I'm considering making a move from Chicago to the Denver/Boulder area of Colorado. I know Colorado has a lot to offer as far as recreation goes, but I just wanted to hear from others the opportunities for backpacking/hiking. Guess I just want to be convinced... but also pass along the negatives as well.

The mosquitoes are overwhelming.
The wind blows constantly.
When it's not raining, it's snowing.
Winters are brutal.
The trails are crowded and bears fill the backcountry.
And the locals are not friendly.

Chicago, not Boulder, is the place to be!

The 485 mile long Colorado Trail runs between Denver and Durango.

The CDT runs for a little over 500 miles through the state.

But be advised, those mountains aren't the same as the Chicago Park District preserves. That's (sort of) the real wilderness out there.

My wife is from here, I grew up in St.Louis. I'm never moving back.

Is that good enough for you? ;)

Rick, I kind of understand Greg's sentiment. We all want to be the last person to come here and shut the door behind us. Since I arrived from New England in 1980, there have been many changes along the Front Range--lots more people, development, and traffic. Still, the opportunities for backcountry recreation are pretty much limitless. When you figure out where and when to go, you can find solitude as well.

Edited by Dondo on 10/24/2009 23:21:54 MDT.

Thank you all for your advice :) Any more info is appreciated.

The deer mice carry Hanta virus.
The chipmunks are vectors for bubonic plague.
The mosquitoes pass along Nile Fever.
The elk and deer have chronic wasting disease.
The mountain lions are reclaiming Boulder.

I tell ya, this place is inhospitable.

Chicago is the place to be!

Edited by greg23 on 10/25/2009 10:09:25 MDT.

My family is from Illinois, however I was born in CO. Whenever we go back to IL to visit family, I can't stop thanking my parents for raising me in CO.

Hey Greg, sounds like you're frustrated out there in CO... just wanted to echo what you posted.

In the windy city of Chicago:

The mosquitoes are overwhelming, and can pass along Nile Fever.
The wind can blow constantly.
Winters can be VERY brutal.
Gangs are reclaiming Chicago.
We have very little elk and deer.
Chicago has recently been ranked the #1 most stressful city in the U.S.

Considering all this, Chicago can be a good place for those that can deal with these issues... However, when one's passion is backpacking and outdoor photography, well, one needs to leave Chicago... and realize that nowhere else is perfect. Thanks for passing along the negatives, Greg.

I spent a few weeks in CO this past summer, and what struck me most is how friendly and helpful I found everyone to be.

Thank you everyone!

Rick,
Don't say I didn't try to warn you....

I guess you'll just have to come out and experience it for yourself. ;-)


g.

nm

Edited by sandalot on 04/24/2010 11:42:30 MDT.

Folks in boulder are jerks. I'm not sure why but I've never met a more unfriendly bunch of people on trails before I went to CO.

In the south when you see another hiker on the trail you say hello and lots of times stop and talk for a few minutes with them. In the Boulder area if you say hello to someone on the trail they ignore you. If they do talk to you they might criticize your decision to use trekking poles.

You can smoke pot on the courthouse lawn in Boulder though. Just don't get caught smoking any tobacco products.

I am still in love with the Boulder area however. The city itself is one big strip mall after another but the surrounding area is gorgeous. I'd move to a place like Nederland or Ward in a heartbeat.

Jesse--that is really coming across as a troll posting. You could say what you said about almost any town in the US (even those in the South).

Here is a photo of the Keyhole Route to Long's Peak. It's a pretty cool hike but it can also tend to be a freeway.

If you don't like crowds, there are plenty of other routes in the Rockies too. We got to watch the Keyhole below us from the Cables route on Longs Peak and we had it all to ourselves even on a weekend.

Nice shot. I, being from California, took the tourist route to Long's Peak. But even the Keyhole route is tougher than Whitney Portal. I did notice that there was a group of hikers with ropes and stuff heading up to Long's Peak via some other route though.

I love the Sierra's for sure but there is still something different about the Rockies. The trees seem lusher or something.

I would move to Colorado in a heartbeat, particularly to Boulder, for its recreational activities and the cycling culture there (you can live a full life without a car). I've heard tons of good things about it from proud residents. There are buses to the local ski area and to Denver airport and downtown. There are miles of trails all around the city. It's a biker's, runner's, hikers, and cross country skier's paradise. It's no surprise that real estate prices there are so high (also because the city has strict limits on urban expansion and development).

I hiked 450 miles along the Colorado CDT. Absolutely awesome, especially the San Juans and the Sawatch. They don't even have bear problems (yet...). I've climbed Pikes Peak, Longs Peak, and Elbert. Colorado rules! I want to go back.

Not only that, but the climate along the Front Range is mild enough even in winter to enjoy outdoor recreation.

I can't think of a better place to live in the U.S. for a dedicated backpacker, cyclist, IT geek, or tree-hugging hippy.

Edited by Legkohod on 10/28/2009 15:02:26 MDT.

"Jesse--that is really coming across as a troll posting. You could say what you said about almost any town in the US (even those in the South)."

You could say what that the people in Boulder are jerks? I'm sorry but it's true. It's mostly the people in town, on the trail they are just anti-social, it was bizarre.

I am sorry if I come across as a troll for sharing my experience in the boulder area. As I said I'd move there if my wife would let me I can't think of another place that is so close to both a major metro area and the mountains.

The area has lots of positives though,

Great scenery, great pot, great beer, easy going cops, awesome mexican food, tons of outfitter shops that sell UL gear,the golite garage sale, Longs Peak, RMNP,

Twisted Pine Brewpub in Boulder has the best coffee stout I've ever tasted in my life BTW.

It's odd to hear someone say the folks in Boulder are not friendly. I've been on several climbing trips to the area and always been astounded by how nice the people are. Matter of fact, my first trip out there the people where so friendly I thought they must want something from me! Then I realized they were just very friendly and outgoing compared to where I live in New England.

(Not that New Englander's are not friendly. We're just more "reserved" in general.)