There are tons of amazingly gorgeous places to visit in Colorado. Read on to see why you should add Westcliffe to your Colorado bucket list!

Why Westcliffe Needs To Be On Your Colorado Bucket List

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Have you visited Colorado yet? If not, you definitely NEED to! There are a ton of amazingly gorgeous places to visit. It’s truly such a breathtaking state!

We went on vacation to Colorado, as we’ve heard it’s so beautiful. We loved it so much we decided to move there from Alaska so we could be closer to family.

Out of all the towns we visited, Westcliffe, Colorado was at the top of my list for vacationing. Read on to see why you should add this town to your Colorado bucket list!

Westcliffe Is Surrounded By Mountains

While mountains are plentiful throughout Colorado, there’s nothing better than being in a valley surrounded by them. Westcliffe is located in the Wet Mountain Valley, so it has beautiful mountains everywhere you look.

It’s bordered by the Wet Mountains on the east and the Sangre de Cristo mountain range to the west.

The valley has such amazing views all around!

It’s a Dark Sky Community

I grew up on the Space Coast of central Florida, which is where the Space Shuttle took off from.

As a result of seeing so many amazing shuttle launches, and spending time at Space Camp as a kid, I’ve always been enthralled with space, stars, and everything sky-related.

It’s sad to realize so many people never get to see the Milky Way or experience the millions of constellations.

It’s so difficult to truly experience the vastness of the sky when so many places have an abundance of light pollution.

What Is Light Pollution?

Light pollution is the excess use of artificial light that causes the night sky and stars to appear washed out.

It affects both animals and humans. In large cities it can even negatively impact the body’s natural day/night cycle balance.

The good thing is that it’s reversible with smart lighting decisions. The International Dark-Sky Association is actively working to share their knowledge about how to minimize the negative effects of artificial lighting.

What’s a Dark Sky Community?

A Dark Sky community is a place that has undertaken dedicated efforts to preserve the view of the night sky. The local citizens work together to minimize light pollution through specific light ordinances such as using lights that face downward.

Keeping light pollution to a minimum allows residents and visitors unparalleled visions of the night sky. They’re amazing locations for stargazing, especially during meteor showers!

Going on a long flight for your vacation? Here’s a list of carry-on essentials to make them nice and easy!

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Why Westcliffe is Wonderful

While Alaska is amazing for seeing stars and the Northern Lights, there are actually no official dark sky sites. So when we were planning our move, we rented an Airbnb in Westcliffe, Colorado.

It was a perfect location: close to town, a few restaurants and bakeries, and the grocery store. Plus, a hot tub and breathtaking mountain views made it a definite win! This was a few years ago, but it’s still available to rent.

Pick The Perfect Time For Your Trip For Amazing Sky Views

The best time to see stars is during a new moon. When researching the timeline for our trip, I made sure to line it up with the lunar cycle so the moonlight is at a minimum.

While the moon is gorgeous in its own right, I really wanted to see stars.

And wow, it did not disappoint!

It was a bit cloudy around 11pm, so we took a nap and woke up around 3am. We immediately jumped into the hot tub and saw quite a few shooting stars!

See Deer Just Outside Your Windows

When we were driving around Westcliffe, we were amazed by the amount of deer we saw everywhere! They would literally walk right up to the window of the house we stayed in.

We’d sit quietly and watch them graze on the grass before moving on to the next house. They were so adorable!

Visit Mission: Wolf Rescue Sanctuary

Within about an hour drive from Westcliffe is Mission: Wolf sanctuary. This was by far the most amazing experience I’ve ever had!

If you’re not already aware, my husband and I are total dog people, and even run a dog wellness site, Om Shanti Pups. We have two rescue pups, Roxy & Rico, so meeting wolves was something we’ve wanted to do for quite awhile!

Mission: Wolf was created by Kent Weber to provide a safe haven for captive wolves and wolf dogs they rescue.

There were over 20 wolves at the sanctuary, and they do a wonderful job of caring for them and giving the best life possible to wolves and wolf dogs that have been rescued from ill-equipped owners.

We were lucky enough to be there on a quiet day and were brought into the pen with their ambassador wolf Zeab and wolf dogs Nashira and Abraham. They were so inquisitive and sweet!

The sanctuary doesn’t guarantee any interactions with any of the wolves, as they let the animals decide how much they would like to interact.

We were given basic safety advice, such as don’t come from above to try to pet them – really, that’s great advice to keep in mind with all dogs! We were also helped with social greeting tips, such as smiling with teeth showing as that’s how they greet each other.

Then we headed into their ambassador pen and sat on a log to let them approach us. I was literally squealing inside from excitement!!

All three came over to inspect us and get some belly rubs and snuggles for a few minutes! Best. Day. EVER.

Mission: Wolf is fully funded by donations and staffed by volunteers. Their buildings are all made from recycled materials and focuses on sustainability. There’s no charge to visit the sanctuary, but any donations are greatly appreciated and go directly to the wolves and the teams that care for them.

Pro Tip: Plan your visit for the sanctuary’s bi-weekly feeding sessions. The wolves are much more active and social those days, since they know they’re getting a great meal soon!

Sand Dunes near Westcliffe

Check out the Great Sand Dunes National Park

When you think of Colorado, I bet the first things you think of include mountains, lakes, or snow, right? SAME. Imagine my surprise to find out there’s an actual national park with sand dunes within driving distance from Westcliffe!

The Great Sand Dunes National Park provides a great change of pace while exploring the tallest sand dunes in North America. Pretty impressive!

Roxy at Sand dunes near Westcliffe

Once we moved to the area, we decided to check it out with our dogs on a nice, cool fall day. It was gorgeous! The sand was sort of like being at the beach, with a breathtaking backdrop of mountains. Our dogs are getting up there in age at 9 years old, and we’ve always called Roxy our pokey little puppy, so she was not feeling the sandy climb. Our boy Rico loved it though!

If you’re adding Westcliffe to your Colorado bucket list, don’t forget to pin this for later!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hi, I’m Natasha!

I’m a lover of yoga, essential oils, and traveling. I’ve lived in Florida, Puerto Rico, Alaska, and now I live in the mountains of Colorado with my husband Dan and our two pups, Roxy & Rico.

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