Denver is the third-highest U.S. capital city (behind Santa Fe and Cheyenne), and with a good part of Colorado more than a mile above sea level, we spend a lot of time living the high life. But for altitude overachievers, there are plenty of places to get just a tiny bit higher.
– Desiree Belmarez and Cynthia J. Pasquale, Denver Post staff writers
ALPINE SLIDE
For 29 years, people looking to get high have had two choices at Heritage Square, 18301 W. Colfax Ave. in Golden: the fast track or the slow track.
“You control your own ride,” says Debbie Hottinger, general manager of Heritage Square Alpine Action. “If you want to act goofy, you can.”
With views of Denver International Airport, Boulder and Littleton, the two parallel slides carved into a half- mile of mountain require a tram to carry you 490 vertical feet and promise at least 15 minutes of Colorado euphoria.
“Since you can’t ski in the summer, you may as well slide,” Hottinger said.
The first trip down costs $7 for adults. For information call 303-279-1661 or visit . – D.B.
AEROBATICS
Grab the controls and get ready to roll – or fly upside down – reaching speeds of 150 mph in a specially designed plane with New Attitude Aerobatics, 5021 Yates Court in Broomfield.
Wannabe pilots are first briefed about the plane controls, tricks and what to expect while in the air before taking off with an experienced pilot, owner John Blum says.
Don’t sweat the mistakes. Blum, who is also a pilot, says he can “get you out of any mistakes you can make, especially when we are way, way up.”
Because FAA guidelines don’t allow anyone to practice tricks below 1,500 feet, you are guaranteed to be high, reaching elevations of 4,000 feet.
The 45-minute lessons take off from Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield. They cost about $200 and are open to anyone over the age of 16. For information, call 303-469-7746 or visit . – D.B.
SWING SHOT
Ride a gondola to 7,100 feet above sea level, strap yourself in the swing, pull a rip cord and fly 1,300 feet above the Colorado River with this thrill ride at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. “You scream; it’s not optional,” says park spokeswoman Mandy Gauldin.
It may not be the biggest swing in the world or the country, but it is about 100 feet higher than a similar ride at the Royal Gorge in Cañon City, Gauldin says.
It costs $7.50 to ride. For information call 800-530-1635, or visit . – D.B.
THE “MILE HIGH” MARKER
After thieves swiped the original marker seven times between 1909 and 1947 and local universities battled back and forth trying to figure out where, exactly, the elevation of 5,280 feet is, the mile high marker on the state Capitol has finally found its place on the 13th step, says Edna Pelzmann, manager of visitor services.
For information call the tour desk at 303-866-2604. – D.B.
BOX CANYON WATERFALL AND PARK
Ouray’s Box Canyon Falls, where Canyon Creek takes a dramatic 285-foot tumble along a slot sliced into the limestone, is a special wonder, indeed.
Climb the iron bridge to three observation points. The first is near the middle of the flow, where you can look up to see the start of the falls, and then observe the splash from a distance. The second, down two flights of open stairs, is closer to the spot where the creek smashes to earth with a deafening roar.
Backtrack from there and take another climb up to the High Bridge. There you’ll find breathtaking views of Ouray, the amphitheater and the Grand Mesa, says city resource manager Rick Noll.
“We are blessed with mountains and sulfur-free hot springs,” he says, adding the mountains in Ouray are younger and sharper than any other in the state, leading to the town’s nickname, the Switzerland of Colorado. For information call 970-325-4464 or visit ouraycolorado
. – D.B.
ESTES PARK AERIAL TRAM
Ascend 1,100 vertical feet in four minutes, dangling to 200 feet above a mountainside while absorbing the 30-mile panoramic view of the plains and the Continental Divide on this popular tourist attraction, 420 E. Riverside Drive in Estes Park.
“The best way to start your vacation is at the top,” says tram manager Steven Barker.
But don’t expect to simply take in an unobstructed view of Rocky Mountain National Park. The 52-year-old rubber-wheeled carriage pulled by a 50-horsepower motor is also a bit of living history, built by Robert Heron during World War II to transport ammunition and men to fight the Germans and Italians, Barker says.
An adult ticket is $9; children are $4. For more information call 970-586-3675 or go to. – D.B.
MOUNT EVANS ROAD
Catch glimpses of bighorn sheep and 2000-year-old bristlecone pines on a 14-mile drive up Colorado 5 to just below the summit of Mount Evans. Although the road doesn’t take you all the way to the summit (14,264 feet), you can come close at 14,230 feet, then walk the rest of the way, said John R. Bustos, spokesman for Arapahoe-Roosevelt National Forest and Pawnee Grassland. “No matter what your abilities, you are able to go to the alpine,” Bustos says. – D.B.
REPUBLIC PLAZA
Towering 714 feet into the Denver skyline, this building, at 310 17th St., is the tallest in Colorado. Built in 1984 of Sardinian granite, the 1.2 million square feet of space is occupied by Merrill Lynch, JP Morgan and other tenants, says Andrew Wilson, leasing associate with Brookfield Properties.
Don’t plan on a tour; there is no observation deck because all space is leased to tenants. You can, however, eat lunch at the only Chick-fil-A in downtown Denver, but it’s in the basement food court. – D.B.
PIKES PEAK COG RAIL
Standing atop the 14,110-foot summit of Pikes Peak can be a head-spinning experience. The views stretch for miles to the skyscrapers of Denver, beyond the Kansas-Colorado border and, to the south, the Sangre de Cristo Range.
Of course the air is rarefied here, so it may not be the magnificence causing lightheadedness. There’s a reason those “Got Oxygen” T-shirts are sold in the visitor center.
When faint strains of “America the Beautiful” wafted over the concrete deck and into the parking lot recently, some visitors were certain it was a hallucination.
America’s Mountain gained some of its fame from Katharine Lee Bates, who was so awed by the beauty from the top in 1893 that she penned a few stanzas of the country’s “unofficial second national anthem” while there.
She made much of the trip in covered wagon and by mule.
Today’s travelers can board the 115-year-old Manitou and Pikes Peak Railway for a three-hour round-trip journey. The world’s highest cog rail train – giant cogs pull the cars up the steep slopes – boards outside Manitou Springs and passes through forests, jumbles of granite strewn with waterfalls, campgrounds, and barren tundra before reaching the top deck and the shopping/snack center.
The railway operates year-round, and during busy summers several trains make the climb simultaneously. Reservations are recommended, although you can take your chances and get on the standby list.
For information and reservations, visit or call 719-685-5401. Online reservations must be made five days in advance. Peak-season prices (through August) are $32 for adults and $17.50 for children. – C.J.P.
LEADVILLE
Leadville can put another notch in its belt because – in addition to having the highest airport, the highest brewery and the highest church steeple in the nation – at 10,152 feet above sea level, it is also the highest incorporated city in the United States, says Dave Wright, a Lake County Historical Society boardmember.
This former mining town, which provided the wealth for J.J. and Molly Brown, has gone through boom and bust spurts over the years. It has since redeveloped into a mecca for sports, hosting events such as the annual Pack Burro Race in August and the skijoring competitions, where residents pack Harrison Avenue with snow and create jumps 10 feet high they attempt to clear while “skiing” behind a racing horse.
“The lack of oxygen made us lose our senses,” Wright says. – D.B.
FAIR WINDS HOT-AIR BALLOON FLIGHTS
The best way to start your morning is with your head in the clouds, says Jeff Meeker, a pilot at Fair Winds Hot Air Balloon flights in Boulder.
And with the first flight taking off at 6 a.m., customers can float up to 5,000 feet and travel more than 30 miles while viewing nearby mountains and Wyoming.
“It’s awe-inspiring,” Meeker says. “How do you explain what breathtaking looks like?”
The ride lasts about an hour and includes a continental breakfast, a flight bag full of goodies, a T-shirt, photo and bottle of champagne or sparkling cider. It runs $195 for adults and $145 for children under 12. For more information call 303-939-9323 or visit. – D.B.
