Long before Colorado became home to more winter Olympians than any other US state, it was a place of pilgrimage for fitness, health and wellness obsessives from across the globe. In the late 19th century, patients suffering from all manner of health issues flocked to Denver and the Rocky Mountains, lauding its clean, dry air and almost ever-present sun.
Those earthly amenities are still an attraction today. With front range cities Denver, Boulder and Colorado Springs averaging 300 days of sunshine a year each, plus easy access to alpine ski-bum havens such as Aspen and Vail, Colorado is the least obese state in the US.
And short-term visitors can reap the benefits, too: Colorado is all about keeping active, whether you feel like yoga in a butterfly pavilion or steeping in turquoise-hued hot springs. Whether you’re Denver-bound or straying further afield, start your Colorado health kick here.
Denver
For the ultimate get-fitkit, start with Denverite favourite REI. The flagship store of the famous outdoor gear brand – housed in a 1901 power building along the Platte River – is the perfect place to gear up for any al fresco activity you’ve got planned. While you’re there, pick up gratis advice and maps on nearby hiking trails at the information desk, staffed by local outdoor experts, or get the high-octane activities going early by scaling its 14-metre-high climbing wall.
Fuel up for a day of adventure at Vital Root, a raw and vegan restaurant on hip Tennyson Street, where dishes include almond chive pesto risotto and addictive “BBQ wings” made of smoked broccoli and cauliflower.
When you’re ready to tone up like a Coloradan, join one of the hippest yoga classes in the area, such as Rainforest Yoga, held in the Butterfly Pavilion, where monarchs and painted ladies may land upon you in shavasana, or Yoga with the Sharks (just what it sounds like) at the Downtown Aquarium. Rather get outdoors? Try Yoga on the Rocks at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, just 10 miles west of the city in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, where towering sandstone outcrops jut from the mountainside.
If you’d rather move your frame without having to contort into anything resembling a pretzel, make a beeline for Earth Treks Englewood, a 4,900 square metre roped climbing and bouldering gym set to open summer 2018.
Then finish the ultimate Denver health day by floating in a zero-gravity saline pod at Samana Float Center, in the RiNo art district.
Boulder and Colorado Springs
Half an hour northwest of Denver, in the foothills of the Flatiron rock formations, Boulder is home to the University of Colorado and a tech scene that rivals Silicon Valley’s. Its residents are also as fit as they come, and it’s no surprise; they have access to more than 150 miles of hiking trails in the mountains that seem to spring up from their own backyards.
Head to Eldorado Canyon state park to hike alongside Boulder Creek or up Rattlesnake Gulch trail; 1.4 miles uphill you’ll find the evocative remains of the Crags hotel, which burned to the ground in 1912. Then, join Boulder residents for a dip in an artesian well at the 1905 Eldorado swimming pool, whose turquoise blue waters feed the pool from a natural spring. Finish with vegan cashew “mac & cheese” or a grass-fed skirt steak and pesto salad at Fresh Thymes restaurant, where local cyclists collect to refuel on the outdoor patio.
Insiders opt to stay at the St Julien hotel & spa, where amenities include a 15-metre indoor lap pool with mountain views, or The Colorado Chautauqua, a 120-year-young mountainside lodge with 58 individual cottages a short stroll from downtown (try the pan-seared trout with zucchini ribbons for dinner).
Both Olympians and Olympic hopefuls flock an hour south of Denver to Colorado Springs for three key reasons. The biggest is the 14-hectare US Olympic Training Center, where everyone from cycling to figure skating teams practise until perfect – tours of the facility operate all summer. Two other lures? One: hiking the highly Instagrammable Garden of the Gods, where jagged 91-metre-tall sandstone rock formations jut from the earth below towering Pikes Peak. And two: heading to the newly revamped 1918 The Broadmoor resort. The flurry of activities on its 2,023-hectare grounds include fly-fishing the Tarryall River and zip-lining 548 metres over South Cheyenne Canyon.
The Rockies
You can’t leave Colorado without spending a night or two in the 415-square-mile Rocky Mountain national park – it’s one of the most-visited national parks in the US for good reason. Among the most eye-popping hikes is the 3.5-mile Emerald Lake trail, which leads you past glass-clear Nymph and Dream lakes, both surrounded by stone peaks and each an Ansel Adams photograph sprung to resplendent life. Colo-radical indeed.
United Airlines offers a seasonal, non-stop service from London Heathrow to Denver on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner – complete with high-tech cabin lighting and smoother ride technology, plus flat-bed seats in Polaris business class. Learn more at united.com
