Colorado

01/05/09

QUADRANT LOCATOR: The quadrant indicators (in brackets after each location name) are provided to help locate an attraction. The quadrant is based on dividing the state into four quadrants with the apex running through the geographical center of the state. For some states with outlying geographic areas, this may present a distorted view but is the best way I can think of to determine this information.

NOTE: If price is shown: 0$ = free, $ = under $10, $$ = $10 to $30, $$$ = $30 and above

• Washington County Museum, Attraction: History of the county

Alamosa [SW]

• Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad (at Jct SR285 & SR17), Attraction: Colorado Limited from Antonito to Osier with connections to Chama, NM, narrow-gauge steam locomotive, $$$

• Ghost Towns in local area:
  • Ashcroft (12 mi S on Castle Creek Rd), Attraction: Mining town that "died" in the 1890s, $
  • Independence (15 mi E on SR82, Attraction: A booming mining town following gold strike in 1879
• Maroon Bells (10.5 mi S of Aspen off SR82), Attraction: Most photographed spot in Colorado, hiking, camping
• Wheeler-Stallard Museum, Attraction: History of the Aspen Valley, $

• Aurora History Museum, Attraction: Collection of artifacts from 1900 to 1950, 0$

• Adams County Museum Complex, Attraction: History of Adams County from prehistoric times to the early 1900s, 1887 Victorian house, blacksmith's shop, one-room schoolhouse, 1930s service station, 0$

• Boulder Falls, Attraction: 50-ft falls
• Boulder History Museum (W of Boulder on SR119), Attraction: History of the Boulder Valley, artifacts from pioneer days to the present, $
• Celestial Seasonings Tour of Tea, Attraction: Tour of factory that produces more than 70 varieties of tea, tea tasting, 0$
• Flagstaff Scenic Highway, Attraction: Scenic highway from Baseline Rd in Boulder to the summit of Flagstaff Mountain 1,600 ft above Boulder, views of the Continental Divide, plains, & city
• Shelby American Collection, Attraction: Vintage American sports cars
• University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, Attraction: Natural history of the American Southwest & the Great Plains, dinosaurs, fossils, American Indian artifacts, 0$

• Country Boy Mine, Attraction: Tour 1800s mine some 1,000 ft underground, mining exhibits, old buildings, gold panning, $$

• Brush Area Museum, Attraction: Monument to historic cattle trails

• Ghost town, all that remains is the cemetery, most buildings have been moved to Fairplay or a reconstructed ghost town near Royal Gorge

• Old Town Museum, Attraction: Collection of original and re-created buildings furnished with early 1900s artifacts, schoolhouse, church, sod house, windmill, grocery store, jail, saloon, drugstore, working soda fountain, blacksmith shop, $

• Picture Canyon (18 mi W of Campo), Attraction: Pictographs painted on canyon walls, natural bridge

• Buckskin Joe Frontier Town & Railway (8 mi SW of Canon City), Attraction: Reconstructed 1860s mining town with over 27 Wild West building, 3-mi train to the rim of the Royal Gorge, $$
• Canon City Municipal Museum, Attraction: History of Fremont County & southern Colorado, Southwestern American Indian pottery, big game trophies, fossils, 1880s stone house, 1860s log house, $
• Colorado Territorial Prison Museum, Attraction: Former Colorado territorial prison opened in 1871, gas chamber, confiscated inmate weapons, disciplinary paraphernalia, $
• Phantom Canyon Highway (SR67, 6 mi E of Canon City), Attraction: Scenic road twists & turns through a canyon leading to Cripple Creek, no RVs
• Royal Gorge Bridge (12 mi SW of Canon City), Attraction: World's highest suspension bridge 1,053 ft above raging Arkansas River, drive across suspension bridge to see river from above, take incline railway to river edge to view bridge from below, $$
• Royal Gorge Route Railroad, Attraction: 24-mi trip from Canon City to Parkdale through the scenic Royal Gorge, cross unusual hanging bridge, $$
• Skyline Drive (3 mi W of Canon City off US50), Attraction: 3-mi one-way road along the ridge crest above town
• Temple Canyon (6 mi SW of Canon City), Attraction: Trail to granite cliff amphitheater thought to be an Indian temple

• Pioneer Town, Attraction: More than 20 buildings from the early 1900s, Main Street with wooden sidewalks, barn with silo, 1906 jail, schoolhouse, general store, log cabin, Sutherland Indian Museum, Doris Doll & Toy House, Chapel of the Cross, $

• Gilpin History Museum, Attraction: In a restored 1870 schoolhouse, gold-rush artifacts, mining memorabilia, miniature mining town, Main Street, Victorian rooms, $
• "Oh My God" Road (CR279 to Idaho Springs), Attraction: Narrow, winding gravel road through Virginia Canyon offers spectacular views of Mount Evans & the Continental Divide, no RVs
• Thomas Historical House, Attraction: 1894 house which is virtually unchanged since when it was bought, quilts, calendars, clocks, kitchen items, $

• Eastern Colorado Historical Society Museum, Attraction: In 1894 Cheyenne County jail. telephone museum

Colorado Springs [SE]

Also see Manitou Springs

• Air Force Academy (Exit 156B off I-25), Attraction: Watch Air Force cadets in training, view noon-time cadet parade, visit the interfaith chapel, 0$

• American Numismatic Association Money Museum, Attraction: One of world's largest repositories of coins, paper money, medals, & related items, 0$

• Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, Attraction: History of Colorado Springs & Pikes Peak, early medicine, American Indians, 0$

• Current Factory Store (Exit 149 off I-25), Attraction: Factory store, 0$

• El Pomar Carriage Museum, Attraction: Collection of old vehicles, saddles, two presidential carriages, Conestoga wagon, 0$

• Flying W Ranch (Exit 146 off I-25), Attraction: Chuck-wagon style supper with Western-style cowboy entertainment, more than dozen buildings in restored Western village, $$

• Focus on the Family Welcome Center (Exit 151 off I-25), Attraction: Guided tour of broadcast studio, overview of ministry, 0$

• Garden of the Gods Park (NW of Colorado Springs off US24), Attraction: Red sandstone rock formations, geological history at visitor's center, 0$

• Glen Eyrie (off Garden of the Gods Rd), Attraction: Mansion built by Colorado Springs founder General William Jackson Palmer, now a retreat center for the Navigators

• Ghost Town Museum, Attraction: Learn about the many ghost towns that sprang up in this area during the mining era, reconstructed Old West town from buildings abandoned after the gold rush, $

• Gold Camp Road (off US115 at Cheyenne Blvd), Attraction: Narrow, twisting 36-mile gravel trail that follows the Cripple Creek Short Line Railroad roadbed through North Cheyenne Canyon, no RVs

• Hall of the Presidents Living Wax Museum, Attraction: More than 100 wax statues create historic moments from our nations past

• High Drive (begins at end of N Cheyenne Canon Rd), Attraction: One-way dirt road, no RVs

• John May Natural History Museum of the Tropics (8 mi SW of Colorado Springs on SR115), Attraction: More than 7,000 giant & exotic insects from the jungles of the world, $

• Museum of the American Numismatic Association, Attraction: Coins from throughout US history

• McAllister House Museum, Attraction: Restored 1873 house with original & period furnishings, $

• North Cheyenne Canon Park (via Cheyenne Blvd), Attraction: Striking rock formations, Helen Hunt & Silver Cascade falls, hiking, 0$

• Old Colorado City, Attraction: Former State Capitol

• Peterson Air & Space Museum (7 mi E of Colorado Springs on US24), Attraction: Exhibits about air defense, Colorado Springs' aviation history, NORAD Aerospace Command, 20 historic aircraft & missiles, 0$

• Pikes Peak Ghost Town Museum (1.5 mi W from Exit 141 off I-25), Attraction: Reconstructed 1800s Old West Town with general store, saloon, Victorian house, blacksmith shop, jail, livery stable, rooming house, $

• Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame & Museum of the American Cowboy (Exit 147 off I-25), Attraction: View the evolution of rodeo from ranch work to present spectator attraction, $

• Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site (at E entrance to Garden of the Gods Park), Attraction: Living-history museum & working farm, American Indian & pioneer life in the Pikes Peak region, $

• Seven Falls (S Cheyenne Canon Rd), Attraction: Take an elevator to the Eagle's nest viewing platform or the 224-step stairway to the top of the 181-ft falls, $

• Western Museum of Mining & Industry (Exit 156A off I-25), Attraction: 27-acre exhibit site with indoor & outdoor hands-on displays, operating steam engines, mining equipment, mineral display, $

• Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun (6 Mi SW of Colorado Springs), Attraction: Tribute to cowboy philosopher Will Rogers, $$

Cortez [SW]

See Mesa Verde National Park (9 mi E of Cortez)

• Cortez Cultural Center, Attraction: Celebrates cultures of the region

• Four Corners National Monument (35 mi SW of Cortez), Attraction: Only place in the U.S. where four states meet, $

• Hovenweep National Monument (18 mi S of Cortez on US49 in Utah), Six separate prehistoric village sites, $

• Museum of Northwest Colorado, Attraction: Cowboy & gunfighter museum, local history

• Creede Museum, Attraction: History of Mineral County, hand-drawn fire wagon, horse-drawn hearse, pioneer artifacts, gambling devices, 0$
• Creede Underground Mining Museum (5 mi N of Creede on SR149), Attraction: Housed in rooms blasted out of solid rock, history of mining from the 19th century to present, $
• Wheeler Geological Area (SE of Creede on gravel & unimproved roads), Attraction: Interesting rock formations

• Crested Butte to Kebler Pass Scenic Drive

• Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad, Attraction: 4-mi trip past abandoned mines on narrow-gauge railroad, steam locomotive, $
• Cripple Creek District Museum, Attraction: 1900s assay office, two Victorian apartments, mining equipment, $
• Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine, Attraction: Mine tour 1,000 feet underground, $$
• Phantom Canyon Highway (SR67 to Canon City), Attraction: Scenic road twists & turns through a canyon, no RVs

• Crook Museum, Attraction: Every local brand used since 1900

• Delta County Museum, Attraction: Ranching & farming implements, household appliances, butterfly collection, $

• Dry Mesa Dinosaur Quarry, Attraction: Hands-on dinosaur excavation

• Fort Uncompahgre (N of Delta on US50), Attraction: Re-created fur-trading post of the 1830s, trapping, framing, frontier crafts, $

• Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Attraction: One of the largest natural history museums in the country, IMAX theatre, $
• Colorado History Museum, Attraction: Explores Colorado's diverse past & present, life in early Denver, restored Conestoga wagon, $
• Denver Botanic Gardens, Attraction: More than 45 gardens including rare & endangered plants from around the world, $
• Forney Museum of Transportation (Exit 275B off I-25), Attraction: Union Pacific Big Boy locomotive #4005, one of the largest steam locomotives made, antique & classic cars, $
• Molly Brown House Museum, Attraction: Restored 1889 home of Margaret Tobin Brown who survived the Titanic, subject of "The Unsinkable Molly Brown," $
• St Mary's Glacier
• Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, Attraction: More than 36 historic airplanes & space vehicles, B-1A Bomber, B-18 Bolo, Century-series fighter, $
• U.S. Mint tour, 0$

• Dinosaur National Monument, Attraction: Watch dinosaur fossils as they are extracted from the rocks, camping, $

• Anasazi Heritage Center (3 mi W of Dolores on SR184), Attraction: Artifacts from the Anasazi culture that inhabited area before 1300 AD, excavated pueblos, $
• Canyon of the Ancients National Monument (9 mi W of Pleasant View on CR CC), Attraction: Primitive archeological area including dwellings, shrines, hunting camps, & petroglyphs, 0$
  • Escalante Pueblo, Attraction: Spectacular view of Four Corners area
  • Lowry Pueblo (W of Hwy491 on RteCC), Attraction: 40 rooms, 8 kiva, 1 great kiva
  • Painted Hand Pueblo, Attraction: Painted hand pictographs, well preserved tower
  • Sand Canyon Pueblo (6 mi on Sand Canyon Trail), Attraction: Ruins of 420-room Pueblo with 100 kivas & 14 towers

• Bar D Chuckwagon Suppers (6 mi N of Durango on US550), Attraction: Ranch-hand style meals and Western stage show, Western village, $$
• Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, Attraction: 47-mi narrow-gauge steam train along Animas River to Silverton, $$$
• Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum, Attraction: Two locomotives, business-class cars, railroad artifacts, 0$
• Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Tour, Attraction: See how several varieties of chocolate candy are produced, 0$
• San Juan Skyway, Attraction: Scenic byway from Ridgway in the North to Durango in the South (see individual listings for local attractions)

• Eagle Diner, Attraction: 50s-style diner with great food
• Sylvan Lake State Park, Attraction: Camping, swimming, fishing, $$

Estes Park [NE]

Also see Rocky Mountain National Park

• Aerial Tramway, Attraction: Tram to summit of 8,750-ft Prospect Mountain, $

• Big Thompson Canyon (US34 from Loveland), Attraction: Scenic 27-mi drive along the Big Thompson River

• Estes Park Area Historical Museum, Attraction: History of Estes Park & surrounding region, American Indians, early settlers, Stanley Steamer automobile, homestead cabin, $

• Key Room at the Bald Pate Inn (9 mi S of Boulder on Hwy7), Attraction: Keys from around the world including Mozart's wine cellar, the Pentagon, Westminster Abbey and Frankenstein's Castle, Bald Pate Inn is operated as a bed & breakfast

• MacGregor Ranch Museum (0.5 mi N of US34), Attraction: Original 1873 homestead & living-history cattle ranch, collection of ranch equipment, household furnishings, $

• Stanley Hotel, Attraction: Built by inventor of the Stanley Steamer automobile

• Hiwan Homestead Museum, Attraction: 17-room log lodge furnished to reflect mountain summer home living 1890-1930, 0$

• South Park City Museum, Attraction: Restored early Colorado gold-mining town typical of the 1860-1900 era, over 35 buildings furnished with period articles, newspaper office, gold mill, drugstore, saloon, assay office, general store, $

• Fleming Museum, Attraction: Antique furniture, Farm tools, 1880s railroad depot

• Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument (2 mi S of Florissant on Teller CR1), Attraction: Fossils of plant & animal life preserved in shale, tours of an 1878 homestead, $

• Anaheuser-Busch Brewery, Attraction: Tour of brewery, packaging, & storage facilities, Budweiser Clydesdale hamlet, 0$
• Fort Collins Museum (W off I-25 on SR14), Attraction: History of northern Colorado, stone cabin, school house, cabins, Native American artifacts, 0$

• Fort Garland Museum, Attraction: Restored 1858 frontier fort, military memorabilia, $
• Pike's Stockade, Attraction: Replica of Colorado's first log building constructed in 1807

• Fort Morgan Museum, Attraction: Area history, Glenn Miller exhibit, 1920s soda fountain, American Indian artifacts, Plains military history, homesteading, railroading, 0$
• U.S. Military Historical Museum, Attraction: Uniforms, weaponry, equipment

Four Corners National Monument [SW]

Only place in the U.S. where four states meet - Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, & Utah

• Cozens Ranch Museum, Attraction: One of oldest homestead in area, pioneer medicine, stagecoach travel, WWII prisoner of war camps, $

• Frisco Historic Park (Exit 203 off I-70), Attraction: Town history during its mining & logging heydeys, 5 furnished homes, Schoolhouse Museum, ranch house, town house, jail, 0$

• Dinosaur Hill, Attraction: 1-mi loop past the mold of a dinosaur leg bone
• Fruita Paleontological Area, Attraction:
• McInnis National Conservation Area, Attraction: In Rattlesnake Canyon, largest collection of natural arches outside Arches National Park
• Museum of Western Colorado's Dinosaur Journey (Exit 19 off I-70), Attraction: Animated dinosaurs & other prehistoric creatures in natural settings, dinosaur digs, $

• Tower Museum (Exit 371 off I-70), Attraction: Unique 20-room museum with archeology items, antiques, oddities, old firearms, & more, $

• Georgetown Loop Railroad (Exit 228 off I-70, Attraction: Narrow-gauge steam train between Georgetown & Silver Plume, $$
• Hamill House, Attraction: Built in 1879, one of the most luxurious Victorian houses in the Colorado Territory with central heating, gaslights, & a bathtub before most of the community had heard of such things, 6-seat outhouse, $
• Hotel de Paris Museum, Attraction: Renowned for its architecture, appointments, & intellectual ambience, original furnishings, $

• Glenwood Caverns, Attraction: Soda straws, crystalline formations, cliff-side balcony with panoramic views, $$
• Glenwood Hot Springs Lodge & Pool, Attraction: One of world's largest outdoor hot mineral swimming pool, $
• Iron Mountain Tramway, Attraction: 4,300-ft tram to top of Iron Mountain, $$

• Buffalo Bill Museum & Grave (top of Lookout Mountain), Attraction: Artifacts of the Old West & life of William F "Buffalo Bill" Cody, American Indian artifacts, antique firearms, Wild West show posters, $
• Colorado Railroad Museum (Exit 265 off I-70), Attraction: More than 80 train cars & locomotives, railroad memorabilia, museum, $
• Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum, Attraction: Displays of minerals, mining artifacts, fossils, gemstones, 0$
• Coors Brewing Company, Attraction: Guided tour of one of the world's largest single-site breweries, 0$
• Eldorado Canyon State Park (about 20 mi N of Golden), Attraction: Towering stone sentinels of granite, quartzite, & sandstone carved by South Boulder Creek, hiking, rock climbing
• Golden Pioneer Museum, Attraction: History of Golden from pioneer to modern times, clothing, guns, old-time pharmacy, mercantile, $

• Colorado National Monument (W of Grand Junction via SR340), Attraction: Spectacular rock formations, 500-ft deep canyons, 35-mi Rim Rock Drive, camping, hiking, $
  • Canyon Rim Trail, Attraction: Level trail w/spectacular views
  • James M Robb-Colorado River State Park, Attraction: Full hookups
  • Monument RV Park, Attraction: Full hookups, grassy spacious sites
  • Rim Rock Drive, Attraction: Freestanding rock monoliths – Independence Monument, Kissing Couple, Pipe Organ, Preying Hands, Coke Ovens
  • Saddlehorn Campground, Attraction: Running water, flush toilets
  • Window Rock Trail, Attraction: 0.5-mi round trip with views of Monument & Weddings canyons
• Cross Orchards Historic Farm, Attraction: 1900s apple orchard, early social & agricultural heritage, Uintah Narrow Gauge Railroad exhibit, collection of road-building equipment, $
• Dinosaur Valley Museum, Attraction: Complete skeletons, working paleontology lab
• Museum of Western Colorado, Attraction: Regional history from prehistoric times to the present, Southwestern pottery, Old West artifacts, antique firearms, 1890s schoolhouse, uranium mining, $
• RV Ranch, Attraction: 139 campsites, activities
• Western Colorado Botanical Gardens, Attraction: Native & tropical plants, butterfly house, $

Great Sand Dunes National Park [SW]

• Zapata Falls (7.4 mi S of main entrance to Great Sand Dunes National Park), Attraction: Falls located in narrow slot canyon

• Centennial Village Museum & Gardens, Attraction: Victorian & adobe houses, church, train depot, blacksmith shop, print shop, fire station, homesteader's shack, one-room schoolhouse, $
• Meeker Home Museum, Attraction; 1870 home of Greeley founder Nathan Cook Meeker

• Grover Depot Museum, Attraction: Ranch displays in wooden train depot

• Pioneer Museum, Attraction: Restored rural schoolhouse, 1876 post office, 50 antique vehicles, antique ranch wagons & buggies, horse-drawn hearse, printing presses, cowboy paraphernalia, narrow-gauge railroad engine, arrowhead collection, $

• Pioneer Museum, Attraction: Restored building include a ranch house, blacksmith shop, schoolhouse, courthouse, jail, $

• Argo Gold Mine, Mill, & Museum, Exit 241A off I-70), Attraction: Tour hand-dug Double-Eagle Mine, gold and silver processing mill, Clear Creek Mining Museum, $$
• Mt Evans Scenic Byway (S of Idaho Springs on Hwy103), Attraction: Highest paved road in North America (14,264 ft), $
• Phoenix Gold Mine tour (Exit 239 off I-70), Attraction: Underground tour of working hard-rock gold mine, $

• Ghost town (13 mi E of Aspen on Hwy82), Attraction: Located at 10,920 ft, town "boomed" during gold rush in 1879

• Fort Sedgwick Museum, Attraction: History of Julesburg & Fort Sedgwick, Union Pacific Railroad memorabilia, Pony Express station, pioneer farm tools, Old Ford garage with antique cars & gasoline pumps, $
• Italian Caves (W of Julesburg on CR28), Attraction: Subterranean caves carved by immigrant bricklayer Uberto Gibello

• Kit Carson Museum, Attraction: Personal effects of famed mountain man, Indian artifacts, local history

• Country Road Cafe, Attraction: Great breakfasts & lunches among great scenery

• Alpine Loop, Attraction: 65 mi dirt & gravel road connecting Lake City, Ouray, & Silverton, 4-wheel drive recommended
• Silver Thread (SR149), Attraction: Winding over the Continental Divide for 75 mi between Creede & South Fork

• Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site (6 mi E of La Junta on SR194E), Attraction: Restored 1833 trading post on Santa Fe Trail, $
• Koshare Indian Museum, Attraction: Southwest Indian culture, art, & artifacts, $
• Picket Wire Canyonlands (30 miles S of La Junta), Attraction: Largest collection of dinosaur tracks in North America w/over 1,300 prints, remote location

• Big Timbers Museum (at Jct US50/387 & SR196), Attraction: Household items & farm implements representing late 1800 to 1930, firearms collection, cowboy & American Indian relics, 0$

• Boggsville, Attraction: Prominent trading and cultural center in late 1800s
• Kit Carson Museum, Attraction: Celebration of the life of mid-1800s frontiersman Kit Carson

• Francisco Fort Museum (SR12 off US160), Attraction: Seven buildings in an 1862 fort, 11 rooms including kitchen, bedroom, parlor, country store, American Indian pottery, weapons, $

• Heritage Museum, Attraction: Leadville history, replica of 1800s ice palace, exhibit about US Army 10th Mountain Division, $
• Leadville, Colorado, & Southern Railroad, Attraction: Train ride through the high-mountain alpine scenery across the 11,120-ft Continental Divide, $$
• Matchless Mine, (1 mi E of Leadville), Attraction: Owned by local merchant Horace Tabor who made a fortune & died penniless
• National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum, Attraction: See how everything from coal to gold is mined around the world, replicated underground hard-rock mine complete with ore cars & drills, nuggets from all 17 American gold rushes, $

• Limon Heritage Museum (1 mi W of Exit 361 from I-90), Attraction: Railroad cars, 2-room prairie house, mercantile store, farm implements, 0$

• Hudson Gardens, Attraction: 16 distinct gardens emphasizing native/indigenous species
• Littleton History Museum (Belleview Exit off I-25), Attraction: Living-history farms, historic buildings furnished in period, livestock, blacksmith shop, 1860s schoolhouse, icehouse, 0$

• Longmont Museum (1 mi S of Longmont on US287), Attraction: Regional history, Great Plains history, Longs Peak Room with panoramic view of Rocky Mountains, 0$

Loveland [NE]

• Colorado Cherry Company (15-mi W of Loveland on Hwy34), Attraction: Jams, jellies, cherry cider & more
• Loveland Museum, Attraction: Town history, display on Big Thompson water project, Great Western Sugar Factory, 0$

• Lyons Redstone Museum, Attraction: Local artifacts & memorabilia, 0$

Also see Colorado Springs

• Cave of the Winds (6 mi W of Exit 141 off I-25), Attraction: Tour underground formations, passageways, & rooms, $$
• Iron Springs Melodrama Dinner Theater, Attraction: Dinner theatre with comedy melodrama show,
• Manitou Cliff Dwellings (W of Manitou Springs on US24), Attraction: History & displays of the Anasazi Indian culture with over 40 rooms depicting life in the 1100s to 1300s, $
• Miramont Castle, Attraction: Four-story "castle" with over 48 rooms that "stairstep" up the mountain, $
• Pikes Peak Cog Railway, Attraction: Highest cog railway in world, 9-mi climb to top of 14,110 ft Pikes Peak, $$
• Pikes Peak Highway, Attraction: 19-mi drive to top of 14,110-ft Pikes Peak, $$

• White River Museum, Attraction: Showcase of Meeker's Western heritage & the White River Valley, 0$

• Jack Dempsey Museum, Attraction: Birthplace and childhood home of famous boxer Jack Dempsey

Mesa Verde National Park [SW]

Largest group of cliff-dwellings in the world, occupied by the Anasazi Indians centuries ago, $$

• Balcony House, Attraction: High alcove in the W wall of Soda Canyon reached by 32-ft ladder, $

• Cliff Palace, Attraction: In an alcove in the E wall of Cliff Canyon, $

• Far View Sites (4 mi N of Chapin), Attraction: Exemplify pueblos that were built on mesa tops, 0$

• Fewkes Canyon Sites, Attraction: Large cliff dwellings badly deteriorated

• Mesa Top Loop Rd, Attraction: Two 6-mi loops that provide views of about 40 cliff dwellings

• Petroglyph Point Trail, Attraction: 3-mi round-trip trail to Petroglyph Point

• Spruce Canyon Trail, Attraction: 2-mi round-trip to the bottom of Spruce Tree Canyon

• Square Tower House, Attraction: In a shallow alcove in the E wall of Navajo Canyon

• Sun Temple (W of Cliff Palace), Attraction: Uncompleted, may have been intended for ceremonial use

• Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge (6 mi S of Monte Vista on SR15, Attraction: Sandhill cranes in spring

Montrose [SW]

• Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (8 mi E of Montrose), Attraction: Canyon up to 2,750-ft deep, only 1,100-ft between wide rims at some points
• Curecanti National Recreation Area, Cimarron Visitor Center (20 mi E of Montrose on US50), Attraction: Narrow-gauge railroad engine, coal tender, 1891 trestle, sheep- & cattle-loading corrals, 0$
• Montrose County Historical Museum, Attraction: American Indian artifacts, dolls, toys, quilts, railroad memorabilia, mining items, stage coach, antique farm equipment, $
• Ute Indian Museum (3 mi S of Montrose on US550), Attraction: Displays relating to the culture & life of the Ute Indians& Chief Ouray, $

• Dinosaur Ridge (1.8 mi N of Morrison on CR93), Attraction: Dinosaur bones & tracks, plant & animal fossils, rock formations, 0$
• Red Rocks Park (Exit 259 off I-70W), Attraction: Amphitheater built into rock formations, 0$

Historic gold mining town of the late 1800s

• Alpine Loop Scenic & Historic Byway (four-wheel-drive vehicles only) Attraction: 63-mi dirt route over 2 12,000-ft passes past 7 ghost towns,
• 4J + 1 + 1 RV Park, Attraction: Camping among scenic mountains, 57 RV spots
• Bachelor-Syracuse Mine (1.2 mi E on CR14 off US550), Attraction: Mine train takes visitors 3,350 ft into Gold Hill, $$
• Box Canon Falls (S on US550), Attraction: 285-ft high falls, $
• Cascade Falls Park, Attraction: 300-ft waterfall
• Million Dollar Highway (Hwy550 from Ouray to Durango)
• Ouray County Museum , Attraction: Former town hospital, hospital memorabilia, mining relics, Ute Indian artifacts, restored log cabins, $
• Ouray Hot Springs Pool, Attraction: Four mineral pools

• Chimney Rock Anasazi Ruins (3 mi S of Hwy160 on Hwy151), Attraction: Cliff dwellings inhabited by the Anasazi & Chacoan peoples, mysteriously abandoned in 1125 AD, $

• Chimney Rock & Companion Rock (in Chimney Rock Archeological Area), Attraction: Dramatic stone columns that frame the rising full moon every 18.6 years near the winter solstice

• Fred Harman Art Museum, Attraction: Devoted to creator of Red Ryder comic book character, $

• Great Pueblo (in Chimney Rock Archeological Area), Attraction: 35-room stone building

• Mel's Museum, Attraction: Restored autos, antiques, assorted oddities

• Unaweep-Tabeguache Scenic Byway, Attraction: 133-mi scenic route Between Placerville in the S & Whitewater in the N

• Fort Vasquez Museum, Attraction: Replica of 1835 adobe fur-trading post, 0$

• Lowry Ruins (8 mi W of Pleasant View), Attraction: 3-story ancestral pueblo site w/40 rooms, 8 kivas, great ancestral kiva

• El Pueblo History Museum (Exit 98B off I-25, Attraction: History of the region's varied cultures, American Indians, European explorers, trade & settlement, agriculture, industry, natural history, $
• Rosemont Victorian House Museum, Attraction: 37-room mansion built in 1891

• Bishop's Castle (35 mi SW of Pueblo on Hwy165), Attraction: Amazing private castle under construction, 0$

Scenic town in San Juan Mountains, site of many Western movies, pick up tour guide to locations seen in famous movies from the visitors center

• San Juan Skyway, Attraction: Scenic byway from Ridgway in the North to Durango in the South (see individual listings for local attractions)

Rifle [NW]

• Rifle Falls State Park (13 mi N of Rifle), Attraction: Three waterfalls, camping, hiking, $

Rocky Mountain National Park [NW]

415 sq mi park with the most spectacular mountain scenery in America, $$

• Alpine Visitor Center, Attraction: Exhibits about the alpine tundra, observation balcony, 0$
• Bear Lake Road, Attraction: 9.5 mi trip to Bear Lake
• Fall River Road, Attraction: Exciting 11-mi trip via one-way gravel road to Alpine Visitors Center at summit, awesome views, return via Trail Ridge Road
• Moraine Park Museum (near Beaver Meadows entrance), Attraction: Colorful exhibits explain formation of park, 0$
• Never Summer Ranch
• Trail Ridge Road, Attraction: Spectacular drive across high alpine tundra to 11,000-ft Alpine Visitors Center, highest continuous paved highway in the United States

• Saguache County Museum (on US285), Attraction: Life in the mid- to late-1800s, early medical equipment, antique gun collection, vintage saddles, pioneer kitchen, school, American Indian artifacts, mineral collection, $

• Monarch Aerial Tram (W of Salida on US50), Attraction: Tram to 12,000-ft viewpoint of Sangra de Cristo, San Juan, & Ruby Mountains
• Salida Museum, Attraction: Pioneer & American Indian life, railroading, & mining, 0$

• Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, northern terminus, Attraction: 47-mi narrow-gauge steam train along Animas River to Durango, $$$
• Mayflower Gold Mill Tour (2 mi E of Silverton on SR110), Attraction: Demonstrations of the mill's original equipment which remains unchanged since operations ceased in 1991, $
• Old Hundred Gold Mine Tour (5 mi E of Silverton on CR2), Attraction: Electric mine train takes visitors into the heart of Galena Mountain, $$
• San Juan County Historical Society Museum, Attraction: Artifacts from early mining & railroading days, $

• Fun Valley Family Resort & RV Park

• Commanche National Grasslands, Attraction:

• Ghost Town, Attraction: Well preserved ghost town with original structures, general store, and a few residents

• Overland Trail Museum (E of Sterling on Rte6), Attraction: Memorabilia from the westward migration, homesteading, Indian artifacts, 0$

• Fish Creek Falls, Attraction: 283-ft falls
• Tread of Pioneers Museum, Attraction: Artifacts from the town's early days, ranching memorabilia, mining exhibits, extensive firearms collection, American Indian artifacts, $
• Yampa River Botanic Park (1 mi S of Steamboat Springs off US40), Attraction: Plants, flowers, ornamentals, & trees native to the Yampa River basin, 0$

Historic railroad town

• Comanche Crossing Museum Attraction: History of the Strasburg area, doctor's office, cobbler's shop, relocated school buildings, antique vehicles, fossils, American Indian artifacts, 0$

• Classics on Wheels, Attraction: More than 30 restored vintage Chevys, tractors, luxury cars

• Bridal Veil Falls, Attraction: Tallest waterfall in Colorado
• "The G" Gondola, Attraction: Gondola ride to mountain top for spectacular view, 0$
• Tomboy Mine (6 mi E of Telluride on Tomboy Road), Attraction: Tour of mine located near the summit of 13,000-ft Imogene Pass

• Southern Ute Indian Cultural Center, Attraction: Ute craftwork & artifacts
• Ute Mountain Tribal Park (on US666 near Towaoc), Attraction: Ancestral pueblos, cliff dwellings, pictographs, geological formations

• Bloom Mansion, Attraction: One of the oldest homes in the area
• Louden-Henritze Archeology Museum, Attraction: Fossils, geology, and archeology of SE Colorado
• Santa Fe Trail Museum, Attraction: Exhibits depict the heyday of the Santa Fe trail through the 1920s
• Trinidad History Museum, Attraction: A look at early settlers' lives, $

• Walsenburg Mining Museum, Attraction: Coal mining history & the lives of workers who lived in the camps, $

• Butterfly Pavilion & Insect Center (E of Westminster off US36), Attraction: Living habitat exhibits of insects, marine touch tank, tropical rain forest, over 1,200 butterflies, $

• Unaweep-Tabeguache Scenic Byway, Attraction: 133-mi scenic route between Whitewater in the N & Placerville in the S

• Wray Museum, Attraction: Arrowhead collection

Do You Know Some Other Interesting Sites In This State/Province?

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• Abbreviated driving directions
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