Things to see and do in Colorado

Attractions in Colorado

16th Street Mall

Explore the 16th Street Mall, a tree-lined promenade in the heart of Denver, running between the city’s Downtown and Union Station. Popular among shoppers, it is always bustling with pedestrians, cafes, street performers, and fountains.

American football

Cheer for a classic American football team, the Denver Broncos (www.denverbroncos.com), to victory at the Sports AuthorityField, Mile High Stadium.

Colorado National Monument

View the plains from Colorado National Monument (www.nps.gov/colm), west of Grand Junction, an area of fantastic red rock canyons, monoliths, pillars and cliffs. Dinosaur National Monument (www.nps.gov/dino) in Colorado's northwest corner, is a plateau cut by two rivers and home to one of the world's richest deposits of dinosaur and reptile fossils.

Colorado State Capitol

Behold the Denver skyline from the Colorado State Capitol Building, with its spectacular genuine gold roof and sweeping views over the city and the Rockies.

Coors Brewery

Tour the Coors Brewery at Golden and sample the famous beer made from Rocky Mountain spring water (visitgolden.com).

Flora and fauna

Wander through the Denver Botanic Gardens (www.botanicgardens.org), boasting water gardens, a Japanese garden, a rock alpine garden and conservatory housing a collection of orchids and bromeliads.

Garden of the Gods

Hike, bike or horse ride around the dramatically sculpted red sandstone pinnacles of the Garden of the Gods (www.gardenofgods.com), a National Natural Monument.

Glenwood Springs

Soak in the world's largest natural hot springs pool at Glenwood Springs (www.hotspringspool.com), surrounded by soaring mountain peaks.

Great Sand Dunes National Monument

Visit the Great Sand Dunes National Monument (www.nps.gov/grsa), with some of the highest inland sand dunes in North America.

Native Indian homes

Tour Indian cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park (www.nps.gov/meve), in the high plateau country of southwestern Colorado, 56km (35 miles) west of Durango. The 21,044-hectare (52,000-acre) park, a World Heritage Site, contains dramatic Anasazi culture's cliff dwellings built over 700 years ago.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Explore Rocky Mountain National Park (www.nps.gov/romo) and the resort village of Estes Park (www.estesparkresort.com). The Trail Ridge Road, one of the highest continuous highways in North America, traverses this breathtaking landscape, strung with massive peaks, rugged canyons, flower-strewn meadows, peaceful lakes and thundering waterfalls.

Santa Fe Trail

Follow the path of early traders and stagecoaches along the Santa Fe Trail (www.santafetrailco.com), now designated a National Historic Trail, which is dotted with historic trading posts. Along the way, step back in time by exploring St Elmo's, Colorado's best preserved ghost town built around a mining camp in Chalk Creek Canyon.

Scenic drives

Drive the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (www.nps.gov/blca). It preserves the most spectacular 19km (12-mile) stretch of the 85km (53-mile) gorge carved by the Gunnison River. A paved road circles the rim of the canyon, at some points nearly half a mile deep.

See Colorado by rail

Travel on the Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog Railway (www.cograilway.com), which offers views of the Continental Divide from the 4,302m (14,115ft) summit of Pikes Peak. Or head to Cañon City, where you can ride the scenic Royal Gorge Railway in Cañon City (www.canoncitycolorado.com), and then experience the thrill of whitewater rafting down the Arkansas River.

Skiing

The Rocky Mountains (www.nps.gov/romo) are renowned the world over for unparalleled skiing, quaint mountain towns, world-class accommodation and spectacular scenery. Aspen (www.aspenchamber.org) is America's most sophisticated ski resort, offering a full range of winter and summer activities and countless restaurants and shops. Winter sports also abound in Summit County, home to the popular ski resorts of Arapahoe Basin (www.arapahoebasin.com), Copper Mountain (www.coppercolorado.com), Breckenridge (www.breckenridge.com), and Keystone (www.keystoneresort.com), which offers the longest ski season in the state,

Steamboat Springs

Try your hand at fly fishing, float over mountain vistas in a hot air balloon, or go tubing on the Yampa River: all these adventures are waiting in the popular western-style town of Steamboat Springs (www.steamboat-chamber.com). In winter, hit the ski slopes for unforgettable champagne powder snow.

US Mint

See the US Mint, the second-largest storehouse of gold bullion in the USA after Fort Knox in Kentucky (www.usmint.gov).

Tourist offices

Colorado Tourism Office

0800-1700

Colorado Tourism Office in the UK