back to your beginning.
Blue Sky Trail Mountain Biking - Fort Collins, Colorado
Blue Sky Trail Mountain Biking - Fort Collins, Colorado
Horsetooth Mountain Park ,m Rimrock Open Space and Devil’s Backbone Open Space are joined together creating the Blue Sky Trail for mountain bikers delight. You can take extended rides starting in any of those areas and take just one area or you can ride the whole trail network. It is now possible to ride all the way from Lory State Park (northwest of Fort Collins) to Devil’s Backbone (west of Loveland) and stay on single-track almost for the entire trip! The trail surface is very smooth and doesn’t present a technical challenge but you will have a hard time beating the view on this pleasure ride.
The options for connecting with the other trails make this a truly enjoyable trail to ride. There are three trail access points, and numerous ride options so you can choose almost any route you want and still have a great ride.
The Blue Sky trail runs North - South through a valley between Horsetooth Reservoir and Devil’s Backbone. Midway along the trail, you can access the Coyote Ridge / Rimrock open space areas to the east, and the Indian Summer trail to the west. Having these options give you a variety of different rides on different days if you are planning to be in the area for a few days. If not, then you can do the whole thing in one day and be really, really pooped out!
On the Coyote Ridge/Rimrock connector you will drop to the valley floor for awhile to avoid a raptor nesting area in the cliffs. After reaching the west side of the valley, the Indian Summer trail forks off to the right, and climbs about midway up the mountain to the west before curving south and dropping to the valley floor again. This trail offers a chance to do some climbing, and some nice views of Longs Peak, the Indian Peaks, and the city to the east.
If you are planning to ride Horsetooth Mountain trails you will need to pay the fee at the entrance. This terrain is steep and rocky so plan on an interesting ride.
Horsetooth Mountain Park is located approximately 5 miles west of Fort Collins on County Rd. 38E in the foothills of Horsetooth Reservoir.
Directions to Horsetooth:
Get off I-25 at exit 265 (Harmony Road). Take Harmony Road west until it reaches Taft Hill Road. Here Harmony Road becomes County Road 38E, continue straight. Follow County Road 38E around the south end of Horsetooth Reservoir, and at the top of the second hill, watch for the park entrance on the right.
Coyote Ridge and Rimrock Valley open spaces are managed by Fort Collins Natural Areas and Larimer County Parks and Open Lands. With the recent opening of the Rimrock Valley open space, a great trail system now exists here for mountain biking. The Rimrock Valley open space extends north all the way to County Road 38E where it rounds the tip of Inlet Bay (which is very close to Horsetooth Mountain Park), and a trail extending to the end. The Indian Creek Ranch open space is also part of the trail ways and links Rim Rock with Devil’s Backbone open space to the south. Now you will be able to ride from Lory State Park northwest of Fort Collins to Highway 34 West of Loveland.
Directions to Coyote Ridge and Rimrock Valley:
Get off I-25 at exit 265 (Harmony Road). Take Harmony Road west until it reaches Taft Hill Road. Turn left (south) and continue approximately 1 mile past Trilby road. Watch for the Coyote Ridge parking lot & trail head on the right…
Bobcat Ridge Mountain Biking - Fort Collins, Colorado
Bobcat Ridge Mountain Biking - Fort Collins, Colorado
The City of Fort Collins manages the Bobcat Ridge area where you can experience some outstanding surreal landscape biking. In 2000 a human-caused fire wiped out almost all of the tree cover in this area that had previously been densly forested with the result being the opportunity for bikers to truly enjoy some mountain views and challenging trails.
Ther are two loops open in the Bobcat Ridge area. There is the "valley loop" and the "mountain loop". The mountain look consists of the powerline road and the Ginny trail. It connects at the bottom by some sections of the valley loop. Ginney trail can be ridden in either direction but powerline road can only be ridden uphill. To do the loop you will need to take powerline up and Ginny down.
Following the valley trail north there is a short spur that will take you to an historic ranch cabin, from there you will curve west and come to the foot of the mountains. The climb begins with a bend south and the trail becomes a little more challenging here, not too hard, but at least a challenge.
You will go back south for a short distance where valley trail intersects powerline road. This grueling climb up to the west will test you endurance for sure. Although it isn’t very long (less and 2 miles) it is the steepest service road climb in the Fort Collins area. There is a bypass around one of the steepest sections which make the whole climb rideable. You may well need several oxygen breaks along the way which isn’t a bad thing, you will be able to relax and see the fabulous views back down to the valley which make the ride certainly worth it.
At the top of the climb you will come to Mahoney Park where you will see the rocky fire-scarred mountain tops. The Ginny Trail starts to head south here with a liesurly ride through boulders until it begins to climb to the top of the ridge. This takes another two miles of hard riding before you reach a saddle before curving around the west side of the mountain top. Be aware that winds can be strong here, but the views to the west are awesome and well worth it.
Now be ready for some true fun! Once you have gone around the mountain top there is a narrow, twisty downhill trail. The trail is technical, but not too difficult. There isn’t any serious exposure and the trail seems to be designed with your true pleasure in mind. It’s a long ride down but such a joy. Once down just follow the valley loop back to where you began.
Directions: Follow the directions to Horsetooth Mountain Park. Stay on CR 38E past the Horsetooth Mountain Park entrance for a couple of miles until you reach the town of Masonville. Turn left onto CR 27, follow this for about 1 mile. Shortly after crossing a narrow bridge, turn right onto CR 32C, and follow this short distance to the park entrance on the left.
Colorado Vacation
Welcome to Colorado Beautiful. This is best destination for your Colorado Vacation!
