With the end of summer in sight, and distance “learning” about to start for the kids, we knew we needed to squeeze in one last summer road trip. It had been extremely hot in Las Vegas, so our skateboarding was limited to short sessions in the morning before the heat really kicked in. We wanted to find somewhere with cooler weather to spend more time skating. And we wanted it to be somewhere we hadn’t been to this summer. Our ideal place had to be within a days drive, so the choice we made was Colorado. With one night of planning we booked hotels in two different cities and mapped out which High Rockies Skateparks we would be visiting. The next day we would leave for our skateboard road trip and a week in the Colorado mountains.
The Drive to Colorado
We estimated the drive would take about nine hours to reach Glenwood Springs, Colorado. As we mentioned in our Road Trip Tips post we like to take breaks often and actually enjoy the drive. Since the drive takes us through Utah it isn’t hard to find amazing places to take those breaks. Utah is filled with roadside viewpoints along Interstate 70 that shouldn’t be missed. These are quick on and off exits that often feature outstanding views. We stopped at a few and spent about 10-15 minutes at each one. Just enough time to take in the views and enjoy some time outside of the truck.
Two Nights in Glenwood Springs
The first stop on our Colorado skateboard road trip was Glenwood Springs. Glenwood has been a favorite of ours for a long time now. The town itself offers a lot of things to do, but we really love it for it’s location. Located along the Colorado River and next to Glenwood Canyon the town is surrounded by beautiful landscapes. It’s also located less than an hour from Aspen, so for this trip it was the perfect budget friendly location.
We would love to say we got to enjoy a lot of what Glenwood Springs has to offer, but that’s not what this trip was about. We had dinner at a local Mexican restaurant the first night and we stayed at a La Quinta Inn. Neither was anything special and we wouldn’t return to either in the future, but for this trip they were good enough. Our main focus was visiting the skate parks in the Roaring Fork Valley and spending time in Aspen.
Roaring Fork Valley Skateparks
The plan for day two of our Colorado road trip was to make a few stops at skateparks on our way to Aspen. The first park we went to was located in Carbondale. We had previously researched these parks, so we had an idea what they looked like, but seeing them on the internet just doesn’t do them justice. It isn’t just that they’re all pretty good parks for the most part, it’s also the environment they’re located in. We got to skate at these great parks surrounded by amazing natural beauty.
Carbondale’s skatepark was larger than we were expecting. It had a small street area, but the transition area was massive and a lot of fun. The only real downfall of Carbondale was the abundance of scooter kids. At times it was difficult to get around without almost running them over.
After spending a couple hours in Carbondale we made our way down Highway 82 to Snowmass. When we arrived we had the Snowmass skatepark all to ourselves. The park at Snowmass has a smallish street area and two bowl areas. One of them was absolutely massive and we didn’t skate it at all, but the smaller bowl was a good time. Addison spent a good amount of time working her way up the wall.
Hendrix doesn’t do a ton of skateboarding yet, so it’s nice when there are playgrounds located in the same area. We got lucky with this really cool playground in Snowmass since it was located right next to the skatepark. Addison will often head over for some non skate playtime, and most of the time she doesn’t bother taking all her pads off.
An Afternoon in Aspen
We had originally planned to skate for a while at the Aspen skatepark, but when we got there is was really crowded. Instead of trying to fight the skatepark crowds we just spent a long afternoon in one of our favorite little towns. We might be calling this a skateboard road trip, but it wasn’t skateboarding the entire time. If you’ve read our Visiting Aspen post you probably know we love visiting this town. So, getting to walk around town without the boards is no problem for us. We took the time to visit the Aspen Art Museum, window shop, and explore a few souvenir shops.
We spent most of the day either skateboarding or walking around and had survived on snacks and drinks the entire time. By late afternoon we were ready to sit down and enjoy some real food. The great thing about eating late in the afternoon is you get to take advantage of happy hours. We stopped in at Aspen Public House and had a really good late lunch for a really good price. We ate Truffle Potato Pierogis, Trinidad Fried Chicken, and Tacos that were bursting with fillings and flavor. Since everything was on the happy hour menu we spent maybe $60 for our food and drinks. We all left full and we all enjoyed what we had to eat.
Skateboard Road Trip Heads East
After two nights in Glenwood Springs it was time to head East to our next hotel in Silverthorne. The drive from Glenwood Springs to Silverthorne takes you through Glenwood Canyon and over Vail Pass. The two hour drive has possibly some of the most scenic landscapes of the entire trip. Besides enjoying the roadside views we also stopped at the Gypsum and Vail Skateparks along the way. Both of them are pretty small, but both are worth stopping if you’re heading down Interstate 70 or staying close by. Gypsum also had a pretty good playground that the kids enjoyed after skating for a little while.
When we arrived in Silverthorne we checked into another La Quinta Inn, which was on par with the Glenwood Springs experience. We’ve stayed at this brand of hotel before and remember them being decent for a budget hotel. For some reason both of these were pretty run down and in need of some major updating. However, the point of this trip was a last minute budget skateboard road trip. We were getting what we paid for. At least we got a high floor in Silverthorne, so the view was pretty good.
The Skatepark We Were Waiting For
This is a place we’ve been dying to check out. After seeing the Frisco skatepark in pictures and videos we knew any trip to Colorado wouldn’t be complete without skating here. The park looks like an alien landscape that was molded into a skatepark. There are so many different lines to discover throughout the park that we could have spent our entire trip trying to find them all. Unfortunately, the awesome design of this place attracts large crowds. And since the park doesn’t have a natural flow like most parks do, it gets harder to skate as the crowds increase. For this reason we only stayed about an hour the first night. The second day we woke up early and got a couple hours in before camps started for the day and it was overrun with people. Overall, we’d highly recommend a visit to the Frisco Skatepark.
Breckenridge Made The Trip
Our day in Breckenridge almost ended in disappointment before it even got started. We arrived at the Breck skatepark early in the day and were told no one could skate until the afternoon since there was a skate camp going on. As we stood there trying to figure out what we were going to do, something awesome happened. The guy in charge of the camp approached us and said he couldn’t turn the kids away. If they wanted to come join the camp for the day they could. Addison took them up on the offer while Hendrix explored the large playground next to the skate park.
The great thing about Addison being allowed into the camp was she got to skate with some girls her own age. That really never happens for her. It’s usually Addison skating with Dad, or some much older kids. The look of happiness on Addison’s and her new friends face when they discovered they were both seven and their birthdays were three days apart was priceless. Those couple hours made the entire trip worth it.
We ended up staying at the Breckenridge skatepark until late in the afternoon. Even with camp going on in the morning it never really felt crowded. It’s large enough and designed good enough that it keeps skaters spread out well. We also don’t remember there being any scooter kids, so that always helps keep the flow of the parks better. Breck is always worth a visit, the great skatepark just makes it even better.
Perfect Meal to End A Trip
We’re always looking to try new places and at the end of our day in Breckenridge we found a great one. This trip was full of late lunches so why change on the last day? Plus those late lunches often mean happy hours and happy hours mean smaller checks.
BoLD Restaurant and Bar is the new place we decided to try and it ended up being the best meal we ate during this trip. To be honest, it might be one of the best meals we’ve had all year. The food was really that good. Burgers and Sandwiches had a happy hour special, so we ordered a Bold Burger and the Mediterranean Steak Sandwich. The burger and sandwich were both outstanding. Apps were 2 for 1, which for us included an order of Chicken Wings and a Charcuterie Board. Again, both of these choices were outstanding and a big hit with all four of us.
BoLD was the perfect spot to end our week long skateboard road trip in Colorado. Everything we ate there was really good, so it’s hard to even choose a stand out item from the menu. I think we all agreed the fries might have been the best we’ve ever had in our lives. That’s a pretty bold statement when you consider our years of eating fries, but they were that good!
Have you Been to Breckenridge?
Have you been to any of these places, or have plans to visit? We want to hear from you, so please leave your comments below. Colorado is one of our favorite states to visit and we’re always looking for new places to explore. Let us know of other Colorado places we should check out. Or if you have any ideas for another skateboard road trip please share it with us.