I am looking for some suggestions from locals on what to do after Ironman Boulder this year? My family and I are planning on spending a week or so after the race in Co. We are from the midwest and will mostly likely be driving out there. Thanks for info.
Suggestion: go stand in the Boulder Creek. It will be cold & help you recover (as in icing the legs for free).
Have a picnic at Chatauqua Park…take an Uncle Billy’s bus tour around town…take a tour of NCAR…Celestial Seasonings factory tour (all minimal walking).
Head over to Water World in Broomfield for a water park filled afternoon (you can sleep under a tree or float in a tube around the Lazy River)–or check out the local things to do HERE Have fun!
Estes Park and Rocky Mtn National Park is pretty close by.
Lots of great family stuff to do up in Estes park.
A few nights up in Frisco could be a lot of fun. (My wife and Kids love it)
There’s lots of great riding, hiking, shopping, and dining in town too…
Hike, zip line, mountain bike, rafting, etc.
Red rock is nice to see.
Go see a concert at Red Rocks (roughly 45 mins from Boulder). It’s a great outdoor venue.
Have lunch at the Dushanbe Teahouse in Boulder. Have lunch at the Sunshine Cafe in Nederland.
Drive to Rocky Mtn National Park and do some easy hiking around Bear Lake or Glacier Gorge.
Drive to Sugarloaf Mtn and do the 25 minute hike to the top and have a picnic. The views from the Plains to the Rockies is incredible for such a close-in and short hike. (It’s about 30 minutes from Boulder).
Hire a climbing guide from Colorado Mtn School and have the kids (if they’re old enough) climb a Flatiron. Very memorable experience.
Rent or bring mtn bikes and play around in the Valmont Bike Park. Cool stuff for kids and for riders of all abilities.
Visit the Pearl Street Mall (downtown Boulder) on a Friday or Saturday night and enjoy the street performers.
Drive to the summit of Mt. Evans (14,200’) and let the kids ride down on a mtn bike (obviously, age dependent). (It’s a little jarring on a road bike for the upper 10 miles, then relatively smooth for the bottom 18 miles).
If you have not seen the effects of a major flood (I know the Midwest has floods), hike some of the trails in Boulder’s Open Space, like the Old Kiln trail or the McClintock trail and see what the 2013 flood did.
The first thing I would do after the race is get the get the hell out of boulder. It’s just a dirty city…head west up into the mountains
Chataqua park in boulder and red rocks, mt. Evans, brewery tours for the rest of nearby colorado.
Red rocks is a must.
All are great ideas, its exactly what we were looking for. Thanks to all that responded.
Climb to the top of Longs Peak and yell “I am an Ironman”.
Why is it dirty? I’ve never heard anyone say that before.
Personally I’d eat at every restaurant I could find then sleep.
Like most things on the front range the smog hangs over the area like a thick brown rain cloud. Every year it takes a week for my sore throat to heal after the “boulder park” Crit. Bumper to bumper traffic making it a pain in the ass to move around. Couple that with a freak on every other corner begging for money and overly aggressive bike hating drives. I could go on why it just a dirty city…but I know it’s “boulder”