Colorado

Remarkable in its diversity, beauty and grandeur, Colorado delivers endless powder runs, outdoors adventures, surprisingly cosmopolitan arts and dining scenes, and 300 days of sunshine.

Rocky Mountain High

The best-known Rocky Mountain state, with the highest concentration of peaks above 14,000ft, Colorado owes its public adoration to the granite behemoths that rise abruptly, crinkled and snowcapped, out of the Great Plains. Countless hiking and biking trails climb above the treeline to wildflower-strewn meadows, while a plethora of scenic drives wend their way up hairpin turns to cross the Continental Divide. This is adventure central, with world-class skiing, biking, rafting, hiking, wildlife watching and more. While the crowds are getting bigger, head up old forest service roads to see the state at its most pristine.

Ski Country, USA

The combination of light, soft powder and frequent blue skies has made Colorado winters the stuff of legend. There are big open bowls, steep mogul runs, terrain parks, bunny slopes, wide open glades, cross-country tracks and backcountry ski huts, and groomed runs that seem to go on for miles.

After the day, Colorado's mountain towns invite you to cozy up next to the fire, revel with your friends with a few tips of the ShotSki, and rage against the dying of the light with towns that ripple with the excitement of new possibilities, fresh tracks and broad smiles.

Deserts & Canyons

While it's best known for its mountains, the desert lands of the Colorado Plateau and Southern Colorado bring a new energy and new beauty to this diverse state. There are mesas, towers and slot canyons to be explored, rivers to be run, sand dunes to be climbed, desert singletrack trails to be ridden and plenty of wide open vistas to enjoy come sunset. Much of this land still bears the imprint of the Ancestral Puebloan people, who built houses on precarious cliffs and left a cultural wake for generations to come.

Culture Dose

Colorado offers up its fair share of both high and low culture. Denver and Boulder saw the rise of performers such as the Lumineers, Tennis, Nathaniel Rateliff and more. And one of the United State's best amphitheaters, Red Rocks is found here. Boulder and Denver have experimental theater, fine arts centers, symphonies, street art and interesting foodie scenes that are evolving beyond Colorado's traditional frontiers attitude to the culinary arts. In the mountains in sophisticated enclaves such as Telluride and Aspen, you'll find world-class fine art galleries, rotating speaker series and more.

Explore Colorado

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Featured Story

This luxury train lets you see the Rocky Mountains in a whole new way

11 min read — Published August 24th, 2021

Rocky Mountaineer's latest luxury train route runs between Denver and Moab, Utah. Lonely Planet editor Alexander Howard was one of the first to ride it.

Latest Stories from Colorado

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Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Colorado.

  • Park

    Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre

    When the setting sun brings out a rich, orange glow from the rock formations and the band on stage launches into just the right tune, Red Rocks…

  • Park

    Garden of the Gods

    This gorgeous vein of red sandstone (about 290 million years old) appears elsewhere along Colorado's Front Range, but the exquisitely thin cathedral…

  • Museum

    Denver Art Museum

    The Denver Art Museum (DAM) is home to one of the largest Native American art collections in the USA, and puts on special multimedia exhibits that vary…

  • Park

    Chautauqua Park

    This historic landmark park is the gateway to Boulder’s most magnificent slab of open space adjoining the iconic Flatirons; its wide, lush lawn attracts…

  • Historic Building

    Union Station

    Gorgeously restored, historic Union Station is Denver's main transportation hub, used by RTD light-rail lines, commuter buses and Amtrak. But it's way…

  • Archaeological Site

    Cliff Palace

    The only way to see the superb Cliff Palace is to take the hour-long ranger-led tour. The tour retraces the steps taken by the Ancestral Puebloans –…

  • National Park

    Mesa Verde National Park

    A fascinating, if slightly eerie, national park. Anthropologists will love it here; Mesa Verde is unique among American national parks in its focus on…

  • Buddhist Stupa

    Great Stupa of Dharmakaya

    The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya has an electrifying energy and is one of the most significant examples of Buddhist architecture in North America. It's…

  • Museum

    Moraine Park Discovery Center

    Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1923 and once the park’s proud visitors lodge, this building has been renovated in recent years to host…

  • National Park

    Dinosaur National Monument

    Straddling the Utah-Colorado state line, Dinosaur National Monument protects one of North America's largest dinosaur fossil beds, discovered here in 1909…

  • Mountain

    Pikes Peak

    Pikes Peak (14,110ft) may not be the tallest of Colorado's 54 fourteeners, but it's certainly the most famous. The Ute originally called it the Mountain…

  • Wildlife Reserve

    Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge

    This wildlife refuge on the banks of the Rio Grande is a special spot, and will give you some idea of what the valley must have looked like before it was…

  • Park

    Confluence Park

    Where Cherry Creek and South Platte River meet is the nexus and plexus of Denver's sunshine-loving culture. Thousands of outdoorsy Denverites flock here…

  • Museum

    Clyfford Still Museum

    Dedicated exclusively to the work and legacy of 20th-century American abstract expressionist Clyfford Still, this fascinating museum's collection includes…

  • Museum

    Colorado School of Mines' Geology Museum

    With a collection of 50,000 minerals, fossils and gemstones, the School of Mines' Geology Museum is worth a stop, even if rocks aren't really your thing…

  • Museum

    Morrison Natural History Museum

    This small but excellent museum has displays on Morrison during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. There are huge dinosaur skulls as well as a full…

  • Natural Feature

    Dry Mesa Dinosaur Quarry

    Within the borders of the Uncompahgre National Forest, this bone-rich area yielded one of the most diverse Jurassic vertebrate collections in the world…

  • Historic Building

    Clear Creek History Park

    Explore the life of a homesteader by walking through this re-created pioneer settlement. Here, original and replica 19th-century buildings – a cabin, two…

  • Winery

    Colterris Winery at the Overlook

    Sold in Colorado's finest restaurants, Colterris sits in a league of its own – as a sip of its earthy, balanced Cabernet Sauvignon confirms. The inviting…

Top experiences

Whether it’s a guided tour of a historic landmark, private tasting of local delicacies, or an off-road adventure — explore the best experiences in Colorado.

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