Colorado spring bucket list: 23 things to do in the Centennial State

Get Lost in Wildflowers Colorado spring and summer months are known for the huge variety of flowers that pop up around the state. While you can find a place to spot them almost anywhere, the Crested Butte area is particularly stunning. (Christian Murdock, The Gazette)

Kiss a Wolf While most consider wolves to be one of the scariest carnivores in North America, the wolves are Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Sanctuary near Divide are quite tame. In fact, they’re so tame that you can purchase some one-on-one time with these fantastic creatures. (The Gazette)

Try Something That Scares You There are plenty of ways to scare yourself around Colorado, but one of our personal favorites is a trip on Black Bear Pass. One of the most dangerous roads in the state, you’ll need the proper off-road vehicle and plenty of experience driving it to tackle this one. (OutThere Colorado)

The view at the end of the Pancake Rocks trail in Teller County. Photo credit: Seth Boster (Seth Boster)

Celebrate Waterfall Wednesday At OutThere Colorado, we can’t get enough of “Waterfall Wednesday.” The challenge is simple, dedicate a random Wednesday this spring to finding one of those Colorado waterfalls you’ve been drooling over for years. (The Gazette)

Get Your Paleontologist On Colorado used to be filled with dinosaurs, especially the Stegosaurus and the Allosaurus. Don’t believe us? You can hunt down dinosaur tracks for yourself at Picketwire Canyonlands in eastern Colorado. (The Gazette)

Jump Off A Cliff (Into Water, Of Course) If you’re an adrenaline junkie, one Colorado activity you’ll love is cliff jumping. A couple places perfect to take the leap are the Devil’s Punchbowl near Aspen and Guffey Cove near Divide. Keep in mind that this is a dangerous sport and you’ll be participating at your own risk. (The Gazette)

Test Your Physical Fitness One of the most strenuous hikes in the world, the Manitou Springs Incline hike rises 2,000 feet in less than a mile. It’ll put your body to the test. Not close to Manitou? Find another steep hike to give those calves a workout. (Michael Ciaglo, The Gazette)

Take Some Llamas Trekking Yes, llamas are quite the photogenic animal. They’ll make all of your hiking photos that much better. They also have a very practical purpose though as pack animals. Planning a multi-day hike? Make them carry your stuff. (The Gazette)

Feed a Giraffe Only a few dollars at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs (plus admission) will score you some lettuce to feed members of the largest reticulated giraffe herd in North America. (The Gazette)

Hunt Down A Crazy Hike Whether you’re hiking to a ghost town or along a haunted trail, there are tons of unique hikes in Colorado. (OutThere Colorado)

Try A Colorado Thrill Ride Whether it’s a zipline or a canyon swing, it’s not too hard to find an instance where amusement ride meets nature in Colorado. One of our team’s personal favorites is the Terror-Dactyl at Cave of the Winds in Colorado Springs. Here’s a fun fact..when we shot this 360 virtual reality video there, two brave team members had to ride it 8 times in a row. (Michael Ciaglo, The Gazette)

Head Somewhere Off the Beaten Path Take the time to track down a place-less-traveled like Wheeler Geologic Area. Places like this can be difficult to get to, but that means you won’t be fighting crowds while you’re there.

Try Your Hand at Rock Climbing With how technical rock climbing is and how much gear is involved, it’s a little hard to just test this one out on your own. Fortunately lots of climbing companies will take you to some of the best places in the state, providing the gear and instruction. One awesome place that some groups go is the pictured Shelf Road, home to nearly 1,000 sport climbing routes. (Christian Murdock, The Gazette)

Images from the 12.6-mile Barr Trail Mountain Race held annually on Sunday, July 19, 2015 in Manitou Springs. The competitive running event begins in Manitou Springs and ascends to Pikes Peak’s Barr Camp before descending back down into town. Photo Logan Riely, The Gazette (The Gazette)

Swim to a Secret Island Colorado doesn’t have too much water, meaning you won’t be finding too many islands. One that you can get to is the rock in the middle of Island Lake. Expect a hard hike with a big reward. (OutThere Colorado)

Crater Lake and the Maroon Bells on Sunday, September 25, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette (The Gazette)

(Maria Mattera via Facebook)

Visitors at The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colo. observe animals from atop the mile-long walkway. Courtesy of The Wild Animal Sanctuary (The Wild Animal Sanctuary)

Bike Up a Mountain While you can find paved mountain passes all over the state, only two fourteeners have paved roads to the top. Head to either Mt. Evans (pictured) or Pikes Peak to tackle the endurance test of a life time. (Christian Murdock, The Gazette)

Hikers take in Hanging Lake in Glennwood Canyon, east of Glennwood Springs, Colo., Monday, Aug. 8, 2016, after making the steep 1.2-mile trek to the lake. The popular trail closes Saturday, Sept. 10 for trail repairs. (The Gazette, Christian Murdock) (Christian Murdock, The Gazette)

Sink into the highest sand dunes in North America at Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.Location: Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve (Gazette File Photo)

Stacie Scott, The Gazette A train passes on the Georgetown Loop Railroad on Thursday, July 14, 2016. Photo by Stacie Scott, The Gazette (Stacie Scott, The Gazette)

Colorado Springs Gazette

Colorado spring bucket list: 23 things to do in the Centennial State

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