Comment on Ice wine, warm establishments, cool covered bridges make Grand River Valley great

I made a big mistake last summer. Instead of exploring Colorado, I gallivanted around Europe and other parts of the United States. Call it pent-up post-pandemic wanderlust or whatever you want, but I swear I blinked a few times, and suddenly it was September. I spent so much time traveling that I missed summer in Colorado — and I’ve been kicking myself ever since.

Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we will offer our opinions on the best Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems). Music lovers living on the Western Slope may not have hallmark venues like Red Rocks Amphitheatre or Mission Ballroom that bring nationally touring acts to town year-round.

The best Colorado campground you never saw might be a remote spot on BLM land at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo range near Great Sand Dunes National Park, 35 miles north of the New Mexico border. At least that’s how one might envision the Sacred White Shell Mountain campground after reading about it on a list of 10 best places to camp in the mountain west that was assembled by The Dyrt, a popular camping website and app with millions of visitors annually. Sacred White Shell Mountain rated second on the list, which was derived from users of The Dyrt, and was one of two in Colorado to make the list.

United Airlines loyalty members can now use their perks to buy tickets to Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the company said this month, reinforcing data that shows travel and tourism as vital to revenue at the city-owned venue. United’s MileagePlus members can redeem their miles for concert tickets — not all shows, of course — instead of simply sending them out of state on other flights.

North Fork ranchers move their stock between pastures in early summer, so don’t be surprised if cowboys are leading cattle drives the very same weekend local winemakers are kicking off their 2024 season with North Fork Uncorked, a series of viticultural events held June 8 to 9. Colorado’s North Fork is a federally designated American Viticultural Area (the West Elks AVA) fed by a tributary of the Gunnison River.

The Glenwood Hot Springs Pool’s claim to fame is that it’s the world’s largest outdoor mineral pool. At 405 feet long, with steam lifting from the water, the Yampah Spring-fed Grand Pool is larger than a football field. Still, there’s room to grow: Glenwood Hot Springs will open a collection of five new pools at the end of May, including a cold plunge, an infinity pool, and a hot spring pool with a waterfall feature. An architect’s rendering of part of the expansion to the Glenwood Hot Springs pools.