The West epitomized
Colorado epitomizes much of what fans of the American West love — whether the Wild West of the 19th century or the modern but still-unspoiled West of the 21st century.
It has the geography — meaning the rolling prairies, rivers and especially, the mountains — and a temperate climate, an ideal combination for a wide range of outdoor activities. It has the history, encompassing ghost towns (some deserted, some revived), wagon trails and 19th century trains, abandoned cliff dwellings.
Colorado bespeaks a certain lifestyle, too, represented by fresh mountain air, ranching, rodeos, specialty beers and good food.

About Colorado
The state most often gets its top ratings from travelers for its stunning mountain scenery, as well as all the outdoor activities that those mountains make possible, in all seasons, for people with a wide range of interests and skills.
The state attracts a glamour clientele to its top ski resorts, but the sport belongs to travelers of many stripes. Indeed, snow skiing heads the list of activities tourists say they seek in Colorado, followed by hiking, rock climbing, fishing, river rafting, horseback riding and observing nature and wildlife. Travelers talk about the clean, pure air, about the unspoiled natural beauty that surrounds them as they pursue their favorite activities. 
The state wins points for other reasons, too. For example, there is beer: Colorado brews more beer than any other state in facilities ranging from tiny brew pubs to the giant Coors. Alternatively, the state is establishing a wine industry; wineries are found along the Front Range and across the western slope of the state.
The Rocky Mountain National Park may be the best known of the state’s four national parks, but Mesa Verde National Park has a special claim to fame: A World Heritage Site, it is where you will find dramatic and authentic cliff dwellings — even “stone palaces” — dating back more than a thousand years. 
Think about more recent history, and you’ve got the Old West and relics like the state’s ghost towns; one of those was the only blacks-only settlement in Colorado. Several vendors provide train rides that capture the imagination, as well.
Although seen as an outdoorsy state, Colorado entices within doors, too, with museums (themed around mining, dinosaurs, prison life, etc.), theater (even an annual Shakespeare Festival in Boulder) and fine dining in Denver or the ski resorts of Aspen, Breckinridge, Steamboat Springs or Vail. 
Those who are budget-minded, or who travel with families, talk about the reasonable prices of accommodations and restaurants, as well as Colorado’s easy accessibility.

• Black Canyon, part of the Gunnison National Monument, contains 12 miles of the earth’s oldest base rocks, to a depth of 2,700 feet. There is a visitor’s center, and you can go camping and hiking, but caution is advised in some areas.

• Dogsledding is available in several towns.

•For those fit and ready to ski nonstop, consider the Molas Pass back country in the rugged San Juan Mountains. Or try heli-skiing with Telluride Helitrax, also in the San Juans.

• Go ice climbing at Ouray Ice Park.

• Hike the Colorado Trail, which stretches 500 miles from Denver to Durango, passing over eight mountain ranges along five river systems, and traversing six national forests and six wilderness areas. It has 28 segments, ranging from 11.4 miles to 32 miles, and elevation gains in given segments range from 1,040 to 4,520 feet. Look at length, elevation gain and altitude to select the right segment(s) for you.

• Rafting is popular on almost every river in the state, and you can request challenging choices — or not-so-challenging choices.

• Or try hut touring (rugged, backcountry skiing that concludes each day in one of the huts maintained by the 10th Mountain Division Hut Association).

• See the two-time Super Bowl-champion Denver Broncos play.

• Do a fall foliage tour the Rockies way. View the changing aspens while biking, hiking or horseback riding.

• View the mountains and rivers from a hot-air balloon. Try this in autumn and you have another variation on the foliage tour.

• Explore the Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado. Its cliffs and canyons contain some of the largest and best-preserved cliff dwellings (dating from 600 to 1300 A.D.) of the ancestors of today’s Pueblo Indians.
Indeed, travelers in any category will enjoy this park if they have an interest in Native American history.

• Look for and tour a few wineries in the picturesque town of Palisade.

• Here are two railroad trips worth taking: First is the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad from Antonito, Colo., to Chama in New Mexico. This is an all-day affair on an old narrow-gauge, coal-burning train, affording spectacular scenic views. The second is the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, a famed steam train.

• Oh, yes, for real train aficionados, there also is the Pikes Peak Railway, the highest cog railway in the world. It travels 8.9 miles from 6,571 feet above sea level to the summit at 14,110 feet.

• Spend the day at one of the state’s numerous rodeos. Grand County in northern Colorado claims at least one rodeo event every weekend May through September.

• In Denver, at Confluence Park, you have access to more than 40 miles of trails plus an area for whitewater kayaking.

• Stay at one of the state’s 32 guest ranches. You will want to ride horses (isn’t that what ranchers do?), but some ranches offer a number of less-predictable choices, such as cooking classes and equestrian yoga.

• Visit a ghost town. Some of the most accessible are Ashcroft, Goldfield, Independence, Ohio City, Pitkin, St. Elmo, Tincup, Vicksburg and Winfield. Also, Dearfield, east of Greeley, was the only all-black settlement in the state, but it did not survive the Great Depression.
Visitors are warned that many abandoned buildings in these towns are unsafe to enter or may be privately owned or protected sites.

• Take the free tour of the Coors brewery in Golden; make the rounds of smaller brew pubs in the state. Denver alone boasts 50 unique beer choices produced at about a dozen brew pubs.

• Plan an itinerary around a search for wildlife, such as the bald eagle, bighorn sheep, black bear, mountain lion or river otter.

• Take the family to Royal Gorge Bridge, near Canon City. The bridge is said to be the highest suspension bridge in the world, and the park features an incline railway, aerial tram, scenic trails and children’s attractions.

• Also, in Canon City, take time for the Museum of Colorado Prisons, a former Womens Correctional Facility. It displays a gas chamber and hangman’s noose (both used) and offers a tour of 32 cells.

• If you are visiting near Denver in the summer, attend the Cherry Creek Arts Festival.

• Put Central City on your itinerary. It is an old mountain mining town that offers all the charm of narrow winding roads, an opera festival and, more recently, legalized gambling.

• Allow two hours for a free tour of the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

• Check for local festivals and fairs in areas that appeal to you. One of the odder choices is the Great Fruitcake Toss, which promises rewards for the most creative uses of past-their-season cakes, as well as the chance to heave those old things for prizes.

• Tour the Celestrial Seasonings tea company, in Boulder; enjoy free samples of all the company’s tea flavors, then buy tea to take home.

• Visit the Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater west of Denver to see a concert hall created by two sandstone monoliths brought to us by Mother Nature.

• Visit Salida in south central Colorado, for its art galleries and one of its monthly art walks; you can go biking, hiking and fly-fishing here year-round.

• If you like zoos, by all means, visit the Denver Zoo.