I can’t believe it’s been one year of living in Colorado! I remember my first visit when I was 16 years old and that’s when the answer to the question if you could live anywhere, where would you choose? became Colorado—and never changed. My husband and I came back in 2019 and had one of the BEST WEEKENDS EVER exploring Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park.
It was one of those “we should move here” trips.
And we ACTUALLY did IT!
The dream came true in February of 2022 and was one of the good things that came out of *insert pandemic name here.* Both of us were working fully remote jobs and thought let’s go live there for a couple of years—why not!? It has been an incredible, beautiful adventure so far and there are plenty of things I love about living in Woodland Park, Colorado, along with a handful of things I hate. Let’s start with the positives!
What I LOVE About Living in Colorado
There truly are so many amazing things about living in Colorado. I fell in love quickly and the state really does have a way of sucking you right in with…
The Beauty
EVERYWHERE you go. Bright sunny skies, vast mountain ranges, and assortments of blues, greens, and whites never get old. All you need to do is look out the window! A short drive to the grocery store or post office is gorgeous. Driving a half-hour to get down to Colorado Springs is no big deal because the whole time you’re driving down winding roads right through the mountains. And it’s easily one of the best areas for road trips. The mountains are serene and they never, ever get old.
The Sunshine
This is a big one. Each year, Colorado receives 300 (!!!) days of sunshine. And that many days does the body good! It’s crazy and drastically different from our days in Minnesota. Around here, you almost accept a gray day as a chance to be lazy. And if it rolls into two days in a row, you think “what is going on?!“
The other best part? If it snows, the next day is typically warmer with bright sunshine and we can watch the snow melt down the driveway. (And you actually appreciate the beauty of snow because you know it’s not here to stay!)
The Overall Weather
Honestly, the weather as a whole is damn near perfect in Colorado. Four seasons with a much, much shorter winter, a colorful fall, and gorgeous summer days that stay around 78 and below. We’ll get big snowstorms or bitter cold days, but not often. And it rains, but rarely ever for a full day. (Plus, any precipitation is celebrated due to wildfires!)
SIDENOTE: People go crazy for fall colors here, but it’s NOTHING like the Midwest 😉
Hiking Trails
There are endlessly beautiful, well-kept trails. If you follow along, you know how often I like to throw the hiking boots on and get out there, and I’ve only done the same hike three times. Between Woodland Park, Colorado Springs, and Divide, it feels like you never run out of options.
The sheer number of trails is awesome too because rarely does it feel overcrowded or annoyingly busy. You typically see 10 or fewer people on every hike. And the fresh air, views, and post-hike feeling are the best.
Our House
I’m in love with our mountain house. Every single day I think to myself, I can’t believe we live here. Nestled at the top of a culdesac and immersed in a wilderness of trees at 8,800 feet, it’s a dream. Our deck stands high above the ground with an amazing view that is hard to beat when it comes to drinking morning coffee…or a Michigan Football halftime beer 🙂
Our woodfire stove in the living room, which offers the same deck view, gives nights the perfect ambiance. You can see the stars better than anywhere I’ve seen before. We have a mix of rustic and modern vibes. It’s secluded. And we see a ton of wildlife including black bears!
Plus, we have three levels—which means my husband works on the bottom level, me at the top, and we have plenty of space when neither of us leaves all day 😉
No Mosquitos
One of the best surprises EVER about living in Colorado is that I’ve never been bitten, let alone seen, a mosquito. And coming from Minnesota, this is a huge blessing! Less water, high humidity, elevation…whatever it is, I am thankful because it’s so nice to sit on the deck during a summer night and not be slapping yourself the entire time! Bugs as a whole seem to be far less up here—and I’ll take it!
Small-Town Life While Still Near Big Cities
I’ve lived in a very large city suburb, the heart of Chicago, and Minneapolis. Before moving, I felt that big city life was something I’d done and it was time to try something new. At the same time, I still love a fun day in the city.
And here, I get the best of both worlds.
Woodland Park is a town of 8,000 people and we live on the outskirts with plenty of nature around us. But we also only live a half-hour from Colorado Springs and frequent there to eat, shop, hike, etc. We also have Denver which is only an hour and a half and super easy to get to for exploring, attending pro-sports games, flying out of a big airport, etc. I love that these two cities still feel highly accessible while not living in them.
Exploring New Cities & Towns
It’s amazing to have a new radius! To have so many fun, charming mountain towns within a three hours drive. We love taking day or weekend trips to check out new places and have experienced places like Leadville (the highest incorporated city in the U.S.!), Buena Vista, and Breckenridge,
In addition, new states! We traveled to New Mexico for the first time ever last spring and had the best time in Santa Fe, a city neither of us really thought would capture us so much!
Colorado Adventures
They do some wild things out here and it’s fun to experience the thrill. Downhill skiing sure isn’t Midwest skiing. White water rafting is something everyone should experience! Intense hiking—I still need to complete a 14er (hiking to 14,000 feet above sea level) but I have checked a few extreme ones off the list. And though I am not much of a camper, I’d love to give it a whirl at least once while we’re living in Colorado.
Lots of Visitors
Turns out, everyone wants to visit you when you live in the mountains! Ha. It’s fun hosting family and friends and showing them around our neighborhood and beyond. I love taking people to the best places we’ve found and being able to play tour guide in such a beautiful state that offers so much to do.
What I HATE About Living in Colorado
All right, I may have sold you on living in Colorado. BUT, NOTHING is ever perfect! And not every single thing about Colorado is rainbows and butterflies. Lol, here are a few of the things I hate about living in CO.
Dry Skin & Lips
Living up here is great, but my skin and lips? They don’t agree! I can’t tell you how much more lotion and chapstick I go through. The wind, low humidity, and high altitude deplete the skin of moisture and you will notice as soon as you get here—and it doesn’t stop!
Water Intake
While I know it’s a good thing to chug water all day, every day, I must admit, sometimes it’s a pain in the ass! Watching TV? I have water. Working? Water. Exercising? Tons of water. Simply running to the grocery store? Better have water in the car! Where there is a lack of water, headaches soon follow so we stay guzzling all of the time.
Good Restaurants Are Harder to Come By
As I mentioned, I’ve lived in Chicago and Minneapolis—two cities that offer some of the best food. It was so, so easy to find incredible restaurants and you never even wanted to go to the same place twice because you knew there was more out there to experience! Up here in the mountains, not so much.
Colorado folks are focused on the outdoors, staying active, and maybe eating some trail mix along the way lol. They aren’t as concerned with trendy restaurants or great food. And while we have found a handful of good restaurants (in Colorado Springs and Denver), they are much harder to come by. Food just tastes…average.
Wildfires
No matter where you live, you are at risk of some sort of natural disaster. But wildfires are a SCARY one. It’s so dry out here and they spread—FAST. Some insurance companies wouldn’t even insure our house because of the risk (we did get that figured out ha.) And while there haven’t been any serious threats, there was one about 40 miles from us and it was scary to track and watch.
Denver Airport
I hate this place. It should be the first one listed lol. It’s ALWAYS slammed at any time on any day—just a dang madhouse. And it’s confusing! The layout is very strange in terms of checking in, getting through security, gates, and mandatory shuttle. It’s all over the place but is under construction so maybe that will help when it’s done! They do move pretty quickly and it never ends up being *that* bad. But upon entering this airport, I always seem to dread the experience. (And very much miss the Minneapolis one.)
Away From Family
Of course, when nearly all of your family lives in the Midwest, it’s hard to be 1,000+ miles away! We still make a point to visit and they come to see us, but it’s just more difficult. And of course, you end up missing things that you never would if you lived close. But, our time here is not forever and soon enough we’ll be back where we came from 🙂
One Year Living in Colorado: What I Love & Hate
The positives outweigh the negatives when it comes to living in Colorado! I’ll take gorgeous scenery and perfect weather in a state full of adventures in exchange for some dry skin and a lame airport any day ha. Honestly, I’m proud of us for making this move and taking on something foreign and new—you only live once and we’ll forever remember our time here no matter how long it lasts.
