Said to be the most fun you can have this side of the law, The Routt County Fair runs in Hayden Aug. 11-20. “All Roads Lead to the Fair” is the the of this year’s whingding, which will be held where it began in 1914, at the Routt County Fairgrounds. Hayden has been home to bawling cattle and brawling cowboys for 100 years. Now celebrating its centennial with a flurry of displays, dances and dinners, the town sits in the heart of Yampa River Valley agriculture and mining country. The area has become a magnet for young families who relish living in a community still served by a co-op, a mercantile and a local newspaper. In Hayden the book club meets at the library, the Hayden Tigers go to state competitions in football and wrestling pretty regularly, and dogs still sleep in front of the Hayden Grain Elevator, which has been in operation since 1917.
Getting around: Stash your kids, dog and fishing poles in the back of the car, slide a Tom T. Hall disc into the player, and head west on Interstate 70. At Silverthorne turn north on the Blue River Parkway, AKA Colorado 9 and, after stopping for a latte at Big Shooters in Kremmling, go west over Rabbit Ears Pass on U.S. 40. The trip is 181 miles and takes 3 hours and 31 minutes if you don’t stop to hunt trout.
