Colorado is one of the most beautiful states in the U.S. so it's no surprise that it receives over 80 million visitors each year. Home to incredible sights like Rocky Mountain National Park and Garden of the Gods, Colorado is a must-visit state!
Last year, My husband and I were eloped in Colorado and spent a week exploring some of the beauty that CO has to offer. We originally planned to go in June, but pushed it back to August due to our elopement location still being closed due to snow! Luckily, August worked out perfectly and we had an amazing week.
Day 1
We left Tulsa on Sunday with an overnight stop at the cutest Airbnb in Hanston, Kansas! We finally arrived to Loveland, Colorado after the 14 hour drive with our dog Penny.
Our Airbnb in Loveland, CO was a great place to crash after hiking through the Rocky Mountains. In fact, as soon as we arrived to our Airbnb, we were off to the National Park. The entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park was only about an hour from the Airbnb! For an even closer drive to the park, opt to stay in Estes Park!
The first day in the park we had timed reservation entry for 4PM-6PM! We arrived right at 4PM and entered the Bear Lake Corridor after a stop in the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center to pick up some souvenirs. Parking at the trailhead was easy and it was time to hike!
We hiked the loop around Bear Lake and up to Alberta Falls. The views were absolutely stunning, and it was my first time seeing a mountain! Before this trip, I had never been West of Oklahoma.
Keep in mind that this is one of the most visited National Parks in the U.S. so you will see others along the trail! Always be respectful, never interact with wildlife, and leave no trace! Download the AllTrails App on your phone for trail details and maps. I have the Pro version & love it. AllTrails is also one of my favorite tools when planning our trips. You can read recent trail reviews, see photos, and more.
Trail: Bear Lake Nature Trail
Length: 0.7 mile loop
Trail: Alberta Falls Trail
Length: 1.6 mile out & back
After finishing up our hikes we stopped in at Smokin' Dave's BBQ & Brew for a quick bite to eat before heading back to our Airbnb to sleep off the long drive & hikes.
Day 2
On the second day of our trip, we eloped! First things first was a trip to the Larimer County Courthouse to get our marriage license. We knew we wanted to get our license in Loveland because they say "The Sweetheart City" which is adorable! After this we headed over to Loveland Breakfast Club to write our vows over brunch. Brunch is our favorite thing to eat together, so it was special to put our love on paper over our favorite meal!
Once we finished up brunch, we had a bit of time before we needed to start getting ready. So, we took sometime to explore Loveland and their local shops! I love shopping local when we're on trips and bringing home a little bit of that city.
After getting ready together at our Airbnb, we hit the road to meet our photographer at our elopement location. After weeks of location research on Instagram, Pinterest and Alltrails, I decided on Brainard Lake in Ward, CO. Our photographer had never shot at this location before, but now she has taken so many other families and couples there! It is so special that we were able to discover such a beautiful spot together.
The Brainard Lake Recreation Area does require reservations, though there was no one at the gate when we arrived! What I loved about this spot was that it was a super short walk from the parking lot so we were able to make the most of the time we had with our incredible photographer Sandy of Wild Prairie Photography. I highly recommend you hire her for all of your Colorado photography needs! We spent the next few hours sharing our vows, dancing under the the mountains, and dipping our toes in the freezing alpine water.
Day 3
Wednesday was here which meant it was time for another trip to Rocky Mountain National Park! We again had timed entry for the Bear Lake Corridor from 4-6PM which meant we had the whole day to explore. We kicked off our first day of marriage with a drive up to Fort Collins to check-out the city! Urban Egg was a fantastic spot for breakfast, and I loved Gulley's Greenhouse.
Eventually it was time to head to Estes Park for our entry slot! We arrived right at 4 and again had no problem with parking at the trailhead. We hiked the main 4 lakes of this area until the sunset! Our first hike was up to Nymph Lake which you will pass on your way to the rest of the lakes. It was gorgeous and covered in lily pads during August.
Trail: Nymph Lake Trail
Length: 1.2 mile out & back
After Nymph Lake we made our way up to Lake Haiyaha which was our absolute favorite lake in the area! The hike up was a bit difficult with the incline, and you do have to scramble over some boulders to really get the best views but it is so so worth it. If you do any trail while in Colorado, this is the one! There wasn't anyone else up there which was a huge difference in comparison to the other parts of the park which were very busy.
Trail: Lake Haiyaha
Length 3.6 mile out & back
Once we were ready, we made our way back down to Dream Lake. Dream Lake is easily one of the most recognizable and popular spots of the park. There wasn't a time that we walked past that it wasn't covered in people. With that being said, it was still very pretty but I just felt like it was a little overrated!
Trail: Dream Lake
Length: 2.0 mile out & back
The sun was starting to set at this point, so we quickly made our way over to the stunning Emerald Lake. The reflection of the mountain on the water was unlike anything I had ever seen before. There were many times while exploring the park that I was brought to tears from the sheer beauty of Earth.
We made it back to the parking lot right before dark and grabbed some food on the way back to our Airbnb. It was a beautiful day of exploring!
Day 4
Thursday was easily our favorite day of hiking! We headed back over to the Indian Peaks Wilderness to hike Long Lake and Lake Isabelle. I can confidently say that Lake Isabelle is the most beautiful place I have ever seen and it's not even in the national park.
Before we started our hikes, we drove Old Fall River Rd in RMNP. This is a dirt road that takes you up to the Trail Ridge visitor center! There are some amazing views along the way. I highly recommend you take this drive if weather is permitting.
Up first was Long Lake! Long Lake is in the Brained Lake Recreation Area of the Indian Peaks Wilderness. This lake is along the way to Lake Isabelle, so it's like two hikes in one! You will walk down one side of the lake on your way in, and the other side on your way out! Another thing we loved about this trail was that it was dog friendly! We didn't bring our girl on this hike because it was rather lengthy with rough terrain, so for her health we left her back at our Airbnb. If you have a younger/high energy dog this is the perfect trail for them! Just be prepared with extra water, bags for their waste, and keep them on a leash.
Trail: Long Lake
Length: 1.8 mile out & back
NOW WE GET TO TALK ABOUT MY FAVORITE PLACE! Lake Isabelle. When I first saw Lake Isabelle online, I considered it for our elopement spot but decided against it as it was too far for our dog to hike comfortably. I am so glad we still went out and explored because it was truly other-worldly beautiful. My husband & I were both often at a loss of words! The amount of times we said "wow" was comical.
I loved everything about this hike. The entire trail was beautiful and well maintained. This is a hike I would 100% do it again, which I can't say about any of the hikes in the National Park! You arrive to a small offshoot of the main lake first, which took my breath away. Then you continue on to the main portion of Lake Isabelle. There was not a single soul on the trail with us or at the lake. We jumped around on the rocks down by the water, stuck our toes in, and enjoyed the views and sounds of nature while we read.
We also stopped at our elopement spot one last time since it was so close by!
Trail: Lake Isabelle via Pawnee Pass Trial
Length: 5.5 miles out & back
Day 5
It was time to check out of our Airbnb in Loveland & make our way down to Colorado Springs! We had brunch again at Loveland Breakfast Club before packing up our stuff, and our dog Penny! There was time to kill between our Airbnb reservations, so we stopped at some plant stores along the way!
During our trip I was able to visit:
Loveland Garden Center & Nursery
Gulley's Greenhouse
Bath Garden Center & Greenhouse
Fort Collins Nursery
Fossil Creek Nursery
The Flower Box
Echter's Garden
Nick's Garden Center & Farm Market
After a day of driving & plant shopping, we checked into our Airbnb in Colorado Springs! Colorado Springs was super different from Loveland, but still a very cool city. We got in around 5PM and decided to walk around downtown to do some shopping before grabbing some pizza from Fat Sully's. We watched a movie before hitting the hay to prep for our last day in Colorado!
Day 6
Our last day of the trip was finally upon us. We kicked off the last day of our trip modeling for our elopement photographer Sandy at the Manitou Springs Penny Arcade! It was such a cool experience & started our love of modeling for photographers. We played games, had a pretzel, and created such fun memories!
After our arcade shoot, we headed to Pikes Peak! Pikes Peak does require advanced tickets that can be purchased online. You can drive your car up to a certain point, and then you will get out and ride a shuttle the rest of the way to the top! The views along this drive are incredible, and you are going up to the highest point of the state which is so cool. Once you arrive to the top, there is a small shop, museum, and the only donuts made at 14,000+ elevation!
We ended our day at Garden of the Gods. Penny came along for this hike but we didn't stay too long as it was very hot and very crowded. The scenery was so different from what we had been seeing all week long! Though Utah is the best place to see some stunning red rocks.
Trail: Perkins Central Garden Trail
Length: 1.1 mile loop
That about wraps up our 2021 trip to Colorado! This trip truly instilled a love for travel in both my husband & I. We hope to travel to all of the U.S. National Parks and abroad!
Questions? Don't hesitate to reach out! Be sure to check out my guide on Wanderlog: https://wanderlog.com/plan/smwzizfohcradagq/colorful-colorado-guide/shared