Interstate 25, which cleanly splits Colorado in two—the Rocky Mountains to the west and Great Plains to the east—looks like a giant starting line, holding back the many cities and towns perched at the base of the mountains, as if the bang of a starter pistol would release its people into the endless bounty of peaks, rivers, lakes and valleys that lay beyond. Just as New York evokes towering, majestic skyscrapers in the mind’s eye, Colorado is synonymous with towering, majestic mountains and the accompanying scenes of pure, white powder, raging rivers and pristine forests. There is no line holding anyone back, of course, as people have been moving here for decades specifically for the stunning outdoor recreation the state is renowned for.
For planners, Colorado is a virtual playground for group recreation and inspired meetings.
“We are right on the dividing line of two ecosystems; the mountains go straight up to the west. That gives you an unbelievable choice of activities,” says Rich Grant, communications director of the Denver CVB. “We have the largest park system in the country. The difficulty is deciding where to go.”
Because the overwhelming majority of the state’s cities and towns are located either at the foot of the mountains or within them, you are always surrounded by some of the best outdoor recreation in the world. Whether it is wintertime skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling or summertime hiking, mountain biking, fishing, white-water rafting and rock climbing, the abundance of options means there is something for all skill levels and any type of group.
If your fit, adventurous team wants to be challenged, blow their minds with a guided climb up a 14,000-foot mountain—the state has 51! If you require something mellow, an easy hike just outside of town will provide plenty of stunning scenery. And then there’s everything in between, whether it’s a targeted team-building program, a remote setting for an inspired meeting, or just plain old fun.
The good news is that because most Coloradans live for the outdoors, there are plenty of highly professional adventure companies and DMCs around to make sure the experience is as safe, fun and productive as possible. All you need to do is decide exactly what corner of this thrilling state you want to explore.
Denver
The state’s capital and largest city, Denver is unique for having the amenities of a major destination as well as top-notch outdoor recreation just minutes away. And last year, the city was graced with the attention of meeting planners from all over the world when it hosted the widely followed Democratic National Convention.
“We had this opportunity to be on the world stage, and everyone put their best foot forward,” says Rachel Benedick, associate vice president of convention sales for the Denver CVB. “There are planners that thought, ‘Wow, if Denver can handle that, they can handle any convention.’ The city has really gone through a renaissance.”
But while President Obama’s staff and the international press corps may have been too busy to steal away for a few hours of rock climbing or white-water rafting, your meeting attendees will most certainly be clamoring for it.
“The scope of outdoor recreation here is gigantic; it’s hard to imagine,” says Grant of the Denver CVB.
Grant, who has lived in the state for 30 years, is your quintessential Colorado outdoorsman. Having done everything from rock climbing to mountain biking to river rafting to hiking, he knows the kind of impact the great outdoors can have on a group.
“For smaller groups, you can do just about anything with some instruction, like hiking and fishing. The easiest is river rafting. It’s completely set up to do groups—they have the buses and all the equipment ready to go,” he says. “That is a pretty magical day, to go through the canyons and the rapids. There is no major city that is this accessible to outdoor recreation, with constant great weather.”
While Denver is located on the flatlands of the Great Plains, the Rockies rise just to the west. Because of this, the city has surprisingly mild winters and 300 days of sunshine. Activities like fishing, hiking, rafting and mountain biking are only a half-hour away, while wintertime ski resorts can be reached in under two hours. There’s even a “ski train” and shuttle bus to transport skiers from downtown Denver to some of the closest resorts. Boulder, a renowned outdoorsy college town, is a mere 25 minutes away. The city is also full of DMCs and outfitters with extensive group recreation experience, such as The Arrangers, which has been working with groups since 1969.
“Outdoor recreation is good for groups because it gives them a chance to experience the beauty of Colorado and get out of a meeting room,” says Nicole March, owner and president. “Some activities get people out of their comfort zones and provide the opportunity to have new experiences together.”
In addition to “standard” activities around Denver like horseback riding, fly-fishing and dog sledding, March also runs specific team-building activities, such as scavenger hunts (via foot or Jeep) geo-caching, ropes courses and Survivor or Amazing Race challenges (both based on their respective TV series). She says the results are almost always impressive.
“Outdoors, away from an office environment, the dynamic can change between bosses, coworkers and employees,” she says. “It is an opportunity to learn new things about the people you work with. A physical activity can also invigorate a group and bring renewed energy to a meeting.”
Colorado Springs
The state’s second-largest city, Colorado Springs is an immensely popular summer destination—and you’ll be able to see why before your plane even touches down. Located 80 miles south of Denver, the city is surrounded by beautiful natural scenery, offering almost every form of outdoor recreation imaginable (except for skiing). This includes the Garden of the Gods, a series of dramatic sandstone formations (perfect for rock climbing and hiking), Cave of the Winds (tours available), Seven Falls (waterfalls and trails) and the towering Pikes Peak (which inspired the song America, the Beautiful). Even the name of the CVB—Experience Colorado Springs at Pikes Peak—makes it clear that this is a place where people come to enjoy the great outdoors.
“Certainly outdoor activities are our No. 1 thing to do in the summer,” says Kathy Reak, director of convention sales at the CVB. “There’s no place like it in the world.”
Aside from the scenery, another major pull for groups is a chance to stay at The Broadmoor, a beautiful resort set at the base of Cheyenne Mountain. In addition to having all the meetings amenities of a luxury resort, The Broadmoor runs a wide variety of guided group recreation trips, such as white-water rafting, rock climbing, ballooning, fly fishing, horseback riding and Jeep and van tours.
There are also plenty of outfitters in the city that excel at group excursions, such as Academy Riding Stables (horseback riding), Gravity Play Entertainment (rock and ice climbing, hiking and snowshoeing) and Echo Canyon River Expeditions (white-water rafting).
Boulder If you are left-leaning, passionate about conservation and simply live for outdoor recreation, it doesn’t get much better than Boulder. As a major college town, Boulder is brimming with energy, and even the majority of the 9-to-5ers are weekend warriors, heading out into the adjacent mountains to engage in some of the best extreme sports in the country. In fact, there is no greater testimony to what Boulder offers than the many professional athletes who choose to live here because of its outdoor recreation (as well as the professional facilities and high altitude). As a result, the energy that surrounds this place is often contagious to visitors.
“Groups arrive and see everyone being active,” says Mary Ann Mahoney, executive director of the Boulder CVB. “And then they feel like they want to be more active, so they often rearrange their schedule.”
Thanks to a strong commitment to conservation that began in 1959, the city is completely surrounded by a huge band of preserved land, which keeps urban sprawl in check as well as provides incredibly accessible hiking and walking trails. Even if your group wants to head deeper into the more challenging terrain, it’s a matter of minutes.
Steve Mertz is the outreach coordinator of the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, the agency that has bought land around the city for conservation purposes for the past 40 years. He says visiting groups enjoy coming to one of the epicenters of ecological conservation, especially when they experience it firsthand.
“People tend to bond more on a hike than they do in a color-neutral meeting room. We actually hear that a lot,” he says. “It tends to invigorate people.”
Fort Collins
Like Boulder, Fort Collins is largely defined by its many college students, who take advantage of the town’s abundant outdoor fun in between classes. An hour north of Denver, the town is also known for its craft breweries, which can make for the perfect ending to a rigorous day outdoors, with tours and group rental space available.
One of the main outdoor attractions is Horsetooth Reservoir, where one can rock climb, hike, mountain bike or go boating. For some of the best fly-fishing in the state, head to Cache La Poudre, a scenic canyon filled with wild rainbow and brown trout. Along other parts of the river groups can go white-water rafting.
Rocky Mountain Adventures handles many group activities, including kayaking, white-water rafting and fly- fishing in summer, and snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in winter.
Estes Park
A small town almost entirely devoted to the outdoors, and with a population of only 6,000, Estes Park is an ideal destination for small groups looking to get away from it all and completely immerse themselves in nature.
Situated right at the eastern entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park, 90 miles northwest of Denver, Estes Park sits at 7,522 feet above sea level. Summers are nearly perfect, and visitors can expect to see impressive wildlife, such as elk and bighorn sheep. The range of outdoor options is limitless, including backcountry camping, rock climbing, alpine mountaineering, rafting and fishing.
Winters provide a tranquil and beautiful contrast, with far less visitors and excellent cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Winter temperatures here are actually warmer than in most of Colorado’s mountain towns.
With an economy almost exclusively tourist-based, there are several guide outfitters.
Grand Junction
Whereas most cities in Colorado sit at the eastern edge of the Rockies, Grand Junction is in a world of its own at the western edge of the state. Here, at the junction of the Colorado and Gunnison rivers, the landscape is more akin to the red-rock mesas and high desert beauty of neighboring Utah than the forested mountains to the east.
Grand Junction holds the distinction of being at the heart of the state’s wine country as well as surrounded by prehistoric dinosaur fossils.
In terms of outdoor recreation, Colorado National Monument—only 15 minutes away—is an excellent venue for hiking, mountain biking and technical rock climbing. Colorado Alpine & Desert Adventures takes groups there for canyoneering, climbing and rappelling.
The rivers, including the Colorado, are home to a dozen rapids, with several large rafting outfitters available. In winter, Powderhorn Ski Resort provides excellent skiing just 45 minutes away.
Mountain Resorts
Of course, Colorado would not have its reputation for recreation if it weren’t for the many world-class ski resorts sprinkled throughout the mountains.
A list that includes Aspen, Snowmass, Vail, Breckenridge, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Steamboat Springs, Durango and Telluride is enough to make any powder-hound squirm in their seat as they remember perfect powder snow, well-designed ski runs and fantastic resorts and restaurants waiting below. Warmer months also provide endless outdoor pursuits, including hiking, mountain biking and paragliding.
The mountain resorts are packed with adventure outfitters and programs catering to groups wishing to immerse themselves in the great outdoors when meetings break.
Each mountain resort has a distinct flavor, whether it’s Aspen, a popular escape for the rich and famous, with haute couture shopping and world-class dining to boot; Snowmass Village, an inviting mountain town residing on the second-largest ski mountain in Colorado; Vail, boasting the largest single-mountain ski slopes in North America; or Breckenridge, one of the most popular ski resorts in the U.S. and a favorite for its historic Main Street.
Meanwhile, the historic town of Durango is surrounded by outdoor recreation, though one of the best—and most scenic—activities for groups is a ride on the historic Durango & Silverton Narrow-Gauge Railroad.
For More Info
Aspen Chamber Resort Association 970.925.1940 www.aspen-groups.com
Boulder CVB 303.442.2911 www.bouldercoloradousa.com
Breckenridge Resort Chamber 970.453.2913 www.gobreck.com
Colorado Tourism Office 303.892.3885 www.colorado.com
Copper Mountain Resort 970.968.2318 www.coppermeetings.com
Denver Metro CVB 303.892.1112 www.denver.org
Durango Area Tourism Office 970.247.3500 www.durango.org
Estes Park Colorado CVB 970.577.9900 www.estesparkcvb.com
Experience Colorado Springs at Pikes Peak CVB 719.635.7506 www.visitcos.com
Fort Collins CVB 970.232.3840 www.ftcollins.com
Grand Junction Visitor and Convention Bureau 970.244.1480 www.visitgrandjunction.com
Keystone Resort 970.496.4242 www.keystone.snow.com
Snowmass Village Resort Association 970.923.2000 www.snowmassvillage.com
Steamboat Springs Chamber Resort Association 970.879.0880 www.steamboat-chamber.com
Telluride Tourism Board 970.369.1177 www.tellurideconference.com
Vail Valley Partnership 970.476.1000 www.visitvailvalley.com
