We have booked flights and a rental car to visit my Dad in Colorado in the summer and were sort of planning on camping around the national parks a bit and seeing Aspen, Mesa Verde and Durango on a bit of a road trip.
The Mrs has just realised that there are bears over there and is completely hysterical about the kids being eaten in the night.
Does anyone have any good recommendations for huts or yurts or whatever in that area or any other accommodation tips?
Friends live in Castle Rock south of Denver, about 3 months ago Tracy went out into the garage and found a bear in the fridge they keep in there. She screamed and headed back inside and the bear took off into the night. Castle Rock is no where near the mountains, about 15 miles from the front range.
Bears dont attack people if you follow the rules, you will be fine.
Brown Bears aren't a risk, they're very shy. Mountain Lions on the other hand will attack children / dogs:
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My friend out there always rides with a gun (but he is a Federal Agent and general gun nut)...
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I've been to castle rock a few times, I am quite surprised that there are bears there!
I am not so scared of the bears because the rules are pretty clear about what you should do to avoid having to deal with them. However, there are no guidelines about dealing with hysterical women who are convinced that their children will be carried off into the night by teams of bears who eat small boys for dinner.
However, there are no guidelines about dealing with hysterical women who are convinced that their children will be carried off into the night by teams of bears who eat small boys for dinner.
9mm to the head. It's the kindest thing you can do to end their suffering....
she's generally pretty cool, but I can tell that the bear thing is going to be an issue so I think it's best to avoid it.
+1 to the cougars (mountain lions) being a lot more dangerous than the bears! The bears in that area are generally black bears (smaller than the brown (grizzly) bears).
The chances of you seeing either is very small. We went to Minnesota specifically to look for black bears and didn't see any in the wild. Our friends did manage to see one, but it ran away as soon as it realised they were there.
If you still don't fancy camping, there will be lodging in the National and State Parks which will be on their websites. But expect to pay $100-£150 per night in the popular places (they are usually run by private companies). There are loads of motels on popular driving routes. Or you could look for private rentals accommodation on sites like VRBO and holidayrentals but a lot will have a minimum number of nights stay, which probably isn't what you are after.