Colorado is known for its beautiful landscapes and outdoor adventures. The best four-season weather in the world is just one of the things that the state of Colorado has to offer.
It is possible to get packed with weekend warriors on the interstates. Prepare for steep passes, hair-raising switchbacks and winter closings on the roads to more remote destinations. It's possible to get around Colorado by public transportation, but you can get more out of the state with a car.
There are many places to visit in Colorado.
Scout new ways to explore the planet's wildest places with our weekly newsletter delivered to your inbox.Aspen is a great place to go for a luxury vacation for two. There are plenty of five-star hotels at this Victorian-era mountain resort that offer full service spas.
Aspen is small enough to enjoy on foot, so you won't have to drive to the Aspen Art Museum or the J-Bar saloon to have a drink or snack. Festivals like the Food & Wine Classic and the Aspen Music Festival give you an excuse to go somewhere.
Colorado is home to the great outdoors. Winter has world-class skiing, as well as snowshoes and sleigh rides for two. It's all about hiking in the summer. There are miles and miles of trails to be found near the Maroon Bells. Imagine walking through gurgling creek and aspen groves with just the two of you and the big blue Colorado sky in the background.
The cultural megastar of the state is Denver. The Denver Art Museum and the Clyfford Still Museum are two of the best museums in the city. In neighborhoods such as RiNo and the Santa Fe Arts District, there are murals that drape across walls.
Broadway musicals, dramas, ballet, opera and the symphony orchestra can all be seen at the Denver Performing Arts Complex. It's easy to go to a theater or music venue that's smaller. The Red Rocks Amphitheatre is fifteen miles away.
Denver has four more major art museums, as well as great art walks on the first Friday of every month and scores of small galleries that host shows and events.
Colorado Springs is an easy place to go for family fun. The Garden of the Gods is a collection of red sandstone outcrops, mammoth boulders, jutting fins and exquisite pinnacles that can be explored on foot.
There is a zipline and ropes course at the Cave of the Winds, which is an easy way to get started in caving. The US Olympic & Paralympic Museum has exhibits about the Games and top American athletes, as well as regular meet and greets with real Olympians. If the kids want to learn about Galaga and Skee-Ball, you can take them to the ManitouPennyArcade.
If you're looking for a winter base camp, you'll find one better than Breckenridge. It is home to one of Colorado's largest ski resorts. Whether you are on a family ski vacation or on the hunt for powder, the large groomed slopes and high Alpine bowls are sure to please. You can enjoy tubing and snowshoeing in the winter.
There is free bus service between the town and the other ski resorts. It was a working mountain town before the chairlifts got here and the quaint historic district is buzzing with life. Two hours from Denver International Airport, you will find all this.
Rocky Mountain National Park is a hiker's paradise. There are 355 miles of top-notch hiking trails that span from sculpted granite mountain tops to gorgeous flower-filled valleys. The trail around Bear Lake and the moderate hike to Gem Lake are both worth considering. The challenge of summiting 14,259ft Longs Peak entices travelers with more ambition.
The planning tip is to keep an eye out for animals. Great horned owls, bald eagles and ptarmigan are some of the birds that have been seen in the park. There are a lot of animals in these rocky valleys.
The tiny town of Telluride is stunningly beautiful, and all the more attractive because of the journey to get here. The town is located at the end of a narrow canyon in the San Juan Mountains and is surrounded by mountains and the highest waterfall in Colorado.
The town's main street is filled with shops from the simple to the chichi. The local via ferrata course, which is a cable-protected scramble high on the surrounding cliffs, is simply heart- stopping.
Mesa Verde National Park is the country's largest and best-preserved Native American archaeological site. The people lived here for hundreds of years before abandoning the site around 1300CE.
The best way to visit Mesa Verde is by taking a ranger-led tour that takes visitors inside the cliff dwellings via wood-pole ladders, stone stairways and narrow tunnels. There is an amazing engineering achievement with 150 rooms and 23 kivas. Tours are not for everyone, but they are a unique experience.
There is a massive dune field as you pass through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and into the San Luis Valley. The largest expanse of sand in North America is located in a state better known for mountains, forests and rushing rivers.
The reward for hiking up the dunes is an amazing view from the top. Rent a wooden board for dune-surfing and slide down the sandy slopes.
The Medano Creek is formed from snowmelt that flows down from the mountains and can be enjoyed in the late spring. The water goes away by mid- summer.
About 17 hours ago, this article was updated.
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