Destination: Colorado

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Tour America's Treasures editor
Lee Price at Florissant Fossil Beds.

Welcome to Colorado! That’s me in the neighboring photo, always ready to celebrate any place that has a National Monument site dedicated to the preservation of immaculately detailed plant and insect fossils. While not one of our official Save America’s Treasures sites, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument is definitely still a Colorado treasure.

We enjoyed a family vacation in Colorado last year, arriving at Denver International Airport and immediately taking in the first of many memorable landscapes—the clear demarcation between eastern Colorado’s Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains to the immediate west of Denver. Two radically different worlds meet here, roughly pasted together on a grand scale.

History below the ground, as well as
above, in Colorado.

Colorado is loaded with ranching history, mining history, Native American history, and layers upon layers of prehistory. The land is wide and wild and beautiful. And when you need a break from historical exploration, there are plenty of opportunities for other recreational activities, particularly at Colorado’s internationally famous ski resorts.

Denver provides the central urban hub for the state. The Great Plains and preserved short-grass prairie lands (where the antelope still roam) are to the east of Denver. Directly to the south of Denver is a varied landscape of mountains, deserts, forests, plains, and even white-water rivers. The Rocky Mountains—including the legendary Rocky Mountain National Park—are to the west. And, finally, don’t forget the scenic canyons and hot springs of the famous Four Corners area in the Southwest region of the state.

For more professional orientation and plenty of solid Colorado tourism advice, visit the Official Site of Colorado Tourism, Denver Colorado Tourist & Vacation Information, and Colorado Vacation Planning.

Our Tour America’s History exploration of Colorado’s 15 Save America’s Treasures sites begins on Wednesday.

The Rocky Mountains as seen from our resort in Breckenridge.

Tour America's History Itinerary

Wednesday’s destination:  Denver Museum of Nature and Science
Friday’s destination:  Hutchinson Homestead Ranch

© 2012 Lee Price