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What’s new in Colorado this summer? Hotels, festivals, a wave park and more

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What’s new in Colorado this summer? Hotels, festivals, a wave park and more


Some people return each year to a favorite spot for summer vacation. But if you are among those wanting to try something new in the Rocky Mountain region, here are some suggestions that will give you reason to brag.

Ride the rails

A cellist plays in Hunter Canyon as part of the Moab Music Festival in 2023. (Provided by the Moab Music Festival)

The Rocky Mountaineer launched its Denver-to-Moab train trip in 2021, with the journey going roundtrip from Union Station downtown. What’s new is that this summer, it’s partnered with the Moab Music Festival, which is in its 31st year. The eight-night musical travel experience is Sept. 3-11, with two nights in Denver, two nights in Glenwood Springs, and four nights in Moab. Guests will get to attend four concerts at the music festival, set in stunning outdoor spaces with perfect natural acoustics. (Note that the entire festival is Aug. 28-Sept. 14, and the acts change each year. For details on the trip, go to rockymountaineer.com, and check out the music lineup at moabmusicfest.org.

Plus, when the train stops in Glenwood Springs, travelers can check out the historic Denver Hotel, which was refurbished and rebranded as Hotel Maxwell Anderson. Stop in to see its new lobby and have a cocktail.

Riding high

You’d be excused if you found yourself in Grand Junction and mistook it for Denver’s RiNo neighborhood because this Western Slope city has gone from a way station for outdoor adventure to a hip destination. The new Hotel Melrose opened in fall 2023, so this is the first summer to stay at this “historically inspired boutique hotel” with chic dark walls and sumptuous furniture. Or, just drop in to get a cocktail at the Melrose Spirit Co. while you amble around downtown.

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Grab a bite to eat at Jojo’s Dinette, from the same people who brought you the always popular Tacoparty and Bin 707 Foodbar. Opened in spring 2024, this restaurant is aiming for affordable small bites with a combination desert and Parisian twist.

SALIDA, CO - JULY 24: Ben Millett rides his river surf board in the rapids in the water park in the Arkansas River in downtown on July 24, 2022 in Salida, Colorado. Salida and its environs offers a wide variety of things to do for a weekend including biking, rafting, kayaking, zip lining, stand up paddle boarding along with a host of galleries, small local shops and great restaurants in town. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
SALIDA, CO – JULY 24: Ben Millett rides his river surf board in the rapids in the water park in the Arkansas River in downtown on July 24, 2022 in Salida, Colorado. Salida and its environs offers a wide variety of things to do for a weekend including biking, rafting, kayaking, zip lining, stand up paddle boarding along with a host of galleries, small local shops and great restaurants in town. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)

Ride the waves

For the past 10 or more years, the town of Salida has attracted adventurers with its Scout Wave river surfing at Salida Park. New this summer: Scout River 3.0, a new, improved version of the popular spot.

“The 1.0 didn’t really perform the way it was supposed to, and you couldn’t really surf it,” said Mike “Diesel” Post, Salida’s director of parks and recreation. In 2022, the city invested in version 2.0, which was ideal for 1,200 cfs (cubic feet per second of water flow), but when high water came in 2023, there were problems. “It turned into a hole and flipped some fishing rafts,” Post explained.

For this newest version, “We did a whole bunch of improvements, beefed it up to make sure the wave did not collapse during high water and created a safe fish passage.”

Post estimates that this little river wave draws at least 10,000 people to Salida each year.

More art

Aspen was founded with the idea of blending culture and community, so there has long been a wide variety of choices for music and art. New for summer 2024: The Aspen Art Fair, taking place at the Hotel Jerome with more than 35 galleries filling the historic hotel’s iconic ballroom and beyond. Taking place July 29-Aug. 2 during the established Aspen Art Week, this new fair has a big advantage: It’s free and open to the public. The fair, which was co-founded by Becca Hoffman, founder of 74tharts, will highlight international modern and contemporary art and design.

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Trailborn, a new outdoors-focused hotel brand for adventure and nature lovers with sustainability in mind, offers 86 guest rooms split between Trailborn Rocky Mountain and Trailborn Rocky Mountains Outpost near the east entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park. (Photo provided by Christian Harder)
Trailborn, a new outdoors-focused hotel brand for adventure and nature lovers with sustainability in mind, offers 86 guest rooms split between Trailborn Rocky Mountain and Trailborn Rocky Mountains Outpost near the east entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park. (Photo provided by Christian Harder)

Not roughing it

In Estes Park, you’ll find two refurbished lodgings that are now Trailborn boutique hotels: Trailborn Rocky Mountains and Trailborn Rocky Mountains Outpost. These properties opened in late 2023, so this is the first summer guests can stay there while exploring Rocky Mountain National Park. Forget about roughing it, and instead experience stylish interiors with complimentary coffee and a soft cooler, among other amenities.

Not just camping

Ramble, a Golden-based company, has found that sweet spot between camping and glamping, and this is its first summer in Mancos, outside of Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado. Here, campers get to experience nature, not being alongside RVs in a parking lot, and it provides a low-smoke fire pit, seating, cooking accommodations and more.

Outdoor recreation

Outside Magazine is debuting its Outside Festival June 1-2  in downtown Denver’s Civic Center, a collaboration between the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office and Visit Denver. For a few years, Denver was the host to Outdoor Retailer, a massive trade show for outdoor gear and more, before it moved back to Utah in 2023. This event is an attempt to fill that void with a variation that includes brands sponsoring concerts and giveaways. Attendees can take a walk with athlete Diana Nyad, drop off gently used gear for cash; learn about the future of gear; and much more.

Look up

Ramble opened its first campground in southwest Colorado near the Great Sand Dunes National Park. Each site comes outfitted with a fire pit and chairs, so campers don't need to bring their own. (Provided by Sam Starr)
Ramble opened its first campground in southwest Colorado near the Great Sand Dunes National Park. Each site comes outfitted with a fire pit and chairs, so campers don’t need to bring their own. (Provided by Sam Starr)

Head north to Wyoming for the opening of the Snow King Observatory and Planetarium in Jackson on June 1. This is the first observatory located in a North America ski resort. There are daytime and nighttime experiences available; tickets need to be purchased for admittance. Check the calendar for concerts so you can combine this celestial outing with some local music fun.

“We get more summer visitors who come to Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park, and that demographic is looking to broaden their experience of the outdoors,” said Sidney Roubin, sales manager at Snow King Mountain Resort. “Usually the technology we have in this planetarium and observatory is only found in research centers so it’s exciting that the community and visitors will get this chance.”

Jackson is currently working to become a designated Dark Sky Place, Roubin added, which could further enhance the sky viewing on this mountaintop.

Play cowboy

En route to Jackson, consider a stop in Cheyenne and take advantage of its new Saddle Up Pass, which for $125 lets you play cowboy: learn roping skills and horsemanship at Terry Bison Ranch; get discounts on authentic Western wear at participating local retailers; take a tour of the Cheyenne Street Railway Trolley; and get that souvenir Western photo. The pass is available year-round, and will certainly come in handy during the annual Cheyenne Frontier Days, July 19-28.

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Avalanche vs. Kings Game 2: Key takeaways as Colorado wins OT thriller, takes 2-0 series lead

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Avalanche vs. Kings Game 2: Key takeaways as Colorado wins OT thriller, takes 2-0 series lead


DENVER — When getting good looks but failing to finish against a locked-in goalie, it’s not easy to stick to a game plan. But instead of pressing, Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar’s group showed maturity, even after the Los Angeles Kings’ Artemi Panarin scored what could’ve been a back-breaking first goal of Game 2 late in the third period.

Captain Gabriel Landeskog buried a perfect pass from Martin Nečas three minutes after Panarin scored. Then Nicolas Roy scored the game-winner, giving Colorado a 2-1 win and 2-0 series lead.

“I liked our mentality again tonight,” Bednar said, adding that he was pleased with his team’s defensive effort. “That’s how we have to win. It’s good practice. It’s something we’ve been talking about all year, the importance of defending, and I’m happy with the commitment that we’re getting from our guys.”

The Avalanche led the league in goals scored this season, but they also were stingy defensively, allowing fewer goals than any other team. Through two games, they’ve shown a willingness to play tight-checking, low-scoring games and get the results they need.

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“We have absolutely no problem playing this way,” said Landeskog, who scored from the slot after Nečas caught the previously-impenetrable Anton Forsberg out of position and set his captain up for an open look. “If you get a little impatient with it, you start forcing plays. And I thought tonight, we just kind of kept it going. Kept trusting our forecheck, and finally, we ended up getting rewarded for it.”

Colorado has controlled the series at five-on-five. The Kings’ only two goals have come on power plays, and Colorado had 79.05 percent of the expected goal share at five-on-five Tuesday, per Natural Stat Trick.

It was an odd night that included a broken glass delay, a choppy first period and a waved-off goal after a puck got lodged in the side of the net. Let’s dig into all of it.

Roy plays hero

With goalie Patrick Roy and forward Peter Forsberg’s retired numbers hanging in the Ball Arena rafters, it was probably a bit disorienting seeing a Roy score on a Forsberg in overtime. But that’s what happened when trade deadline addition Nic Roy backhanded a loose puck past Anton Forsberg’s left pad, punched the air and jumped into the glass in celebration.

The goal was Roy’s second overtime goal in his career. He scored the Game 4 winner for the Vegas Golden Knights in their 2021 conference final series against Montreal. That goal also came at the net-front.

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“I like to be in (that) area, and a lot of those (overtime) goals are scored there,” Roy said. “So I try to be there as much as I can.”

“He’s a really smart player,” Nathan MacKinnon said. “It might not be everyone’s first pick (to score), but it takes a full team to win in the playoffs.”

Josh Manson fired a shot from the point to create chaos around the net ahead of Roy’s goal, and Bednar also credited Nazem Kadri with making a slick play to get the puck to his defenseman.

Physicality and a penalty parade define the first

D.J. Smith didn’t quite get his exact wish of his players hitting Colorado’s defensemen more in the first half of the first period, but he did get big hits. Shortly after Colorado’s Josh Manson laid a massive body check on Scott Laughton, Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson hit Martin Nečas in the neutral zone, seemingly catching him in the head.

Nečas went down, bloodied, and chaos ensued. Brett Kulak went after Anderson. Scrums broke out next to the Kings net. Sam Malinski brought down Quinton Byfield, and Mathieu Joseph did the same to Artturi Lehkonen. Anderson did not get a penalty for the hit, though he and Kulak were handed matching roughing minors. Kulak got an extra penalty for a cross check. (Nečas briefly left the game, presumably because he was pulled by a concussion spotter, but returned.)

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“There were big hits,” Bednar said. “We gave some. We took some too, but it’s all right. That’s what’s going to happen this time of the year. You’re playing a big, strong, physical team, and sometimes I like it. Can wake some guys up if they’re not going, and you can ramp up your competitive spirit.”

It was the most dramatic stretch of a rugged first period that included seven minor penalties. The string of infractions slowed some of the momentum Colorado gathered from a furious start. The Avalanche led 9-0 in shots through the first 6:04. The period ended with Colorado leading 14-6 in shots.

After Anderson’s hit, scrums broke out after seemingly every whistle. At one point Jeff Malott caught Cale Makar with an elbow. Nečas also took a chance to hit Anderson toward the end of the period.

“There were a bunch of melees on the ice today,” Bednar said. “It felt like playoff hockey, which is the way you want it to feel. It tests your team, and it’s why it’s the most fun time of the year to play in the playoffs.”

In total, the period took around 45 minutes. The Kings got big saves from Anton Forsberg, allowing them to stay in the game and shift it into a rugged style that favored them, at least temporarily. It wasn’t enough in the end.

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“To a man, this team’s playing hard,” Kings coach D.J. Smith added. “We have to find a way to win, though.”

Goalies continue strong start to the series

Darcy Kuemper started the year as Kings starter, but Anton Forsberg became their go-to goalie during their late-season playoff push. He has continued his strong play into the first round. In Game 1, he made 30 saves on 32 shots. He was sharp again Tuesday, helping the Kings withstand Colorado’s early onslaught of shots. Colorado gave him a tough look early in the second. Kadri fed Landeskog on the slot, and Forsberg managed to parry it away. Late in the second, he got in front of turnaround shots from both Lehkonen and Nathan MacKinnon. The Avalanche eventually beat him in the third when he overcommitted to Nečas, who instead passed to Landeskog in the slot.

He finished the night with 34 saves. He wasn’t quite able to make a 35th, giving up the game-winner to Roy.

“We’re right there, playing well,” Forsberg said. “We’re fighting hard. We just have to stick with it and turn this around.”

Across the ice, Scott Wedgewood made 24 saves. Panarin beat him with a dangerous shot from the slot for the lone goal he allowed in regulation, but overall he continued to give Colorado the dependable goaltending expected of him. His highlight came when he stopped Quinton Byfield on a penalty shot. He robbed Byfield again in overtime, making a glove save on a shot off the rush.

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A penalty, a penalty shot and a long wait

Jeff Malott took an ill-advised boarding penalty on Artturi Lehkonen in one of many instances of the Kings’ fourth line toeing the line of too much physicality. The Avalanche were in position to gain the lead — or at least some momentum — but Cale Makar mishandled a puck at the blue line, leading to a Quinton Byfield breakaway. Makar got called for a hook as he raced back to catch the forward, and the referees awarded a penalty shot.

Byfield tried to beat Wedgewood glove side, but the goalie made the save. The crowd erupted in excitement, but that came with an unexpected drawback. Fans banged on the glass behind the Kings’ bench, and a pane of it shattered. Kings coach D.J. Smith got smothered with shards. It caused a 19-minute stoppage for clean up.

If the Wedgewood save was going to serve as momentum for the Avalanche power play, the delay stopped that. Nathan MacKinnon got called for interference on Alex Laferriere shortly after play resumed.

“I think the flow would kind of come and go a little bit,” MacKinnon said. “Not ideal with the glass, but it was the same for both teams.”

“They just handled it better coming out of that,” Bednar added.

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MacKinnon and Bednar both felt the Avalanche were able to push the pace more in the second half of the second period.

Another waved-off goal

Sam Malinski fired a shot toward the net to start the third period. It got caught in the side of the net, but not on the inside. Malinski thought he scored, and the goal horn went off. After review, though, it was clear the puck was lodged on the side of the cage.

It was the second Avalanche goal waved off in as many games. Logan O’Connor had a goal waved off for goaltender interference last game.

Panarin shows why Kings traded for him

The Kings acquired Artemi Panarin from the Rangers to bring a gamebreaking offensive talent into a lineup that lacked it. He validated their trust late in the third period. He played his normal shift with the top power-play unit, then stayed on with the second grouping. Trevor Moore found him with a pass in the slot, and he buried it.

Colorado’s top skilled players had more chances than Los Angeles’, but Panarin came through when he got his best look of the night. He also scored the Kings’ only goal of Game 1.

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Southern Colorado farmers’ market season is here

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Southern Colorado farmers’ market season is here


(SOUTHERN COLORADO) — Spring brings the first fresh produce, which means it will soon be time for farmers’ markets to kick off around the area.

For those in Southern Colorado who want to buy their products from local vendors and growers, check out the list below.

North Colorado Springs

Western Museum of Mining and Industry

  • 225 North Gate Boulevard, near the I-25 exit
  • Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Runs from May through September

Briargate Farmers Market

  • 7610 North Union Boulevard, near Briargate Boulevard
  • Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Runs from May 27 through Sept. 30

Cordera

  • 11894 Grandlawn Circle, near Briargate Parkway and North Union Boulevard
  • Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Runs from May 24 through Sept. 6

Colorado Farm and Art Market

  • 7350 Pine Creek Road, near East Woodmen Road and I-25
  • Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Runs from June 20 through Oct. 17

Banning Lewis Ranch at Vista Park

  • 8833 Vista Del Pico Boulevard, near Dublin Boulevard and Marksheffel Road
  • Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Runs from May 28 through Aug. 27

Backyard Market in Black Forest

  • 6845 Shoup Road, near Black Forest Road
  • Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Runs from May 23 through Oct. 17

South Colorado Springs

Colorado Farm and Art Market

  • 132 West Cimarron Street, at the corner of Sierra Madre Street, Downtown
  • Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Runs from June 17 through Oct. 21

Old Colorado City Farmers Market

  • Bancroft Park at West Colorado Avenue and South 24th Street in Old Colorado City
  • Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Runs from June 6 through Oct. 17

Colorado Springs Sunday Market

  • Acacia Park 115 East Platte Avenue, Downtown
  • Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Runs from May 10 through Oct. 25

Southeast Farmer’s Market

  • 2050 Jet Wing Drive, near Chelton Road
  • Sundays from 11 a.m. through 3 p.m.
  • Runs from June 14 through Oct. 11

Fountain

Fountain Community Market

  • Metcalfe Park, 618 East Ohio Avenue, near Fountain Mesa Road
  • Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Runs from May 30 through Sept. 26

Woodland Park

Woodland Park Farmers Market

  • At Memorial Park, 117 Center Avenue, near East Lake Avenue
  • Fridays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Runs from June through September

Pueblo

Pueblo Farmers Market

  • Mineral Palace Park, 1604 North Santa Fe Avenue, at West 15th Street
  • Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to noon
  • Runs from May 2 through Oct. 31



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Thornton marks 70 years: Exhibit traces Colorado city’s roots from developer’s dream to thriving suburb

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Thornton marks 70 years: Exhibit traces Colorado city’s roots from developer’s dream to thriving suburb


Seventy years ago, a housing developer looked at an empty stretch of land north of Denver and saw the future. What Sam Hoffman built there became the city of Thornton — and a free public exhibit is now telling that story for the first time in a generation.

CBS Colorado is excited to shine the spotlight on Thornton, as Colorado marks 150 years as a state.

“The history of Thornton is really the history of suburbia,” said Lance Jones, the historian and curator of the city’s 70th anniversary exhibit. “Thornton was planned. Thornton was intentionally created as a city.”

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City of Thornton


Hoffman, Jones explained, recognized an opportunity in the postwar boom. “He realized the Denver Metro area was going to really explode and he wanted in on the ground floor,” Jones said. To sell his 5,000 planned homes, Hoffman turned to an unlikely marketing asset — Hollywood.

Three of his employees happened to be the brothers of Jane Russell, one of the biggest film stars in America at the time. “She was an A-list actress. I mean, she was really top of the game,” Jones said. Hoffman asked the brothers if their sister might make an appearance, and she agreed.

“One day in 1954, his grand opening celebration, she came out. And a lot of people came out to see her — big, big crowd,” Jones said. “Thousands of people showed up to see her, to get a glimpse, to take a picture.” Russell would return to Thornton more than three decades later, appearing at the opening of the Thornton Parkway interchange in 1986.

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hoffmanhomesbrochure-03.jpg

City of Thornton


The homes Russell helped promote were advertised at $9,950, with a down payment for GI’s of $532.30 and a monthly mortgage of $65. Jones noted those were not trivial sums for working families of the era. “That represented a big chunk of the average person’s paycheck. People would have to save up for that,” Jones said.

A Denver Post clipping from Jan. 31, 1954, on display at the exhibit, documents the arrival of the city’s first residents. “This is one of the first families in Thornton moving in,” Jones said. “This was a unique thing. They created the city. It just sprang from nothing.”

By 1956, residents had established enough civic infrastructure to pursue formal incorporation. “There were a lot of civic organizations, a lot of clubs, a lot of veterans organizations — it was a big joiner kind of town,” Jones said. “And, eventually, in 1956, they were able to get incorporated.”

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That civic spirit, Jones argued, never left. “The culture here in Thornton kind of developed from that. It’s still a city with a lot of civic involvement, a lot of events, a lot of cohesion.”

2026-4-7-loretta-garcia-1st-baby-born-in-thornton.jpg

Loretta Garcia, the first person born in the City of Thornton in 1956.

City of Thornton


The exhibit highlights several residents whose stories reflect the city’s early character. Among the artifacts is a cheerleading uniform that belonged to Loretta Garcia — the first baby born in Thornton after its incorporation. She and the city share the same milestone birthday. “Thornton is 70, and so is she,” Jones said. Garcia was delivered at home on Rowena Street because the trip to a Denver hospital was considered too far. “The doctor came up here and delivered her at home.”

Another featured resident is Norma Ellman, a Thornton High School teacher, who in 1956 traveled to California to compete on a CBS game show called “High Finance.” She won the equivalent of what Jones estimates would be more than $1 million today. The victory was significant enough that the mayor authorized Ellman to present the show’s host with a key to the city of Thornton.

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Jones said the exhibit is designed to connect newer residents with the people who built the community, noting that from its earliest days Thornton had a strong Hispanic presence that continues today alongside a growing diversity of other ethnicities.

“The younger people really do need to hear from the folks who made Thornton, Thornton,” Jones said. “You have to know where we came from to know where we’re going.”

The 70th anniversary exhibit is free and open to the public at the Thornton Arts and Culture Annex. Visit this page for days and hours. 



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