West · CO
Colorado
The Centennial State
Capital
Denver
Best Time to Visit
June-August (summer), December-March (skiing)
Featured view
Maroon Bells and Maroon Lake beneath a blue Colorado sky.
Photo credit Rhododendrites via Wikimedia Commons
CC BY-SA 4.001 Must-See Spots
Rocky Mountain National Park
Trail Ridge Road and alpine tundra
Mesa Verde National Park
ancient cliff dwellings of the Ancestral Puebloans
Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs
dramatic red rock formations
Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver
iconic outdoor concert venue
02 Hidden Gems
Black Canyon of the Gunnison
a dramatic, sheer-walled gorge often overlooked
Great Sand Dunes National Park
tallest sand dunes in North America
Maroon Bells near Aspen
the most photographed peaks in Colorado
Bishop Castle near Rye
a massive hand-built stone castle open to the public for free
03 National Parks & Sites
04 Insider Tips
Drink lots of water — altitude sickness is real, even in Denver at 5,280 feet
Timed entry reservations are required for Rocky Mountain NP in summer
The Million Dollar Highway (US-550) is one of the most dramatic drives in America
Colorado's 14ers (peaks over 14,000 ft) are bucket-list hikes — start with easier ones