Denver, Colo. (March 13, 2023) — This summer, visitors to Colorado can expect to be wowed with exciting new travel experiences. Several highly anticipated new lodging properties will open their doors including the Populus, the first carbon positive hotel in the U.S. For those who enjoy comfort in the outdoors, Colorado will unveil new glamping opportunities including the Pagosa River Domes, the first geodesic dome resort in Colorado.
New outdoor adventures abound with new trails, guided experiences, anniversaries and events including Denver’s inaugural Outside Festival and Colorado Springs’ Downtown Summer Fest, which celebrates the summer Olympics without the trip to Paris. From hot springs upgrades and sauna/cold plunges to new wellness retreats and spas, Colorado is the state of wellness. The state also welcomes new immersive arts and cultural experiences, celestial viewing opportunities and experiential trails and tours to help travelers explore off the beaten path. And to fuel before and celebrate after a day of Colorado exploring, exciting new dining and craft beverage concepts are springing up across the state including not-to-miss MICHELIN-recognized restaurants.
As visitors explore Colorado, they are encouraged to “Do Colorado Right” and embrace the state’s interpretation of responsible tourism — showing care not only for destinations but for visitors and the people who call Colorado home. Following is a sampling of what’s new and trending in Colorado for the summer season ahead. For more information and travel ideas, visit COLORADO.com.
New Lodging Offerings:
Sweet dreams are sure to be had after a day of adventuring with several exciting new lodging offerings across the state. Populus, the first carbon-ositive hotel in the U.S., plans to open in Denver’s Civic Center Park in summer 2024 and will serve as a skyline-defining architectural landmark and new benchmark for sustainable travel. Also in Denver, Urban Cowboy will open in spring 2024 in the historic George Schleier Mansion in the heart of the Capitol Hill neighborhood as the newest western outpost for the national hotel brand. Set to open in spring 2024, Kimpton Claret will be the brand’s second property in Denver, creating a convergence for visitors and locals alike in the up-and-coming neighborhood of Belleview Station. The Moxy Boulder will open in spring 2024 in the heart of Boulder showing guests and the community a good time with smart stylish rooms, communal spaces and a bar. Opening in fall 2024. The 375-room Hotel Polaris at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs is scheduled to open in late 2024 featuring the only flight simulators at a hotel in the United States. The Westin Riverfront Resort & Spa Avon has launched an extensive renovation called “The Next Chapter” that will be completed in winter 2024 — including a guest room refresh and the Vail Valley’s first rooftop bar opening in spring 2024. Cañon City's historic Hotel St. Cloud will offer 36 renovated guest rooms slated to open in early 2025, and for summer 2024, visitors can enjoy Fremont Public House hotel bar, 1887 Historic Eatery and The War Room Cocktail Lounge. The Well Hotel & Taproom in Trinidad is set to open its 12-room boutique hotel on the top floor in summer 2024 that was originally a hotel in 1888. Gaylord Rockies in Aurora is re-concepting three of its existing restaurants, launching a new dining experience, remodeling the Grand Lodge and increasing function space with a new event pavilion with staggered openings throughout 2024. The Drift is a new cabin-style lodging property in downtown Pagosa Springs. Also near Pagosa Springs is the newly remodeled and thoughtfully curated High Creek Lodge. Opened in late 2023, Trailborn Rocky Mountains and sister-property — Trailborn Rocky Mountain Outpost — is the newest boutique hotel to open in Estes Park, the basecamp to adventures in Rocky Mountain National Park. The Hotel Melrose is Grand Junction’s first downtown boutique hotel that opened in late 2023 in a 1908 building offering 16 elegant suites and a speakeasy bar, The Melrose Spirit Co. MOLLIE Aspen is a new, 68-room boutique hotel that opened in late 2023 in the heart of Aspen. The historic Victorian-inspired Delaware Hotel in downtown Leadville unveiled a splendid transformation, completing renovations in the lobby, bar, restaurant and guest rooms.
New Glamping Experiences:
Glamping is an easy way to experience Colorado’s great outdoors while still enjoying many of the comforts of home, and there are some new spots to “not-so-rough it” in gorgeous parts of the state. Ramble is redefining the American camping experience with thoughtfully designed, expansive and sustainable campgrounds since opening their flagship campground, Ramble at Great Sand Dunes National Park in Mosca in 2023. They’re also developing additional Colorado locations including Mesa Verde National Park to open in summer 2024 and Buena Vista to open in summer 2025. Pagosa River Domes is the first geodesic dome destination in Colorado with 14 modern domes offering an eco-friendly retreat with all the essentials in Pagosa Springs. Campfire Ranch Wash Gulch is a new backcountry lodging option opening for its first summer season in Crested Butte. Campfire Ranch is also the new operator of Thelma Hut on Red Mountain Pass offering new summer enhancements to the full service hut experience. Outside Design Company is a nature hotel and startup in Salida that offers custom cabins with huge windows that integrate each space into nature instead of pushing against it. Rustic Rook Resort near Great Sand Dunes National Park offers fully furnished glamping tents and new for 2024 will offer five upcycled grain bin glampers and five vintage RVs. Colorado Mountain School's Seven Utes Yurt is a new 1,200-square-foot yurt located on Cameron Pass with immediate access to hiking, fishing, backpacking and more.
New Summer Adventures & Events:
Adventure is part of Colorado’s DNA, and 2024 welcomes several new offerings to get the adrenaline pumping. Denver’s inaugural Outside Festival will take place June 1-2, 2024 featuring headliner music, adventure films, thought-provoking speakers, immersive experiences and the latest outdoor gear. San Juan Mountain Guides recently launched the Million Dollar Trek, an epic 5 day, hut-to-hut-to-hut backcountry trekking experience inspired by the supported trekking style made famous in the European Alps. The City of Boulder unveiled a new multi-use trail system in the northern part of the city called "North Sky Trail" that was completed in early 2024, and opened a new pedestrian protected intersection in town to continue to push the way forward as one of America's most bikeable cities. One of Colorado's newest state parks, Fishers Peak State Park will open Fishers Peak Trail to the top of the iconic Fishers Peak in August 2024. This spring, the Ridgway Area Chamber of Commerce is releasing the Ridgway/West End/Montrose Gravel Adventure Field Guide, to provide 12 gravel bike riding routes, from beginner to advanced, with GPS maps through the San Juan Mountains and Uncompahgre Plateau. After 27 years of ownership, Dream Unlimited Corp. has announced that it will sell Arapahoe Basin Ski Area to Alterra Mountain Company adding it to Alterra’s portfolio of destinations in Colorado. Colorado Railbike Adventures is planning a spring 2024 opening of rail adventures in Erie on the second oldest tracks in the state. Free and open to the public, the Frisco Peninsula Recreation Area will open “Aftermath” in 2024, a brand new half-mile mountain bike jump trail. In spring 2024, over 3 miles of new mountain bike trails will be unveiled to add to the 10 miles completed since 2021 at the Grand Hogback Trail System at Rifle Arch. Colorado Springs is expanding its accessible trail offerings with the addition of two off-road wheelchairs/trackchairs free to reserve in spring 2024. New this summer, Breckenridge has expanded two trails to be wheelchair-accessible. Set to open in spring 2024, discover the ultimate adventure at American Ninja Warrior Adventure Park, where the spirit of the hit NBC TV show comes to life in Denver.
If You Can’t Make it to Paris, Head to Colorado for Summer Olympic & Paralympic Experiences:
For those who love to celebrate the Olympic and Paralympic Games, but can’t make it to Paris in summer 2024, Colorado Springs (Olympic City USA) is home to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center. Don’t just watch the Games, experience them in Olympic City USA! Downtown Summer Fest is a new and dynamic event to take place on July 27, 2024 in Colorado Springs starting with the Rocky Mountain 5K and featuring sports and cultural demonstrations, athlete meet & greets, live music and the thrill of watching Olympic & Paralympic competition on the big screen in the Museum Plaza. Colorado also has no shortage of ways for visitors to experience summer Olympic sports firsthand from rock climbing, cycling and triathlons to swimming, skateboarding and golf…all with incredible views of Colorado’s diverse mountains and scenic landscapes.
Healing Waters &The State of Wellness:
In Colorado, wellness is not just a trend, it is a lifestyle. Historians estimate that as many as one-third of Colorado’s early settlers moved to the state for reasons associated with health. The East End Expansion Project at Glenwood Hot Springs Resort is expected to be complete in early summer 2024 and will add a new swimming area with five additional pools featuring varying water temperatures. Also in Glenwood Springs, the 16 geothermal pools on Iron Mountain Hot Springs’ legacy side are now a National Natural Landmark, and the newly opened WorldSprings adults-only section offers 11 globally-inspired mineral pools like the Dead Sea, a cold plunge, a large freshwater pool and new cafe and bar. To round out a Glenwood wellness experience, the Yampah Spa and Vapor Caves are the only known natural vapor caves in North America and were utilized by the Ute Indians who originally inhabited the region as a sacred place of healing and rejuvenation. A series of new Japanese-style cedar “ofuro” tubs opened in late 2023 at the Durango Hot Springs Resort and Spa, and plans for a zen garden with additional pools will be announced in 2024. In Boulder, PORTAL° Thermaculture is a new holistic approach to well-being offering alternative fitness classes, modern Scandinavian saunas, craftsman ice baths and donates over half of net profits to mental health causes. Three Forks Ranch, located on the Colorado/Wyoming border, is the newest addition to the Colorado Dude and Guest Ranch Association and recently launched a new state-of-the-art spa, fitness and wellness facility staffed by a team of Mayo Clinic trained and certified wellness coaches. Debuting in 2024, C Lazy U Ranch welcomes a new adult relaxation lounge that includes two cold plunges, a sauna and cedarwood hot tub, a shower, a gas fire pit and lounge seating. Beyul Retreat near Aspen offers unique programming including "Hidden Lands Retreat 2024" scheduled for late July with diverse activities promoting nature immersion, rejuvenation and transformative experiences. CampV in Naturita is kicking off summer with a gravel bike retreat in their new Stroihboid Pavilion, an architecturally unique event space designed in Austria and the first in the US. For the artistic minded, the 3,000-square-foot Vtrove will open in May 2024 and host expanded artists in residencies, art classes and retreats. Three new spas are opening in Aspen in 2024 including The Spa at The Little Nell, the new RAKxa Wellness Spa at The St. Regis Aspen Resort and Base State Longevity wellness center offering private cold plunge and sauna suites, lymphatic compression and wellness IV drips. New in Breckenridge is the Spirit Alchemy Studio that offers spirit-enriching experiences including acupuncture, massage with sound bath, full moon cacao ceremonies, yoga nidra and personalized treatments.
Celestial Viewing & Colorado’s Dark Skies:
2024 is a big year for experiencing the night skies with major eclipses and meteor showers, and Colorado is an amazing place to adventure in the dark. Colorado is home to 10 International Dark Sky Parks and five International Dark Sky Communities, many of which were newly designated within the last few years with additional designations on the horizon. Colorado Stargazing: Experience the Night is a self-guided stargazing tour that connects several Colorado locations known for their night skies and incredible stargazing opportunities. The Lake City Star Fest (June 7–8, 2024) offers activities for both experienced astronomers and casual stargazers with a weekend full of astronomy and space-themed activities. Colorado Astrophotography is a new business providing astrophotography experiences (lessons), photo shoots, and date nights under Colorado's starlit Rocky Mountains on Guanella and Loveland Passes. The annual Black Canyon Astronomy Festival takes place in September 2024 at the certified International Dark Sky Park and features a number of unique astronomy and solar programs, Sky Rangers, local astronomers and night sky events. Enjoy National-level speakers, outdoor activities, children’s events, camping among friends, and appreciate the clear, dark skies of Colorado at the Rocky Mountain Star Stare annual star party June 5-9, 2024 near Colorado Springs. Dark Skies of the Wet Mountain Valley maintains one of the largest and most state-of-the-art telescopes in Colorado at the Smokey Jack Observatory in Westcliffe that offers private and free public Star Parties from May to October based on current astronomical events. The International Dark Sky Community of Westcliffe & Silver Cliff also offers Planet Walk, a 4 billion to 1 true to scale interpretive walk through the solar system.
Immersive Arts:
Arts and culture is an immersive experience in Colorado, and there are several new offerings to ignite the senses. Denmark sculptor Thomas Dambo now has two of his world-renowned giant wooden troll sculptures in Colorado: “Isak Heartstone” located on the Trollstigen Trail in Breckenridge, and new in late 2023, “Rita the Rock Planter” on the Little Grouse Mountain Trail near Victor. “Danielle SeeWalker: But We Have Something to Say” is a vivid exhibition at the History Colorado Center that pairs contemporary Native American art with historic objects to explore issues important to Native American peoples and communities while also making visitors reconsider their preconceptions of Indigenous art. New to Breck Create is the Precious Plastics program, where community members and visitors to Breckenridge can transform plastic waste into art with workshops that started in late 2023. The first Grand Mesa Songwriter Festival will take place in Cedaredge June 7-8, 2024 welcoming 16 singer/songwriters to play in Nashville-style rounds providing attendees with a one-of-a-kind and intimate music experience. The Royal Gorge Region has launched its TravelStorys GPS-enabled audio tour through Colorado’s picturesque Bighorn Sheep Canyon. Summer Words in Snowmass will feature a new workshop for screenwriting by Kelly Fremon Craig, a film director, screenwriter and producer known for writing and directing the 2023 film adaptation of Judy Blume’s classic novel “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.” Black Cube, a nonprofit nomadic art museum headquartered in Colorado, is pleased to announce Orisons, a large-scale, newly commissioned earthwork by artist Marguerite Humeau in Colorado’s San Luis Valley on view through June 2025. The Sunset Amphitheater in Colorado Springs will open in summer 2024 and will play host to the nation's top touring acts. Trinidad’s A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art will host the most significant showing of original illustration in Colorado’s history and the Western United States, “Character in Context” on display June 7 to July 27, 2024. Loveland’s newest gallery, Paradox Fine Art in a two-story Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired building is a combination art gallery, art bar and art venue. Silverthorne’s expansive public art exhibits now include 24 murals, sculptures and mixed media installations highlighted in their recently updated walkable art tour. Daniel Popper, an internationally acclaimed multidisciplinary artist from South Africa, installed his 21-foot-tall sculpture “Umi” in The Aurora Highlands' Public Art Park, Hogan Park at Highlands Creek.
Trails & Tours:
Follow a unique trail with the Colorado Historic Opera Houses Circuit connecting five mountain opera houses with an array of live performances and events; the Colorado Black History Trail an interactive mobile app that maps sites and places of Black historical significance; the Colorado Historic Hot Springs Loop that showcases 23 of the state’s premier hot springs; Colorado Stargazing: Experience the Night connecting several Colorado locations known for their night skies and stargazing opportunities; the Boulder County Farm Trail that takes travelers to 20 area farms with unique visitor offerings and the Roaring Farm + Fork Map guide to the Roaring Fork Valley’s local food champions..
Take an EV Roadtrip Along Colorado’s 17 EV Byways This Summer:
The Colorado Tourism Office has been working closely with the Colorado Energy Office and Department of Transportation to prioritize construction of electric vehicle charging stations along the state’s 26 Scenic and Historic Byways (more than any other state) that wind throughout Colorado. Seventeen of the state’s 26 Scenic and Historic Byways are now available for electric-vehicle travel with three newly designated EV Byways (Peak to Peak, Mt. Blue Sky and Gold Belt Tour Scenic & Historic Byways) announced in February 2024 and more under construction, offering exciting new summer EV roadtrip opportunities. EV travel is an important component of Colorado's goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Notable 2024 Anniversaries:
2024 welcomes several notable anniversaries including: The 10th anniversary of the revitalization of Denver’s Union Station with a 2024 remodel of the Crawford Hotel and refresh of the Great Hall, the 20th anniversary of the Aspen Ideas Festival, the 25th anniversary of Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, the 30th anniversary of the Pueblo Chile and Frijoles Festival, the 45th anniversary of the Bolder Boulder running event, the 50th anniversary of the Breckenridge Backstage Theatre, the 50th anniversary of the Snowmass Rodeo and the 75th anniversary of the Aspen Music Festival and School.
New Culinary Delights & Craft Libations — MICHELIN Comes to Colorado:
MICHELIN Guide expanded to the Centennial State as Colorado became the guide's eighth destination in North America in late 2023. The first edition of the MICHELIN Guide Colorado recently awarded five One-MICHELIN-Star restaurants including Beckon (Denver), Bosq (Aspen), Brutø (Denver), Frasca Food and Wine (Boulder) and The Wolf’s Tailor (Denver). In addition, Colorado received 30 MICHELIN Recommended restaurants, four Green Star restaurants and nine Bib Gourmand designations. Chefs and craft beverage makers across the state are turning out exciting new flavors and concepts. In its second year, Mile High Asian Food Week is a week-long celebration of Colorado’s growing AANHPI culinary scene April 28 to May 4, 2024. Comal Heritage Food Incubator supports immigrant and refugee entrepreneurs in the Denver community and recently moved into its new, larger location at the RiNo ArtPark. Ten new local restaurants will open at Denver International Airport throughout 2024. The Regular is downtown Denver’s newest fine-dining experience urging diners to feel like “regulars.” Traveling Mercies opened in late 2023 as an oysters and cocktail bar in Aurora’s Stanley Marketplace from James Beard Award winner Caroline Glover. After winning season five of Top Chef, Hosea Rosenberg opened Blackbelly Market in Boulder, which received a MICHELIN Green Star. Rosenberg is opening a second Blackbelly Market location in spring 2024. Church and Union Denver, opening June 2024, will serve New American cuisine in a casual yet refined atmosphere by Top Chef alum Jamie Lynch and chef Adam Hodgson. Le Colonial will open in Cherry Creek in fall 2024 as a celebration of the seductive spirit and vivid flavors reminiscent of Saigon in the 1920s. This Spring, 2024 James Beard Semifinalist Erasmo Casiano debuts Xiquita, a México City style restaurant rooted in the ancient traditions of corn masa and nixtamalization in Denver. Laws Whiskey House is opening its new, state-of-the-art tasting room in Denver this spring. The Banshee House in Denver’s RiNo neighborhood is a historic event venue and creative hub that will debut a new wine-tasting bar and bottle shop by Aquila Cellars, a biodynamic, high-elevation winery based in Paonia. In March 2024, renowned Chef Byron Gomez will take the culinary reins for the next phase of Denver’s MICHELIN starred Brutø. Parkway Food Hall is slated to be Longmont’s very first food hall when it opens in May 2024. Anthracite Spirits Tasting Lounge opened in early 2024 in Crested Butte showcasing locally-made products in an array of curiously crafted cocktails. Embrace history at the Golden Burro Cafe in Leadville, recently honored with a spot on the National Register of Historic Places. In June 2024, the renowned Sant Ambroeus, will debut a new restaurant in the former Main Street Bakery in Aspen and Stranahan’s Whiskey Lodge will open as a tasting room offering cocktail classes and tastings in March 2024 also in Aspen. Opened in late 2023, The Gambit Bar, Vail’s newest cocktail bar, promises art that guests can taste, see and hear at The Sebastian. Celebrated Grand Junction restaurant, Bin 707 is relocating and expanding, and the team is also launching Jojo's Dinette & Superette. A historic circa-1800s two-story building in Fort Collins will be home to Bindle Coffee and Bread Fellow on the first floor and a design-centric short-term rental on the second floor opening in March 2024. New this summer, Grand Junction’s Hotel Maverick has partnered with Peachfork Orchards and Vineyards in Palisade to offer a “Wine in the Wild” experience in the Hotel Maverick’s winter-season gondolas offering wine tasting and a chef-prepared picnic basket in the vineyards. New this summer is the Breckenridge Agave Festival that will celebrate mezcal, tequila and tacos June 28–30, 2024.
Looking Ahead:
Looking ahead, Colorado is excited to welcome other major travel developments to consider for longer lead story opportunities. The America 250 — Colorado 150 Commission is gearing up for the twin anniversaries of the nation — which is turning 250, our Semiquincentennial — and the Centennial State, Colorado —turning 150, our Sesquicentennial — in 2026. Excitement continues to build in Keystone with their recent terrain expansion, a new town and now the construction of a new luxury base area development, Kindred Resort opening in early 2025 with a 107-room hotel, 95 residences, a private club, three new restaurants and retail. The Springs Resort in Pagosa Springs is undergoing an expansion to double the number of hotel rooms and add 20 new hot springs pools along with a new geothermal spa, a geothermal greenhouse and a greenhouse-to-table restaurant to be completed in 2025. Aspen Hospitality and the University of Colorado Boulder will unveil the Limelight Hotel Boulder set to be Boulder’s largest meeting and events facility of its kind slated to open in the summer of 2025. El Jet’s Cantina + Sky Outpost "Born in Baja" is expected to open in 2025 along the Colorado River in Grand Junction as a multi-acre indoor/outdoor cantina and lodging development that will offer camping and glamping. The historic Tabor Opera House in Leadville will complete an exterior remodeling within the next two years. The Stanley Film Center will be a venue for not only watching and celebrating film, it will also be a creative space for making film, art, and literature at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park. Blumhouse, the driving force in horror, will exclusively curate the 10,000+ square-foot Stanley Film Center exhibit space.
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ABOUT COLORADO: Colorado is a four-season destination offering unparalleled adventure and recreational pursuits, a thriving arts scene, a rich cultural heritage, flavorful cuisine and 28 renowned ski areas and resorts. The state's breathtaking scenic landscape boasts natural hot springs, the headwaters of seven major rivers, many peaceful lakes and reservoirs, 12 national parks and monuments, 26 scenic and historic byways and 58 mountain peaks that top 14,000 feet. For more information or a copy of the Colorado Official State Vacation Guide, visit COLORADO.com or call 1-800 COLORADO. Follow Colorado on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
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