Attractions

attractions

Experience the Soothing Powers of the Indian Hot Springs

Indian Hot Springs

If you glance to your right while driving west along Interstate 70, you can see the whole town of Idaho Springs – a historic town rich in mining history.  It’s a convenient stopover for a nice lunch on your way to the many ski areas along I-70.  If you have more time, it’s also a [...]

Celebrating a Big Anniversary with Colorado Monument

Colorado Monument Landmarks

The year 2011 was a big year for the Colorado National Monument, and a big year for us.  My husband and I celebrated 5 years while we visited Colorado National Monument, and Colorado National Monument celebrated 100 years thanks to John Otto, who was the first custodian of Colorado National Monument.
In 1907, Otto wrote, “I [...]

Off the Tourist Track: The Quieter Side of Southwestern Colorado

Off The Tourist Track Southwestern Colorado

Far southwestern Colorado is synonymous with archeology, cliff houses and Native American history. But visitors don’t need to follow packed tours and camera-toting masses to experience the area’s wealth of Ancestral Puebloan culture.
Just west of Dolores, the Anasazi Heritage Center makes a great preface for a trip through the region. The center features special and [...]

Pawnee Grasslands: A Kingdom Unto Its Own

Pawnee Grasslands

The distant thunderhead was towering high enough to scrape the moon, which hung in the sky like a silver kite. The onset of dusk painted the westerly side of the storm vermilion; the lightning flashes and thunder-quakes tickled our senses like little chemical jolts, visceral but evanescent.
“Shouldn’t we, um, take cover?” asked my companion, a [...]

Rocky Mountain National Park: Peaks and Valleys Lure Millions

Rocky Mountain National Park Peaks And Valleys

Long before tourists arrived, a lone Englishwoman explored the vastness of what is now Rocky Mountain National Park.
Isabella Bird’s sojourn here came in the fall and early winter of 1873, not long after the mountain man and before the first pioneers built ranches here. She recorded her impressions in a book, A Lady’s Life in [...]

Mount Evans Wilderness: High Altitude, High Adventure

Mount Evans Wilderness

At 14,264 feet, Mount Evans is one of Colorado’s most well-known peaks and is part of the vast Mount Evans Wilderness, whose boundaries start about 35 miles west of Denver. With 74,400 acres stretching from Echo Lake to Grant, the wilderness is a great place to forget about the city and enjoy some high-altitude trails.
Above [...]

Don Ferris: Fixated on Fixtures

Don Ferris Fixtures

For some people, the word jig conjures images of pubs on St. Patrick’s Day — guys drunk on green beer and dancing to Irish folk songs. To bike aficionados, it’s an integral frame building tool. But to Don Ferris, self-proclaimed geek and owner of Littleton’s Anvil Bikeworks, “a jig sounds like something made out of [...]

Alpine Loop Scenic Byway: Colorado at its Loftiest

Alpine Loop Scenic Byway

Beyond the sleepy hamlet of Lake City, pavement ends and the forest road I follow turns to dirt. Mountains define our state and provide its identity. Within Colorado’s rectangular borders, the Rockies thrust their highest summits. Peaks form backdrops for our cities, provide venues for our recreation, control our weather, capture our water and furnish [...]

Bridal Veil Falls: Trekking Telluride

Bridal Veil Falls Telluride

Hikers in Telluride can journey to Bridal Veil Falls for spectacular views and also learn a little about the history of the small town tucked deep into Colorado’s San Juan Mountains.
The onetime mining town sits at an 8,750-foot elevation and is surrounded on three sides by steep peaks. The trail to the top of Bridal [...]

Scenic Byway: Colorado River Headwaters

Scenic Byway Colorado River Headwaters

High in Rocky Mountain National Park, the Colorado River is a mere ribbon of water as it starts flowing westward, gathering momentum, breadth and depth on the descent.
The Colorado River Headwaters Scenic and Historic Byway accompanies this treasured water source for about 80 miles of its 1,450-mile journey to the Gulf of California. As the [...]

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