Need a getaway that's close? Here a few spots to think about

With the coming warm weather along with the recent relaxation of pandemic-related health cautions, residents will be looking to travel. Longmonters are fortunate there’s no shortage of interesting places they can get to with minimal advance planning. From day trips to extended weekends, no-reservations camping to world-class resorts, Colorado has plenty of unusual, adventurous destinations.

Below are a couple of suggestions for destinations you may not have considered. As you plan, keep in mind that health regulations may vary in different areas of the state because, at this point, decisions on what safety precautions to implement are left up to local leaders and businesses. According to recommendations on the Colorado Tourism Office’s website, it's best to “be flexible, keep a mask handy, respect local businesses and remain alert for local guidance.”

Explore Dinosaur National Monument

Stars, old bones and indigenous art ... It’s possible to plan a single day that includes all of them if you skip the better known Rocky Mountain or Mesa Verde National Parks for Dinosaur National Monument. It’s the kind of place where school textbooks come to life, and adults develop a curiosity for things they didn’t realize they wanted to know more about.

Try out wild horse spotting

Colorado has several areas where residents can engage in some wild horse spotting, a great activity for equine enthusiasts, photographers and people looking to experience western nature. Some of the best spotting areas include Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Area (8 miles northeast of Grand Junction), The Spring Creek Basin Herd Management Area in Disappointment Creek (in the southwest part of the state), and the Sand Wash Basin Herd Management Area (45 minutes west of Craig). Do research ahead of time to learn the best ways to approach this activity so you successfully spot a herd.

Visit Dearfield, a ghost town that was a historically black, early 20th-century settlement

Dearfield was home to a thriving Black settlement founded in 1910 by Oliver Toussaint Jackson, a successful Black businessman from Boulder. By 1921, the town was home to a few hundred residents, two churches, a school and a restaurant. Two decades later, partly as a result of the Great Depression, it had just a handful of residents. Today, some buildings remain, and the town is currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Head to a resort town

Colorado resort towns have plenty to offer even once ski and snowboard season are finished. Luxurious accommodations, five star restaurants, hikes, horseback riding, boating, shopping and some of the state’s on-point brewers and distillers can be found in these towns. Resort towns to consider include Beaver Creek, Vail, Steamboat Springs, Aspen, Glenwood Springs, Durango, Winter Park, Keystone and Breckenridge.

Settle into a hot spring

If you make a hot spring the basecamp for an adventure, you’re guaranteed a warm soak in the still-cool nights of early summer. Colorado has a wide variety of hot spring sites including more formal and historic Glenwood Springs to a hot spring resort that includes an overnight stay in a gypsy cabin at Avalanche Ranch, west of Aspen. Visit Colorado has a good section of options.

Experience dispersed camping

Although most reserved camping spots were claimed quickly this year, it is still possible to find a location. Depending on where you want to go, your best chances for success might be dispersed camping. These “off the beaten path” spots can be amazingly beautiful. If you want to try it out, consider contacting the National Forest Service ahead of time in order to understand the policies for the area.