A hop, skip, and a jump from downtown Denver lies Chatfield State Park situated in Littleton. The massiveness and diversity of land in this park allows for a ton of recreation that we often overlook due to its close proximity to Denver.
Chatfield State Park is located about 30 minutes away from Downtown Denver, making it super accessible for all of us city dwellers.
Some of us honest folk even shout it while we curse the never-ending scramble and shale of this delightful 14er.
This weekend, I headed out to Breckenridge to meet the ladies of Tone It Up Colorado and regain fulfillment from nature. Check out these stunning views from our hike today via Pennsylvania Gulch in White River National Forest:
If you find yourself in the Lakewood area and are in need of a nice leisurely walk, check out Belmar Park. Not only can you take walks, utilizing the numerous trails throughout the park, but bikes are also allowed. It’s super easy to rack up some miles and get a good sweat with all of the intertwining trails throughout the park.
Cool trails for walking, running, and biking at Belmar Park. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, 2015.
Full of nature’s life, meandering around the pond and watching the sunset is such a beautiful way to end the day.
The pond reflects the beauty of this serene sunset. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, 2015.
A winding path runs through nature, wrapping around the centered pond. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, 2015.
Like a lot of the other parks in the surrounding Denver area, there are nice picnic areas set up for you, your friends, and family to have lunch while you hang out in this gorgeous place. Last but not least, Belmar Park is animal friendly, so make sure you bring your furry friend.
Looking for more parks and trails to visit? Check these out:
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Our Full Price Buy – Marmot Scandium bags. Click on the pic and check out these sleeping bags we picked up from REI tonight.
There’s something to say about a company that gives money back to you because you believe in their vision, products, and services. REI has been really helpful in getting us involved more with the outdoors here in CO. Don’t get it wrong – it’s not that we don’t support local stores. That’s not it at all. We are happy to shop local, and support local businesses and often do, but really appreciate the knowledgable, friendly staff at REI.
With a $35.55 dividend, a 20% off 1 Outlet item, and a 20% of 1 Full-Priced Store/Online item, we walked away today with one new tent and two sleeping bags. You guys may remember last year that we camped before tackling Mt. Democrat for the Colorado 54. I’m not sure if we mentioned that we got about 2 hours of sleep before freezing our asses off and needing to head back to the car for another hour or so of sleep before hiking.
This goes to show how important it is to have properly rated equipment – have to have the right temperature rating for bags and tents, and a pad to keep you off of the cold ground. Camping in Michigan always meant a gathering of some sort of bedding, using someone’s tent, and bringing a few pillows… well, at least in the summer and first part of fall. Colorado is so different because of the different elevations and climates the different vertical feet present; camping at sea level is a lot different than camping at 12,000 vertical feet. Try starting a camp fire at Kite Lake in August before hiking Democrat! Good luck, rookies. 🙂
How do you get REI dividends? Pay a one-time, $20 membership fee & collect percentages of your purchases back over the year. They’ll mail you your dividend coupon with other coupons to use on sweet stuff. Again, the fee isn’t yearly – you just pay it once. Pretty sweet deal! Membership has given us discounts on classes (avalanche safety, snowshoeing, etc…)
Having a great start on the right gear, we’re totally pumped for some epic camping in 2015. Again, huge thanks REI for giving back to their customers. They’re a company we can rely on and has always treated us right with their extensive knowledge and awesome gear.
Our Outlet Buy – a sweet, 3 person REI tent. Click on the pic to check out the specs on the tent.
If you’re in Denver this weekend, check out the Garage Sale happening on Saturday! For more details on the lottery system they use for entrance and what the garage sale is, check out REI.
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Hiking Squaw Mountain. Click on the picture to check us out on Facebook. Make sure to hit that Like Button! Photo Credit: Denverspeax, 2015.
Once again, we rented a few pairs of snowshoes from REI (roughly $25 bucks per pair for the weekend) and made the run from Denver to Squaw Pass.
These are the same directions for heading to Echo Lake, however we stopped about 12 miles early at a parking area off of the Pass in front of a large, open grassy area.
We parked, got our gear on, (visit our first Snowshoeing Adventure post to learn what gear will keep you warm and happy!) and headed across the Pass from where we were parked, and picked up a trail in between the cabins that lie a little off of the pass (you can see them from the road). Continue reading
Riding through one of the greatest cities to ever stand – downtown Denver, Colorado. DenverSpeax, 2014.
In order to stay motivated and active, I have signed up for my first Coloradan, non-alleycat bike ride! The Venus de Miles is taking place in Boulder, Colorado, this summer on August 29th, 2015. It’s an all-female ride, created to support women and create sisterhood. Venus de Miles is actually Colorado’s first all-women’s road ride! What an amazing way to come together with other, extraordinary women in the bike community. Continue reading
Beauty and motivation in the morning, downtown Denver. Credit: Kirsten Ebey, 2015. Click on the photo to check us out on Facebook.
This Snowshoeing Adventure began with this beautiful, motivating, downtown Denver sunrise you see pictured to the left. I grabbed my coffee, my gear, put on some great tunes, and headed over to pick up my good friend, Kathleen. Continue reading
We’ve only been out twice this season, but both times have been awesome!
Our first time out, we headed to Breckenridge to teach our friend, Jeff, how to snowboard. An avid skier, Jeff was ready to change it up. Luckily for us, he was going doing the hill by the end of the day! If you’re thinking of teaching a friend, bring ’em to Breck – their beginner’s area is top notch, easy to get to, and not super crowded.
Jeff learning how to snowboard. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Dec 2014.
Kat smiling for the camera while we head back down to the parking lot in the gondola. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Dec 2014.
Learning how to snowboard can be rough, but Jeff learned how to fall with grace. Left: Steve, Right: Jeff. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Dec 2014.
Yesterday, we headed to Keystone, which was pretty good. Great weather, that’s for sure! Unfortunately, the snow felt pretty packed like we’re used to back in Michigan, which called for some sketchy areas. We’re excited to head back after this upcoming Tuesday when it looks like there will be more snow.
Riding up the Peru Express. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Dec 2014.
Enjoying our second day out of the season at Keystone. Top Left: Kirsten. Top Right: Steve. Below, looking part of the way down the 3.5 mile long run of Schoolmarm. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Dec 2014.
Keystone wasn’t too terribly busy, which was great! Stopping for lunch wasn’t rushed or crowded. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Dec 2014.
Beautiful Keystone. Photo Credit: Kirsten Ebey, Dec 2014.
Steve hit Beaver Creek last Thursday and it was all powder with no one there. Just a reminder – try to use your Epic Pass during the week when the traffic is at a minimum both on the roads and the slopes!
Happy 2014 – 2015 Skiboard season to all of our friends, near and far. Can’t wait to see all of your shredding pictures.
Source: Velo Swap Facebook Photos.
Yet again we are in one of those situations where we can’t decide if we want to promote an event or keep it as secret as possible. But really, how do you keep the world’s largest consumer bicycling and sports expo a secret? Continue reading
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