This Colorado Travel Guide is your gateway to the wonderland in the middle of the United States. It has so many places of natural beauty that you'll need this game plan to help you make the most of your time there.
First and foremost, you're in the Rockies so check out Aspen, where celebrities and everyday people hang out to be among the peaks. It's a sweet little town, surprisingly unpretentious, with lots of cafes and shops. People ski or hike here on the towering nearby mountain, Maroon Bells.
If you're looking for a more historical sense while you're preparing for your ski excursion or nature trek, get to Breckenridge. It's got an old-fashioned mountain town feel about it and hosts numerous festivals every year. You might want to stay at the Beaver Run Resort and Conference Center while you're in this mountain community.
If you'd rather travel between mountains rather than be below or on top of one, try Royal Gorge Bridge and Park. You walk across this amazing span and look down into a crevice so deep it will take your breath away!
Lost Canyon provides a similar feeling for the even more adventurous. That's where you zip line across 2500 feet of open space and look down 150 feet as you're moving 40 miles per hour!
Colorado has an ancient feel to it, and nowhere more so than in Mesa Verde National Park. Natural rock formations and wildlife vie for your attention with historically preserved sites of long-lost people.
Chimney Rock Archeological Area is also for the history buff who wants to walk where the ancient Pueblo natives once lived and thrived ages ago.
Okay, maybe you just want to rest and recreate sometimes. Dunton Hot Springs are purported to have amazing healing properties; at the very least you'll feel relaxed and rejuvenated after a nice warm soak.
Maybe then you'll feel up to exploring the caves at Cave of the Winds. The young people on your trip will certainly enjoy getting dirty in caves that can go for thousands of feet into the earth.
You might want to save the Miller/Coors Brewery for a day when there's not much else going on. You'll tour the factory and, if you're over 21, sample the different beers at the end of the tour. Kids can get soft drinks. Some people are regulars at this one!
So whether you're here for skiing/hiking/outdoors, history, adventure, or just plain fun and relaxation, the state of Colorado has something for you.
C.L. Hendricks has been a Jill-of-all-trades and become an expert in some. She has also traveled extensively and now writes about travel destinations around the world for Vacation Things to Do and How to Get a Passport
