'I scaled 4,300m up world's second most visited mountain on a beautiful train'

Stuart Arnold visited Pikes Peak, known arsenic “America’s Mountain” and the 2nd astir visited upland successful the satellite (behind Mount Fuji successful Japan), during a travel to Denver, Colorado

When visiting Colorado, you gotta purpose precocious right? After each this is the location of the Rocky Mountains and a authorities superior – Denver – nicknamed the Mile High City owed to its authoritative elevation a mile supra oversea level (5,280ft).

At 14,115ft high, Pikes Peak is known arsenic “America’s Mountain” and is the 2nd astir visited upland successful the satellite (behind Mount Fuji successful Japan). We were travelling close up to the apical of it connected the Pikes Peak Cog Railway connected a beautifully warm, sunny day.

I had envisaged a rickety aged railway, but a picture-perfect presumption greeted america and shiny reddish carriages that were modern and spotlessly cleanable carried america 9 miles to the summit.

The conductor connected committee was entertaining, combining omniscient cracks with section cognition and trivia. “He’s similar the conductor from The Polar Express,” 1 of our enactment whispered. “Who writes your scripts?” idiosyncratic other asked. There are viewing platforms astatine the apical and connected a wide time you tin spot 5 antithetic states.

Catching my enactment slightly, we divided up to research the views and to instrumentality the unusual selfie. The driblet successful somesthesia was noticeable – it felt chilly and this was lone September.

There’s a acme visitant centre telling the past of the peak, arsenic good arsenic the obligatory acquisition store and restaurant. Back astatine the bottom, the municipality of Manitou Springs, a fewer minutes’ thrust from the railway, has a definite folksy charm with an absorbing postulation of autarkic shops that are good worthy a halt disconnected too.

Our usher for exploring the large outdoors was Jeff from Denver-based Aspire Tours. Nothing was excessively overmuch occupation and we could not person asked for a much friendly, down-to-earth guide. Earlier we took successful different of Colorado’s celebrated attractions, The Garden of the Gods. These are elephantine reddish columns of sandstone stone shooting up into the sky, which are earnestly awesome and marque for a stunning vista.

We besides spent different time successful the Rocky Mountain National Park, again with Jeff arsenic our guide, starting disconnected astatine Horseshoe Falls with its delightful streams and waterfalls. We besides ventured up to the alpine tundra, which covers 1 3rd of the parkland and wherever wintertime lasts 9 months a year.

It’s a harsh, desolate situation that could beryllium the backdrop for a post-apocalyptic film. We lone managed a snapshot of the park, however, which is immense and receives much than 4 cardinal visitors each year.

I’d packed binoculars hoping to drawback a glimpse of immoderate wildlife which was a mostly fruitless venture, but – Jeff to the rescue – he’d received a tip-off connected wherever elk could beryllium found. A abbreviated thrust followed earlier we recovered ourselves successful a vale peering astatine a antheral elk, implicit with fearsome-looking antlers and his harem (the sanction of a radical of pistillate elks, who knew?)

The Maven, a boutique edifice connected Wazee Street successful downtown Denver, provided our accommodation portion successful Colorado. The standout diagnostic of my spacious country was undoubtedly the bath which boasted a immense circular bath, portion a ample walk-in ablution was
pleasingly powerful.

We besides liked the tokens offered by reception which entitled guests to escaped cocktails during a regular blessed hr served from a mini Airstream caravan. Apparently intoxicant packs much of a punch supra oversea level and Denver is highly adust with 300 days of sunshine. So it’s a bully thought to portion tons of h2o and battalion plentifulness of sunblock.

To accidental we were good fed would beryllium an understatement, and we visited a fig of prime restaurants successful Denver for dinner. The classy A5 Steakhouse connected 15th Street stood retired with a bully vibe.

The seafood was fantastic, peculiarly the crab, portion 2 of my much adventurous question companions shucked a assortment of oysters
which received adjacent praise. The array work was besides fantabulous wherever we went – does anyone bash it amended than successful the US? Breakfast-wise, The Lobby connected Arapahoe Street besides did a large occupation of helping america refuel aft a precocious nighttime connected the town, and the Southern biscuits and gravy (a savoury dish, not arsenic we’d ideate it) and a abstracted serving of French toast were delicious.

A indispensable for foodies is Denver Central Market connected Larimer Street, a gourmet nutrient hallway and market marketplace wherever we hung retired for a fewer hours. I had a Coco Banana smoothie from the Green Seed, which consisted of banana, coconut, cocoa, peanut food (it had to beryllium done, this being America aft all), yogurt and almond milk.

Another stall, Temper Chocolates, provided treats to instrumentality location to my spouse and children (although I confess I aboriginal ate immoderate of
them myself).

There’s a thriving arts country successful Denver and determination was clip for quiescent contemplation erstwhile calling astatine the Clyfford Still Museum.

Still, who was calved successful North Dakota successful 1904, was 1 of the archetypal abstract expressionists and is considered 1 of America’s astir important painters. Denver successfully bid for his artwork postulation aft his widow sought a caller location for it and the depository present has much than 3,000 pieces.

Unconventionally, Still believed the colour achromatic to beryllium life-affirming. He was besides a hard antheral who fell retired with his contemporaries, accusing 1 nfellow creator of plagiarising his enactment and adjacent sending nappies successful the station to 1 professional who displeased him.

The Denver Graffiti Tour is simply a large mode to spot different broadside of the metropolis and is situated successful the RiNo (River North) Art District. It covers astir 20 blocks, lasting up to 2 hours, and explores thoroughfare art, murals and graffiti, and the stories down them.

It was a spot of an eye-opener, showcasing some the creativity of the artists progressive and however radical tin travel unneurotic with collaborative efforts, but besides the tensions going connected wrong section communities.

Our guide, who was blessed to reply immoderate questions we had, relayed however 1 creator tragically mislaid her beingness aft being targeted by a gunman. It was a solemn enactment connected an absorbing tour.

Located adjacent Denver Broncos’ Mile High Stadium, Meow Wolf is simply a must-see attraction consisting of other-worldy interactive creation installations that defy description. Imagine Doctor Who crossed with Blade Runner and Total Recall. It is seemingly the archetypal multi-versal transit presumption serving Earth, immoderate that means.

It’s a multi-sensory, somewhat nightmarish acquisition successful places and you can’t assistance but beryllium wowed by the imaginativeness connected display. As a sci-fi fan, it was a heady item connected this travel to a metropolis miles up successful its offering.

Book the holiday

• Aer Lingus flies to Denver, Colorado, from March to October. Connect from 10 UK cities via Dublin (US Immigration pre-clearance), with 23kg baggage, from £549 return. aerlingus.com
• Rooms astatine The Maven edifice successful Denver commencement astatine astir £198 a night. themavenhotel.com
• More info astatine denver.org