The Best Colorado Day Trips

I received an advance copy of the book, Colorado Day Trips by Aimee Heckel, just as COVID-19 was hitting. At the time, we were all staying put and wisely so. Now, we’re venturing out a bit so there’s never been a better time to staycation in our amazing state with the help of this handy book.

For us, it’s key that a guidebook be organized in a logical way that makes it easy to read and use to make plans. Heckel’s book is just that, organized by themes, with a map so you have a better sense of where, in Colorado, you’ll be heading. What I like best is that the book isn’t all the typical, touristy things. Yes, there are themes of National Parks, Ghost Towns, and Scenic Drives. But there are also less-expected ones like Native American Culture, Train Rides, Annual Festivals, Science Tours, Wine Country & Farm Tours, Oddities & Roadside Attractions, and Foodie Highlights.

The book is just the right size to throw in your purse, backpack, or glove compartment to reference frequently, which is what you’ll want to do, especially if you want to plan a few day trips together, in a specific area, to make a bit of a vacation out of it.

Each section opens with a beautiful image and summary of the theme, followed by a small table of contents about what’s going to be covered, with page numbers – a real plus when looking things up on the fly. Then, each destination is covered in a meaty paragraph with a description and insider tips as well as the address, phone number, and website.

We put Colorado Day Trips to good use this past weekend to visit Dinosaur, Colorado and Dinosaur National Monument. Heckel’s book gave us the fun fact that Dinosaur, Colorado is also the home of Marvel villain, Molecule Man. She gives the tip that the Utah side of the Monument (it straddles the border) is where to go to see the most dinosaur fossils but that the Colorado side is very scenic and that the best view can be found at Harpers Corner Trail.

We’ve lived in Colorado all our lives but we still found things in this book we didn’t know about at all or had long forgotten about that deserve another look. For newcomers, it’s a fantastic way to explore your state. Because you’ll be in your car much of the time, and many sites are outside, it makes social distancing easier. And those that are inside are likely putting measures in place to provide health and safety for visitors. We suggest calling them or checking on their website before you go, though, to make sure you’re aware of their protocols. Plan to take hand sanitizer and your face masks when you pack up the car.

Colorado Day Trips by Theme, by Aimee Heckel, is available from independent booksellers and also online. Here’s an affiliate link to the book on Amazon.com. We received a press review copy of this book to help facilitate this review. However, as is always our policy, our opinions are based on our own experiences. Learn more on our About page.

What else is In Good Taste? While you’re heading out on your day trips, getting to know the state of Colorado, stream our podcast conversation with Chris Englert, founder of Eat, Walk, Learn, who provides guides and tips for walking and exploring the neighborhoods of Denver.

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