Georgetown, CO

If you ever find yourself around Denver, Colorado, with a long afternoon to kill…try a drive up the mountain to Georgetown, Colorado. For all I know, there are dozens of places like this scattered about the Rocky Mountains. Well, I did not try to visit them all, but I did visit Georgetown…so it gets all the credit.

What a great half-day trip from Denver. On your way there, you drive up these winding mountain roads with hairpin turns. The view of the mountains and through the passes are magnificent as you gain elevation. The town is over 8,500 feet in elevation by the way. You will encounter scenic mountain lakes along your way. As a central Ohio resident, I do not see many towns like Georgetown. The town is surrounded on all sides by the mountains. No matter where you look it’s beautiful. As you see from the photos below, the town has that comfortable old western, mining town kind of look. There are several nice places to get lunch. If it’s warm enough, try to sit outside, eat your food and bask in the beauty of this small town.

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Now, to fill up your half-day trip…what else can you do up here? Option 1, if you only have an afternoon, take a ride on the Georgetown Loop Railroad. It was great. As they tell you, its a unique 3 feet narrow gauge rail that loops between Georgetown and another nearby mining town, Silver Plum. The old-style locomotive winds you through the mountains and over the trestles with deep drop-offs and endless photographic opportunities. The loop is 4-5 miles long and worth doing on your afternoon adventure.

What’s Option 2? Well, you are going to need to do the whole day for this one. Let me label this one…the best hike that I NEVER did. I just did not have enough time. About 10 miles from Georgetown, you can find Mount Bierstadt. I was here in early October. It was a very comfortable 60 something degrees. I stood at the base of Mount Bierstadt and looked at the snow-covered peaks. As you stand at the bottom, you can see the entire 7-mile hike going up the side of the mountain. The top of Mount Bierstadt is over 14,000 feet in elevation…so prepare accordingly. You can watch the hikers walking up the side of the mountain. The idea of hiking from the warm base up to the snow-covered peak sounds great. But again, it was already late afternoon, I lamely could not do it. If I find myself in the area again, I will not fail again and look forward to hiking this peak. PT

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