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Excursions

For a Half Day

Golden:
Denver's origins in mining and the Wild West are clearly evident at Golden, 23km (14 miles) west of Denver. Heritage Square, 18301 West Colfax (tel: (303) 279 2789), a reconstructed Colorado mining town from the 1870s, offers speciality shops, restaurants, amusement park rides and a music hall. The winding scenic Lariat Trail from Highway 6 leads to Buffalo Bill's Museum and Grave (tel: (303) 526 0747), which has original posters from his Wild West shows and exhibits illustrating life on the frontier and the days of the famous Pony Express. Moving on to the heyday of the railroads in the west, the Colorado Railroad Museum, 17155 West 44th Avenue (tel: (303) 279 4591), has a vast collection of memorabilia, more than 50 narrow gauge cars and locomotives and a gigantic model railroad layout. Golden is reached by US40 or US6 from Denver or by RTD buses 16, 17 and 44L.
For a Whole Day

Georgetown:
Lying in a spectacular mountain valley, 68km (42 miles) west of Denver, Georgetown is a historic mining town maintained and restored in turn-of-the-century style. Horse-drawn carriage tours wind through the pretty side streets but the highlight in summer is the steam-powered Georgetown Loop Railroad ride to the Lebanon Silver Mine. The narrow gauge antique steam locomotives curve down a mountain ledge, crossing over the 27m-high (100ft) Devil's Gate Bridge.

From Georgetown, all the routes are scenic, but the drive through the alpine beauty of Arapaho National Forest. This route goes over the famous Trail Ridge Road (closed in winter), through Rocky Mountain National Park with views right across the Rockies, and continues on to Denver via Estes Park and Boulder. It gives a flavour of the grandeur of the peaks, the clear blue of the lakes, the verdant forest trails and the vast spaces for outdoor enjoyment.



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