Colorado
Poll: Favorite roadside attractions in Colorado
DENVER (KDVR) — Driving across Interstate 70 or to southern Colorado can take hours, but luckily there’s plenty to see along the way.
Whether you’re looking to stretch your legs during a long drive or see some of Colorado’s quirkiest attractions, these are some fan-favorite places to stop while on the road.
Colorado’s favorite roadside attractions
FOX31 turned to viewers and asked on Facebook, “What are your favorite roadside attractions?” Here are some responses.
Kit Carson County Carousel
Just off I-70 in Burlington lies the Kit Carson County Carousel, the only antique carousel in America that still has the original paint on the scenery panels and animals, according to the website. The wooden carousel was carved between 1885 and the 1930s, and it’s still operational.
Sasquatch Outpost
The Sasquatch Outpost in Bailey is a museum just off U.S. 285 that one FOX31 viewer called “cute and quirky.” It’s a spot that’s “dedicated to solving the mystery,” according to the website. The shop shares Sasquatch sightings and research for newbies to seasoned “Squatchers.”
Bishop Castle
The structure that lies along Greenhorn Highway started with an empty plot of land and a 15-year-old with a vision. Sixty years later, Jim Bishop crafted a castle all by himself. According to the family, Bishop handled each stone in the castle around six times before putting it in its final place.
UFO Watchtower
If you’re heading to the Great Sand Dunes National Park, you’ll likely pass by the UFO Watchtower where many have reported sightings of strange objects in the sky. If you have time, leave a personal item at the watchtower and look up at the sky.
Tiny Town Railroad
Tiny Town Railroad is an over-100-year-old kid-sized village in Morrison that was originally built to entertain Denver-Leadville stage coach station George Turner’s daughter, according to the website. The town is just off U.S. 285 where you’ll find a jail, gas station, church, railroad and homes all shrunken down to fit a kid.
Glenwood Springs
One viewer mentioned on Facebook that they liked to stop by the hot springs in Glenwood Springs while driving along I-70. There are many hot springs in Glenwood Springs, including two that are among the best in the country, according to USA Today.
This is one of many stops viewers liked along I-70 heading to and from the mountains. One viewer mentioned the “Sleeper House” which is a spaceship-looking historical landmark that can be seen from the highway in Golden.
Meanwhile, others mentioned that any nature in Colorado was an attraction worth pulling over, like buffaloes near I-70 or the top of Fremont Pass looking at Sheep Mountain.
DENVER (KDVR) — Strong wind gusts at the speed of a Category 3 hurricane swept through two Colorado counties on Wednesday.
Strong winds blew through the state on Wednesday, leaving tens of thousands without power, causing safety road closures and recording wind gusts reaching over 100 mph. In some areas, winds were even higher, with Summit and Grand counties seeing 124 mph wind gusts.
At 9 p.m. on Wednesday, one weather station on top of Breckenridge Peak 6 picked up a wind gust of 124 mph in Summit County. Then, at 9:52 p.m., another weather station at Parsenn Bowl Summit in Grand County picked up a wind gust of 124 mph, according to National Weather Service records.
These two wind gusts weren’t only the strongest gusts on Wednesday, they were so strong that they were comparable to the strength of a devastating hurricane.
The Pinpoint Weather team said it was the strength of a high-end Category 3 hurricane. These winds also compare to a high-end EF2 tornado, which could damage one or two family residences, according to NWS.
These weren’t the only areas that saw high winds. Several counties across Colorado saw winds higher than 100 mph throughout Wednesday.
The Pinpoint Weather team expects the wind to continue into Friday with continued fire danger. The winds are expected to slow down throughout the weekend.
Some students at Colorado schools won’t be going to school on Thursday. That’s after strong winds on Wednesday on the Front Range and in the foothills caused power outages.
More than 100,000 customers were without power late in the day on Wednesday.
The closed schools include all of the Boulder Valley School District and 25 schools in Jeffco Public Schools. Schools in Gilpin County and Clear Creek County are also going to be closed.
See the full list of school closings.
High winds roaring across the Front Range foothills on Wednesday forced road closures throughout northern and central Colorado, according to state transportation officials.
A wind storm is expected to bring gusts reaching 80 to 90 mph through the entire Interstate 25 corridor, from the Wyoming to New Mexico state lines, according to the National Weather Service.
Colorado Department of Transportation officials announced planned closures of Colorado 93, U.S. 128 and U.S. 287 starting at noon because of the high winds, with no estimated time of reopening. A “high wind caution” was also issued for roads in Clear Creek and Jefferson counties.
Some roads may also be closed to high-profile vehicles like tractor-trailers, RVs, campers or light vehicles because of the risk of blowing over, CDOT officials said.
Traffic signals that are dark because of power cuts should be treated as four-way stops.
Colorado road and highway closures as of 1 p.m.:
This is a developing story and may be updated.
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