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Warm days and cool nights lure you outside. Colorado’s beauty stirs a thirst to get out and enjoy every moment. Mountain & Road Biking The scent of pine needles is best absorbed while twisting along on two wheels. Communities come together over a love of singletrack, while hardcore riders roll along 60-mile sections of highway in high-altitude road-biking races. See page 76 for more. Hiking Let your legs move you through Colorado’s hidden gems, protected wilderness areas, red rocks and high-mountain desert landscapes. WHERE TO START: Explore any Colorado State Park or national park or monument (page 32). • Pick up trail maps at any visitor center — many have trails that start right from their downtowns. • Use the Colorado Trail Explorer (COTREX) app, where you can filter by location, difficulty, scenery and more. Rafting & Boating Landlocked Colorado will surprise you with its rushing rivers, mountain basins and deep-blue reservoirs. A FEW IDEAS: Grand Lake • Lake Dillon • Boulder Reservoir • Lake Granby • Lake San Cristobal (Lake City) • Lake Meredith (Sugar City) • Vallecito Lake • McPhee Lake (Cortez) • Carter Lake (Loveland) • more than 300 Grand Mesa lakes near Grand Junction, Paonia, Delta, Cedaredge and Hotchkiss • 26 Colorado State Parks See page 60 for the full whitewater rundown. Wildlife Watching & Birding Few other places in North America offer such a bounty of wildlife-watching opportunities, from bald eagles to white-tailed ptarmigans and bighorn sheep to bison, elk, mule deer and many more. WHERE TO START: Eight National Wildlife Refuges are peppered across the state. • There are dozens of Colorado Birding Trails. • Designated trails in our 43 state parks, nine national monuments, four national parks and two national grasslands are rich with wildlife opportunities. Backpacking & Camping Colorado makes it easy to get away from it all on its scenic lands. Grab a pack, tent and your favorite people to set up camp in one of 43 state parks, 40-plus wilderness areas, 22 million acres of national forests and other expansive public lands. WHERE TO START: A good resource for tent camping, RV camps and cabins/yurts on public lands is recreation.gov. • Many private campgrounds are located in prime spots that shower you with excellent amenities (sometimes even a shower!). • Visit Colorado.com/CampingBasics for info on how to camp responsibly. Golf Nowhere else provides as much scenic golf-course variety. From beautiful mountain views to links courses, our terrain and elevation make for countless golfing experiences. Traditional courses are plentiful, but tucked away in canyons and mountainsides, you’ll find gems where innovation melds with scenery — and your ball flies farther at high altitudes. A FEW TOP SPOTS: Adobe Creek National Golf Course (Fruita) • TPC Colorado (Berthoud) • The Golf Club at Bear Dance (Larkspur) • Redlands Mesa (Grand Junction) • Saddle Rock Golf Course (Aurora) • Fox Hollow Golf Course (Lakewood) Zipline & Aerial Parks Fly on a fast and fun zipline through the treetops and over canyons, rushing rivers, wildlife and wide valleys. Many zipliners also have aerial parks, where you can navigate on swinging bridges, catwalks, cargo nets, steel cables and more as you soar, climb, swing and scale new heights. A FEW TOP SPOTS: Leadville • Grand Junction • Glenwood Springs • Castle Rock • Cañon City • Buena Vista • Durango • Idaho Springs • Steamboat Springs • Winter Park • Vail • Breckenridge • Copper Mountain • Keystone • Durango • Snowmass Fishing River, lake, stocked pond or under ice, Colorado’s largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish and famous rainbow trout await just below the surface. WHERE TO START: Turn to page 40 for some great spots to fish with the family. • Colorado Parks & Wildlife (cpw.state.co.us) has hundreds of solid recommendations. • The local bait shops in any town you visit can make recommendations for the best local spots and tackle. Dirt Bike, ATV Side-by-Side, & Jeep Trips Let an experienced guide take you over boulder and stream to see ghost towns or the view from the top of the Continental Divide. Tours provide trails and excursions for all abilities or self-guided rentals for your own high-adrenaline off-roading or a scenic Sunday drive. WHERE TO START: Visit Colorado.com/OHVTips to learn about etiquette, find some good spots and connect with outfitters. Stand-Up Paddleboarding Find out what those core muscles are really made of on rivers and lakes around the state. SUP tour companies will set you up with the gear you need to get paddling. A FEW TOP SPOTS: Cottonwood Lake (near Buena Vista) • Union Reservoir (Longmont) • Aurora Reservoir • Colorado River (Palisade) • Keystone Lake • Crawford State Park • Butterfly Lake (Grand Junction) Horseback Riding Few activities embody the West like a good old-fashioned horseback ride through Colorado’s prairie or mountain settings. Somehow, wildlife viewing, sightseeing and simply enjoying the outdoors are just a bit different when sitting astride a saddle. WHERE TO START: Check out dozens of dude ranches for the full horse experience (and many other Wild West activities and amenities). • Nearly every town in the state has a stable or two that can get you on a trail. Summer at Ski Resorts Every ski resort opens in the summer with activities like gondola-accessed mountain-top yoga, gourmet hiking lunches, bike parks and trails, disc golf, adventure courses, mountain coasters and more. WHERE TO START: Visit Colorado.com/SummerInSkiTowns for all the details. Adaptive Summer Fun Adaptive sports centers offer lessons and opportunities for accessible rafting, kayaking, cycling, hiking, climbing, horseback riding and more. A FEW TOP SPOTS: Winter Park, Crested Butte, Telluride, Colorado Springs, Durango, Lakewood and Steamboat Springs Glamping There’s no tent to pitch, no sleeping bag to pack, no trek to use the bathroom. But there are permanent tents and yurts offering beds, electricity, water — and sometimes kitchens, air conditioners, wifi and more. WHERE TO START: Mosca • Carbondale • Granby • Dolores • Cañon City • Vail • DeBeque • Lyons • Ridgway • Westcliffe WANT MORE? Colorado.com/SummerActivities
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