Sports & Recreation

Check Out Colorado State Parks Pass at Libraries

How many of Colorado’s 42 state parks have you visited? Now you and your family can visit any or all of them for FREE. Colorado Parks and Wildlife has teamed up with the Colorado State Library to offer the Check-Out Colorado program. Each of 287 libraries (including public, military and college/university libraries) has two seven-day hang-tag park passes good for entrance to all Colorado state parks, and they can be reserved and checked-out just as books can. The pass also includes a backpack a guide to Colorado’s state parks, a set of binoculars, a copy of Wildlife Viewing Guide Book and field guides to trees, wildflowers and wildlife.

Each state park pass allows FREE entry (normally $7 to $9) into the parks for one carload of visitors. filled with park information and educational activities. Hike or bike the multi-use trails, find wildlife in their natural surroundings, visit a nature center or bring a picnic. With a license or camping reservation, you can try fishing or camp out overnight. Visit your local library or check the Participating Libraries List to find a library near you.

Hiking This Summer? This Guide Will Inspire

Planning to do some serious hiking this summer? There’s a website that might get you inspired. It’s a comprehensive article at Boot Bomb on the Top 50 Long Distance Hiking Trails In The USA. The article is FREE and it not only gives you descriptions and locations of those trails, including start and stop points, but also offers tips on long-distance hiking with lots more links to advice. And yes, Colorado made the list (check out #16).

ZogSports Makes It Easy and Affordable to Play and Socialize

Don’t Toss Those Valpaks

It’s easy to simply recycle those Valpak envelopes without even opening them. But don’t! Inside are some decent deals and discounts at Front Range businesses. Each month we find, among others, coupons good for 50% off brunch at Bonnie Brae Tavern, 20% off at Harbor Freight Tools, a $4.99 Autawash car wash and more. If you don’t receive a Valpak or simply want additional offers go to their website which has dozens of downloadable coupons (some identical to the mailing and some unique to the website) for dining, home & garden, shops, groceries and more.

More Areas Skiable on Copper’s Season Passes

Copper Mountain’s season passes offer all the more value now with three FREE days at Taos Ski Valley, N.M., and FREE skiing at Grand Targhee, Wyo., with a purchase of accommodations through Grand Targhee Lodging. Whether or not you’ve skied Taos before, this is the year to do so. New ownership has brought the wherewithal to make dramatic improvements, most notably the installation of the new Kachina Peak chairlift, unloading at 12,450 feet and increasing the skiable terrain by 50%. From Denver, Taos is roughly 280 miles — just 50 or so miles farther than Crested Butte. Grand Targhee, located at the Wyoming-Idaho border, is a longer drive (or a flight either to Jackson or Idaho Falls), but it is worth for powderhounds who avoid crowds. Also, Copper Passholders get FREE skiing and riding at five other Powdr-operated resorts: Boreal, Calif.; Killington, Vt.; Mt Bachelor Resort, Ore.; Park City Mountain Resort, Utah, and Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort, Nev. Adult prices are Copper Pass, $389, and the new Secret! Copper Pass, $489. Prices for new season passes and renewals are the same, so guests are not penalized for not having a Copper pass in the past.

MY Denver Card = Free Recreation Center & Pool Entry

Parents know it’s better to keep kids busy and active rather than just sitting on the couch saying, “I’m bored.” There’s good news for parents because the MY Denver Card program allows youth (ages 5 to 18) year-round access to the city’s 23 recreation centers and 29 pools, as well as the Denver Public Library, for FREE. Parents may take their children to any of the 23 recreation centers throughout the city to fill out the appropriate paperwork to receive their MY Denver Card. Cards are now issued the same day applications are submitted. Once processed, the MY Denver Card will also serve as each child’s Denver Public Library card and replaces any previously-issued card from Denver Public Library. The program applies to all students in grades K-12 regardless of where they go to school, as long as they’re residents of Denver. Thanks to the innovative program, young Denverites can keep their body and mind active all year-long.