Your Salsa Pub

Are you itching to hit the road now that spring has sprung? It’s the perfect time to visit Denver and head for the hills as the days warm to reveal the renewing landscape. With a car rental from the airport, you can be in just about any type of terrain, from high desert to lower plains, within a half-day’s drive. The lowlands are starting to show off the glory of the wildflower season, with the first blooms pushing through the late winter snows. For the next few weeks, you’ll find the best blossoms in the lower valleys, then as the days lengthen, you can follow their progression as they march up the mountains.

With great car rental deals to be had around Denver, and gas still relatively inexpensive, this could be the year for some extended travel. Start out south in the direction of Pikes Peak and you should see bellflowers, fireweed, Canada violets and blazing star. You can check out one of the most diverse fossil fields in the world, with a visit to the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument off Highway 24. To take some time exploring the area, you might consider staying at one of the many local campgrounds or cabins.

For more back-to-nature adventure as the weather gets warmer, take advantage of some of the low-cost SUV rental packages and head north from Denver into the Rocky Mountain National Park. You’re likely to see big horn sheep grazing right alongside the road; you might even spot fawns, new born elk and moose calves hiding in the grass. You can check out the Colorado River Headwaters to see the source of the mighty river that sculpted the Grand Canyon. Your SUV rental should help you tackle some of the back-country roads, where spectacular scenery is waiting around every turn.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009 at 10:37 am and is filed under On the Wheel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.