Colorado Travel Guide

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Top Things to See

Gawp at the views
View the Denver skyline from the Colorado State Capitol, with its spectacular genuine gold roof and sweeping views over the city and the Rockies.

Minted
See the US Mint, the second-largest storehouse of gold bullion in the USA after Fort Knox in Kentucky (www.usmint.gov).

Beery good
Tour the Coors Brewery at Golden and sample the famous beer made from Rocky Mountain spring water.

Flora and fauna
Wander through the Denver Botanic Gardens (www.botanicgardens.org), boasting water gardens, a Japanese garden, a rock alpine garden and conservatory housing a collection of orchids and bromeliads.

Heavenly sights
Hike, bike or horse ride around the dramatically sculpted red sandstone pinnacles of the Garden of the Gods (www.gardenofthegods.com), a National Natural Monument.

Native Indian homes
Tour Indian cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park (www.nps.gov/meve), in the high plateau country of southwestern Colorado, 56km (35 miles) west of Durango. The 21,044-hectare (52,000-acre) park, a World Heritage Site, contains dramatic Anasazi culture's cliff dwellings built over 700 years ago (www.nps.gov/meve).

From lakes to mountains
Explore Rocky Mountain National Park (www.nps.gov/romo) and the resort village of Estes Park (www.estesparkresort.com). The Trail Ridge Road, one of the highest continuous highways in North America, is strung with massive peaks, rugged canyons, flower-strewn meadows, peaceful lakes and thundering waterfalls.

Scenic drives
Drive the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (www.nps.gov/blca). It preserves the most spectacular 19km (12-mile) stretch of the 85km (53-mile) gorge carved by the Gunnison River. A paved road circles the rim of the canyon, at some points nearly half a mile deep.

Dinosaur remains
View the plains from Colorado National Monument (www.nps.gov/colm), west of Grand Junction, an area of fantastic red rock canyons, monoliths, pillars and cliffs. Dinosaur National Monument (www.nps.gov/dino) in Colorado's northwest corner, is a plateau cut by two rivers and home to one of the world's richest deposits of dinosaur and reptile fossils.

Giant dunes
Visit the Great Sand Dunes National Monument (www.nps.gov/grsa), with some of the highest inland sand dunes in North America.

Top Things to Do

Watch American football
Cheer American football team, the Denver Broncos (www.denverbroncos.com) to victory at Invesco Field, Mile High Stadium.

Explore
Explore the 16th Street Mall, a tree-lined promenade in the heart of the city, running between downtown Denver and Union Station. Popular with shoppers, it is always alive with pedestrians, cafes, street performers and fountains.

Enjoy a scenic rail trip
Travel on the Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog Railway (www.cograilway.com) offering views of the Continental Divide from the 4,300m (14,110ft) summit of Pikes Peak. Or ride the scenic Royal Gorge Railway in Cañon City (www.canoncitycolorado.com), then experience the thrill of whitewater rafting down the Arkansas River.

Take to the slopes
Ski the Rocky Mountains (www.nps.gov/romo), renowned the world over for unparalleled skiing, quaint mountain towns, world-class accommodation and spectacular scenery. Aspen (www.aspenchamber.org) is America's most sophisticated ski resort, offering a full range of winter and summer activities and countless restaurants and shops. Ski or snowboard in Summit County, home to the popular ski resorts of Keystone (www.keystone.snow.com) (with the longest ski season in the state), Arapahoe Basin (www.arapahoebasin.com), Copper Mountain (www.coppercolorado.com) and Breckenridge (www.breckenridge.snow.com).

Heritage spots
Follow the path of early traders and stagecoaches along the Santa Fe Trail (www.santafetrailscenicandhistoricbyway.org), now designated a National Historic Trail, which is dotted with historic trading posts. Step back in time exploring St Elmo's, Colorado's best-preserved ghost town built around a mining camp in Chalk Creek Canyon.

Take a hot dip
Soak in the world's largest natural hot springs pool at Glenwood Springs (www.hotspringspool.com), surrounded by soaring mountain peaks.

Go fishing
Try your hand at fly fishing, float over mountain vistas in a hot air balloon, or go tubing on the Yampa River in the popular western-style town of Steamboat Springs (www.steamboat-chamber.com). In winter hit the ski slopes for unforgettable champagne powder snow.