If you can locate some recumbent dealers in the general Denver/ Colorado Springs area, you may find some good information and advice. I find this link, for example, and looks like there may be two or three others:
https://www.recumbenttrikesdenver.com/buying-tips/ And if you can locate somebody that rents them, try it that way.
I've been riding a gravel bike all over here in north Texas, compact double with 32-rear sprocket. Works great, even on the steepest hills. I rode it up in Colorado last summer, and just ran out of legs. The issue wasn't that the hills were any steeper, but the steepness was longer. So on a 100' high hill, push a little harder and you're on top; with a mile-long ramp, that didn't work. So moral of this is, get gears lower than you think you'll need. If you already live and ride in that area, you likely have a good handle on that. If, like me, you live elsewhere, beware.