Comment on The Getaway: In the Hospitality Game, New Players With Familiar Names

Denver International Airport is gearing up for a record number of passengers this Memorial Day weekend, meaning travelers can expect a busy trip and long waits, airport officials said. Between Thursday and Tuesday, DIA officials expect nearly 450,000 passengers to pass through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints, according to a news release.

TLC famously said don’t go chasing waterfalls. But during the Colorado summer, there are few more fun things to do than hop in the car, hit the trail and bask in the spray of cascading snowmelt. We designed four different road trip routes that start in Denver and take drivers to some of the state’s best waterfalls.

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.