Colorado Cities and Regions

One of the world's most fabled ski resorts, this gorgeously restored Victorian mining town nestled in Colorado’s Elk Mountain Range is almost movie-set perfect. In Aspen, the word mogul applies equally to the legendary slopes and the Forbes/Fortune crowd. See our Aspen Travel Guide

 

After Senator Barack Obama accepts his party’s nomination at Mile High Stadium during the Democratic National Convention (August 25-28), a 75,000-plus-capacity crowd will be painting the town blue. With its burgeoning arts scene, tree-lined streets fronting architecture ranging from redbrick Victorian to titanium-clad modern, and an ever-growing skyline framed by the jagged Rocky Mountains, Denver (located almost exactly 5,280 feet above sea level) promises to exceed expectations. See our Denver Travel Guide

 

With over 5,000 ski-able acres, Vail claims to be “North America’s largest ski area” and seems more like the Swiss Alps than the American West. The lively resort town draws an assortment of jet-setting powder junkies who come for the great skiing in the easily accessible mountain bowl, not to mention the first-class hotels, gourmet eateries, and hot (er, cool) nightlife. See our Vail and Beaver Creek Travel Guide

Boulder is nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, a short 40-minute drive northwest of Denver. A potpourri of personalities congregate in this laid-back city, from college students and athletes (here for the University of Colorado and the Team USA Olympic training center, respectively) to families, artists, and outdoor enthusiasts. The city is known for its bookstores, microbreweries, funky boutiques, and proximity to Rocky Mountain National Park.

Colorado Springs, in the foothills below Pikes Peak in the Rockies, is mountainous to the west and dry and flat to the east. The area is popular with visitors thanks to sunny weather and the area’s pioneering past (the region was settled in the 19th century thanks to an influx of gold prospectors seeking instant fame and fortune). Take a cog railroad to the top of Pikes Peak for the best views of the “amber waves of grain” and “purple mountain majesties” that inspired the song America the Beautiful. Colorado Springs is also home to multiple mining ghost towns and the United States Air Force Academy.

Historic Telluride, a one-time silver mining town, is located high in the craggy San Juan Mountains. Year-round, visitors are draw to its quaint, rough-and-tumble charm, especially in the preserved historic district where most buildings date back to the late 1800s. During the winter, skiers pack the town’s lavish resorts; during the summer, people come for the weekly music and film festivals.

Durango and Mesa Verde National Park, which lie about 30 miles apart from one another, are the two biggest attractions in southwest Colorado. Although Durango is known for its lively, café-filled downtown, the town’s main claim to fame is the vintage Durango Silverton Railroad, a narrow gauge railroad from 1880 that makes a vertigo-inducing, 3,300-foot climb up the mountain from Durango to Silverton. Mesa Verde National Park is dotted with 600 ancestral Pueblo cliff dwellings, some of which date as far back as 600 AD.

If you’re traveling east on scenic Interstate 70 (known as the Dinasour-Diamond Prehistoric Highway), you’re bound to drive through Grand Junction, the gateway to Colorado National Monument. Make the detour to hike, camp, or raft through the monument’s unspoiled and colorful buttes, mesas, and canyons. Just two hours north lies Dinosaur National Monument, where prehistoric-age fossils continue to be excavated.

In the late 19th century, cattle ranchers and railroad men settled the rugged terrain around Steamboat Springs. Nowadays, the laid-back area is a popular winter destination for skiers seeking powdery slopes, a down-home feel, and, best of all, natural thermal hot springs to soothe sore muscles.