LIVE LIKE A LOCAL
EXPLORE BETTER
Ready to live like a local, avoid the tourist traps, and level up your journey. You're in luck. We've done all the heavy lifting for you. We've scoured the towns, met the people to know, and have uncovered the best that each area offers. And we've partnered with some of the best in the business, so you know you're getting services you can rely on. Now, all you have to do is enjoy!
IDAHO SPRINGS, COLORADO
On January 5, 1859, during the Colorado gold rush, prospector George A. Jackson discovered placer gold at the present site of Idaho Springs, where Chicago Creek empties into Clear Creek. It was the first substantial gold discovery in Colorado. Jackson, a Missouri native with experience in the California gold fields, was drawn to the area by clouds of steam rising from some nearby hot springs. Jackson kept his find secret for several months, but after he paid for some supplies with gold dust, others rushed to Jackson's diggings.
Today, Idaho Springs is a bustling small town thriving on tourism and as a stop along the main thoroughfare of Interstate 70. Whitewater rafting, fishing, hunting, skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, snowboarding, ATV riding, and a host of other activities to get the outdoor enthusiast in you satisfied! Click on pic for more information.
LAKE CHAPALA AREA, MEXICO
At nearly 50-70 miles long and 15-20 miles wide, covering some 417 square miles, Lake Chapala is the largest natural lake in Mexico. It is fed at its eastern end by the River Lerma, originating in the Toluca mountain range, and drained at its northeastem corner by the Rio Santiago that then goes to the Pacific Ocean. It provides 55% of the drinking water to Guadalajara.
The lake was formed some 12,000,000 years ago in a seismic upheaval and was almost 7 times its present size, even covering the present city-site of Guadalajara. The lake bed is the resting place of many fossils. Originally called Lake Jalisco, it now hears the name Chapala, taken from the Nahuatl ‘Chapalal,’ the sound that water makes splashing on a sandy shore.
Today, the Lake Chapala area is surrounded with vibrant local and expatriate communities offering the best local foods, international foods, as well as an endless supply of activities to keep the avid adventurist in you content! Click on pic for more information.
PAGOSA SPRINGS AREA, COLORADO
The Town of Pagosa Springs is the county seat, the most populous community, and the only incorporated municipality in Archuleta County, Colorado. Approximately 65 percent of the land in Archuleta County is either San Juan National Forest, Weminuche and South San Juan Wilderness areas.
Pagosa Springs is located approximately 35 miles north of the New Mexico border, at 7,126 feet above sea level on the Western Slope of the Continental Divide. This combination of high desert plateau and the Rocky Mountains to the north and east creates an unusually mild climate, especially in the summer months. Pagosa sees around 300 days of sun each year, as well as four distinct seasons.
The town is located in the upper San Juan Basin, surrounded by the 3-million-acre San Juan National Forest,
The town is named for the system of sulfur springs, Pagosa hot springs, located there, including the world's deepest geothermal hot spring referred to as the "Mother Spring"