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Southwest Colorado

This is Colorado at its best. There are mesas and vineyards out west, and massive snowcapped mountain ranges and wide open alpine meadows filled with wildflowers in the summer as you move up to higher ground in the central part of the state.

Attractions

Must-see attractions for your itinerary

Cliff Palace
Southwest Colorado
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 –…
Mesa Verde National Park
Southwest Colorado
A fascinating, if slightly eerie, national park. Anthropologists will love it here; Mesa Verde is unique among American national parks in its focus on…
Ute Indian Museum
Southwest Colorado
One of the few American museums dedicated to one tribe. The Ute are the traditional people of western Colorado. The museum is situated on a homestead that…
Dry Mesa Dinosaur Quarry
Southwest Colorado
Within the borders of the Uncompahgre National Forest, this bone-rich area yielded one of the most diverse Jurassic vertebrate collections in the world…
Colterris Winery at the Overlook
Southwest Colorado
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…
Suncrest Orchard, Alpacas and Fiber Mill
Southwest Colorado
If cute were currency, Mike and Cindy McDermott would be sitting on a gold mine with their combination Alpaca and lavender farm. While Mike patiently…
Crested Butte Center for the Arts
Southwest Colorado
The arts center hosts shifting exhibitions of local artists and a stellar schedule of live music and performance pieces. There’s always something lively…
Weminuche Wilderness Area
Southwest Colorado
Named for a band of the Ute tribe, the Weminuche Wilderness Area is the most extensive wilderness in Colorado, with an area of more than 700 sq miles. The…