Colorado Travel Guide
The Rockies in Rocky Mountain National Park. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Colorado is the Rocky Mountain state at full scale. Rocky Mountain National Park's Trail Ridge Road climbs above 3,700 m; the ski resorts of Aspen, Vail, Breckenridge and Telluride are the country's best; and the red-rock amphitheatre at Red Rocks hosts the most scenic concerts in America.
Denver is the mile-high base camp: LoDo's breweries, the Denver Art Museum, Meow Wolf's immersive art. Beyond: Colorado Springs' Garden of the Gods, Great Sand Dunes' 230 m dunes against the Sangre de Cristos, and Mesa Verde's Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings.
Destinations in Colorado
Rocky Mountain National ParkTrail Ridge Road, Bear Lake and elk in Estes Park; timed entry in summer.
Aspen and Maroon BellsThe most photographed peaks in Colorado, 16 km from Aspen.
Red Rocks AmphitheatreConcerts between 300-foot red sandstone fins, 25 minutes from Denver.- Mesa VerdeThe 800-year-old cliff dwellings of the Ancestral Puebloans.
- TellurideThe box-canyon ski town with the free gondola.
- Great Sand DunesNorth America's tallest dunes backed by 4,000 m peaks.
- Garden of the GodsFree red-rock park at Colorado Springs with Pikes Peak behind.
- DenverLoDo breweries, the 16th Street Mall and the Denver Art Museum.
Hover a state to explore it. Click a city pin to open its guide.
Top Cities & towns in Colorado
Regional food
- Green chile (the pork stew Colorado puts on everything)
- Rocky Mountain oysters (the infamous frontier appetizer)
- Craft beer (Denver is one of America's brewing capitals)
Getting there
Denver (DEN) is the gateway, with the A Line train to downtown. Ski resorts are 1.5 to 4 hours west on I-70; winter driving needs preparation. Altitude affects everyone: hydrate and take it easy on day one.