Things To Do
Longs Peak
If you're feeling up to it, September should be a fantastic time to hike Longs! If you start at 2am on Sunday, you should be able to hike, summit, and make it to the reception! If anyone dares to complete this the day of the wedding, I will personally give them a frosty!
Manitou Incline
Located 2.5 hours away from Ellis Ranch, the Manitou Incline offers a diverse landscape with a not-so-diverse slope differential. Starting near Manitou Springs, you'll be hiking up 1 mile of pure incline. If you're flying into Colorado Springs instead of Denver (for whatever reason), this makes for a great morning/afternoon climb. If you start the incline any time before 9am, you should be on track to make it to the ceremony and reception!
Greeley
Greeley is one of the few hidden gems left in Colorado. Conveniently located 45 minutes away from Ellis Ranch, Greeley is known as one of the best culinary districts in the state! As soon as you drive into the city, your nose will be overtaken by the distinct aroma that so many people call home. Whether it's Italian, Mexican, or a Good Old Fashioned Burger, Greeley offers an unrivaled culinary experience you won't forget. Plus, Greeley is home to numerous hikes where you'll come face to face and nose to nose with wildlife that you can't find anywhere else. If we weren't having our wedding in Loveland, we would be having an outdoor-only ceremony in Greeley! You can't visit Colorado without visiting this gem of a town.
CO-NE-WY Tri-State Marker
What could possibly be better than the Four Corners? The Three Corners! Conveniently located 2 hours away from Ellis Ranch, the Three Corners offer a variety of sights to behold. This particular Three Corners shares a deep history with Josh. Ever since college, he's dreamed of making the trek there and back again, only to chicken out at the last minute because of things like life, friends, family, etc. If you're flying into Cheyenne for the wedding rather than Denver, this could make for a fantastic pit-stop on the way there. You'll be itching to go to the 4 other Three Corners (5 total) that Colorado has to offer after visiting this one. Perhaps that can be a road trip after the wedding!
Horsetooth Reservoir
If you're looking for a place to paddleboard, have a picnic, go hiking, or all of the above, Horsetooth Reservoir offers a diverse set of activities to choose from. Josh and Micah share a special memory with Horsetooth, as it was the first location where they taught their dog, Gandalf, to paddleboard! You heard that right, their pupper is a paddle boarding man! If you want to follow in Gandalf's footsteps and stand up on the paddleboard, you'll get bonus points from Josh and Micah.
Dunes near Walden
Believe it or not, there exists some Sand Dunes in Northern Colorado. This is one of Josh's favorite spots to have the Jeep catch some air! If you're looking for an adventure that'll last a lifetime, look no further than the dunes! Hopefully, there aren't any sand worms in this Dune, but we can't make any promises! PSA: If you go to the Dunes prior to the wedding, PLEASE put on a change of clothes. We don't want to have sand all over our reception venue.
Krazy Karl’s Pizza
Krazy Karl's is by-far our 2nd favorite pizza place! (Really nothing can beat Beaujos, especially since that's where we got engaged) If you go, you MUST get cream cheese on your pizza. If you have the chance to go to the Fort Collins, location near CSU, then take it! Otherwise, the Loveland location is a solid alternative. If you're allergic to Dairy or Gluten, this place might not be the place for you.
Beau Jo's Idaho Springs
If you're going to get Pizza in Colorado, you have to get Beaujos Pizza! It's our favorite by far! Located in the legendary town of Idaho Springs, you can follow the steps Josh and Micah took prior to getting engaged! The Charlie Tayler Water wheel is where it all happened, and it is still standing to this day. Feel free to pay your respects to the water wheel at any time.