Denver / Estes Park early July...

[InnocentCrook]

Heading out to the Denver area for a week and a half. Just 2 days for just disc golf since it's a trip with my wife, her sister, and sister's husband (also a disc'er). Plans include a concert at Red Rocks (Avett Bros. w/ OCMS opening.), couple days hiking in RMNP, some rafting in the Estes Park area, general Denver sightseeing, and visiting my wife and sister in law's grandma in Aurora.

As far as disc golf goes... 1 day in the greater Denver area, 1 in the Estes Park area.

Estes Park we'll hit YMCA of the Rockies and hopefully at least one other course. Any recommendations? I'm thinking about either heading North to Buckhorn or the (2) 9-holers in Longmont.

Denver is completely up in the air. My preference would be for more mountain-ish courses since we don't have any of that kind of terrain here in Cincy. There's always a good chance we'll have an afternoon or morning at some point to hit a course that's closer to the city.

Beaver Ranch, Bailey, Phantom Falls? I'd prefer to hit (2) courses minimum, (3) would be amazing in the one day available. Opinions? Too ambitious?

Any kind folks out there willing to play guide? It's always more enjoyable with a local who knows the ins and outs of the courses.

Cool breweries (I've been to New Belgium, Wynkoop, Breckenridge on a previous trip and we're planning on going to New Belgium and Odell's already during this trip.) and non-dg suggestions also welcome and appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

 

[Exovel]

That would be my neck of the woods. If you're coming to Fort Collins (for NB and Odells) it would be an absolute mistake to not go to Equinox Brewing. Easily my favorite in the area. I could make about 1000 other beer recommendations as well (Grimm Brothers, Funkwerks, Great Divide, etc), so let me know how much beer time you have.

As for disc, there are so many options in the area. Phantom Falls is highly recommended around here, though I haven't had the pleasure of visiting myself. It doesn't sound like you have too much time to deviate from the path, though, which may make things more difficult. Have you played any courses out this way?

 

[jeffmonty]

Make sure you check with Buckhorn before you head up there. I believe they were closed to the public for a while, still may be, and they had that awful fire up there last spring. A good option might be Sundance Trail Ranch and Beaver Meadows up in Red Feather Lakes, west of the Fort.

 

[InnocentCrook]

That would be my neck of the woods. If you're coming to Fort Collins (for NB and Odells) it would be an absolute mistake to not go to Equinox Brewing. Easily my favorite in the area. I could make about 1000 other beer recommendations as well (Grimm Brothers, Funkwerks, Great Divide, etc), so let me know how much beer time you have.

As for disc, there are so many options in the area. Phantom Falls is highly recommended around here, though I haven't had the pleasure of visiting myself. It doesn't sound like you have too much time to deviate from the path, though, which may make things more difficult. Have you played any courses out this way?

We're definitely gonna hit up NB just because it's such a fun place and I've told my travelling companions how cool it is. Took a tour myself back in 09. I really enjoy Odell's brews, but if Equinox is a better experience I can recommend that to the group instead. Haven't had any of their brews yet. (Can't look at beer websites here at work, all blocked, so I'll check it out at home tonight.)

Yeah, I can't figure out what to play down in the Bailey/Pine area. They all have solid reviews. We may end up playing Bailey and Beaver Ranch just because we won't have to deal with a tee time and we can take our time. My bro in law isn't in horrible shape, but he's definitely not gonna be used to the elevation. I haven't played any CO courses, but I've done a fair amount of hiking and mountain biking in the Denver area, some hiking in the Sierra, and even some stuff in the Swiss Alps so I know what to expect out of my body in regards to the elevation. Him, I'm not so sure about, that's why I'm thinking it would be a good idea to take it slow.

 

[Exovel]

I really enjoy Odell's brews, but if Equinox is a better experience I can recommend that to the group instead. Haven't had any of their brews yet.

I should clarify a bit. New Belgium is a blast, and their tour is wonderful. If the last time you went was '09, I think you'll be shocked at the expansion. It's a whole new world there now. You should go just for the wow factor alone. Just make sure you make tour reservations on-line ahead of time. They fill up way in advance. O'dells is also a giant building with a cool atmosphere. If you want the "big" microbrew experience, you can't go wrong. It's an awesome brewery with a constantly changing beer line-up. I can't say enough positive things about it.

Equinox, on the other hand, is a true micro brewery. It's a tiny little building in Old Town. They're too small to even distribute, so you wouldn't have had any of their beer before... but it's so worth while. The atmosphere isn't over the top (and they don't do tours) but the BEER is incredible. So, for the best beer experience, go to Odells and NB hands down. If you simply want the best TASTING beer in town, hit Equinox (which also happens to be a 5 minute walk from a disc golf shop... http://www.wrightlife.com/

 

[emiller3]

Will Bailey be open when you're here? I haven't looked at the schedule. Typically it's only open for a couple weeks and has a few temp baskets. If it is, you need to play it. If it's not, set up a tee time at Phantom Falls. Beaver Ranch is definitely a must. Both Bailey and Beaver Ranch are excellent mountain courses...well, just excellent courses, period. You'll need to keep up to date on course conditions and closures though, we had course closures last summer due to the wild fires and it's supposed to be another dry one this summer. Check the forums at mhdgc.org.

The YMCA course is very family friendly, not on par with the Pine courses. There is still some challenge there and worth hitting while you are in Estes Park, there's not a whole lot else there as far as dg.

If you make it down to Southern Colorado let me know.

 

[Exovel]

Him, I'm not so sure about, that's why I'm thinking it would be a good idea to take it slow.

As you might have been able to tell, I'm a more qualified beer guide than disc guide. I have so many more beer recommendations. But, if we get back to the focus of this thread, I do recommend hitting up Wright Life from my previous post. They can give you course maps for all the local courses as well as some stellar advice. The guys there are always awesome. If you're worried about some of your companions doing the more mountainous courses, you could always hit Edora Park in Ft. Collins, which is my home course. It's a fun course with a mixture of short and long holes but it plays relatively flat compared to a lot of courses, so you can ease your way into playing at elevation.

I drove by Sundance Trail on Sunday. The course looked like it was doing pretty well (as much as you can tell from the road) despite the inclement weather over the weekend. You may just have to prepare for things to potentially be a little muddy or super super dry depending on when you're coming through. As for the Denver area courses, I sadly haven't hit many, so I'll have to defer to someone else's knowledge.

 

[Future_Primitive]

Just got back from Aurora, CO myself, visiting my brother and his family. He plays weekly with some friends so we hit up some of the more city courses like Exposition Park, Ken Caryl (short), Green Valley Ranch DGC, Arapahoe Community College DGC, East Interlocken and Johnny Roberts DGC. Very fun time out there once the snow melted from their quick blizzard.

A sneaky good course right off of I-25 South was Jellystone Park. A mountain course on a campground, $5.00 for a day pass and you can play this scenic course all day long. I had a really fun time here and enjoyed the scenic views as well as the multiple elevation changes.

Next year I am heading out in the summer time and will definitely hit up Beaver Ranch and Phantom Falls. Wasnt sure they would be open with the recent snowfall and being late March.