Colorado is a mountain state which is surrounded by Wyoming at the North, Nebraska and Kansas at the East, with New Mexico at the South and Utah at the West. Denver is the capitol city of Colorado which is located at the center of the state with about 30 miles from Denver International Airport. There are two peak periods to visit Colorado, it is during March to May and another peak season is between September to October. During these period, the weather is cool but comfortable, where visitors can enjoy their outdoor activities and attractions visit.
Colorado is suitable for the visitors that love outdoor activities and enjoy natural scenery. There are few national park such as Rocky Mountain and Mesa Verde, each of them has their uniqueness which is worth visit by the visitors.
Rocky Mountain is located at the North which is about 80 miles from Denver. Rocky Mountain is famous with the highest peak at 14,259 feet namely Longs Peak along with more than hundreds peaks that exceed 10,000 feet. Visitors enjoy the alpine lakes, forests and the soaring peaks while driving through Trail Ridge Route in the park.
Besides driving, visitors can stop for a small hike or slowly do some sightseeing in the area. Depending on visitor’s schedule, there are several hiking trails from less than a mile to a full day hike. Sometimes the one might get a chance to see some elks, deer, or bighorn sheep on their journey. Most visitors vacation during summer, and at that time the most popular activities are camping, horseback riding, and hiking make it the busiest of the season.
There is another national park located at Southwest of Denver named Mesa Verde. It is near to Mancos and Cortez. The journey is only about an hour flight from Denver, or visitors can challenge themselves on a road-trip which takes approximately 7 hours drive. Cliff Palace is the most amazing attraction for Mesa Verde, which connects with the mountains from Arizona, Utah and New Mexico. According to research, Ancestral Pueblo lived in Mesa Verde roughly from 600 AD to 1300 AD. There are several numbers of hiking paths, depends how visitors spend their day at the park, they can engage with a tour or travel by themselves.
On the West of Denver, there is a popular national park, named Gunnison and it is surrounded by part of deep steep walls of rock along the Gunnison River. It is an amazingly rough canyon with the depth of 2,000 feet. There are many wildlife living there including elk, golden eagle and mule deer at the national park. Depends on one’s luck, sometimes visitors are able to view those animals during their hiking activities. For adventurous travellers, hiking into the canyon is a great option comparing to short hiking trails. Furthermore, there are campgrounds ready in the park for visitors to camp around and rest.
The Dinosaur National Monument is located at the Northwest of Colorado, near to the border of Utah. It is an interesting tourist sites that combines cultural history with the natural beautiful scenery in Colorado. There are more than 1,500 dinosaur fossils displays at the exhibit hall, which is located at the entrance of the park. This is a first stop before entering the park. There are many activities available such as seeing petroglyphs, camping and river rafting. Visitors can learn more about the cultures by seeing the petroglyphs which were crafted at the cliff walls. Adventurous visitors can challenge the river rafting through a wiggling canyon. On the other hand, visitors can enjoy the beautiful sunset by sitting down quietly. During Winter, there are limited access to the monument however, it is a great opportunity for visitors to do cross-country skiing and snowmobiling.
Garden of Gods is located at 80 miles South of Denver International Airport, which is an amazing landscape with toothed rock towers projecting up to 300 feet from the ground. The park is registered as National Natural Landmark and it is a famous area for road biking and rock climbing. There are some special events such as Bighorn Sheep Celebration Day which happens annually on the month of February. Is great to learn about the Bighorn sheep at the Rocky Mountain and their habitats. This is a free event for visitors and it has been celebrated for 12 years. Besides hiking and walking at the trail, the 1909 bus tour is another option to tour around the parks. Also, Segway tour is another great choice to get closer to the natural. Visitors can stop at any spots according to their preference on the tour.