Colorado is made for outdoorsy travelers and adventurous souls. Snowcapped mountains, rushing rivers, and dramatic canyons create a rugged yet stunning landscape worth exploring.
1. Garden of the Gods
Garden of the Gods is a 1,341.3-acre public park in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. The skull of a dinosaur was found in the park in 1878 and was identified as a unique species. The park is also home to more than 130 species of birds including white-throated swifts, swallows, and canyon wrens. It is also know for its massive red rocks sticking straight out of the ground, tourists come from all over the world to wander the trails and see the wildlife.
2. Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde National Park is an American national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site in Montezuma County, Colorado. The park protects some of the best-preserved Ancestral Puebloan archaeological sites in the United States. Mesa Verde is best known for many well-preserved cliff dwellings, houses built in alcoves, or rock overhangs along the canyon walls. Sunset magazine named Mesa Verde National Park “the best cultural attraction” in the Western United States.
3. Catch a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Red Rocks Amphitheatre is an open-air amphitheater built into a rock structure in the western United States, near Morrison, Colorado, ten miles (16 km) west of Denver. A trip to Red Rocks Amphitheatre will take any concert experience to the next level. The bleacher-style seats are built into a cliff and surrounded by towering sandstone structures. It is one of the best and most unique places to witness a live performance.
4. Ride the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
Construction on this historic railroad began in 1881; once it was completed in 1882, the railroad brought tons of gold and silver from the mountains to the towns. People also used this train to travel between towns, and they quickly realized the scenery along the way was nothing short of stunning. It feels like you are traveling in heaven.
5. Cross the Royal Gorge Bridge
The Royal Gorge Bridge is a tourist attraction near Cañon City, Colorado within Royal Gorge Bridge and Park, a 360-acre (150 ha) amusement park located along the edge of the Royal Gorge around both ends of the bridge. It is also known as one of the world’s highest suspension bridges.