GET THE GEAR As you travel Colorado’s roads, keep an eye out for the locally made products that help Colora-dans explore our great outdoors: SKIS, SNOWBOARDS & ACCESSORIES: Icelantic (Golden), Wagner (Placerville), Meier (Denver), Apex Ski Boots (Golden), Bishop Binding Co (Edwards), Never Summer (Den-ver), All Boards Sports (Denver), Faction Skis (Breckenridge), Folsom Custom Skis (Denver), High Society (Aspen), Liberty Skis (Avon), OZ Snowboards (Wheat Ridge), Rocky Mountain Underground (Breckenridge), Sick Stickz (Denver), Unity Snowboards (Silverthorne), Venture Snow-boards (Silverton), Grace Skis (Gypsum) PACKS & BAGS: Osprey (Cortez), Kelty (Boulder), MHM (Denver), TOPO Designs (Denver), Mountainsmith (Golden) BIKES: Yeti Cycles (Golden), Moots Cycles (Steamboat Springs) PERFORMANCE CLOTHING & OUTERWEAR: Smartwool (Steamboat Springs), Shredly (Carbondale), Melanzana (Leadville),Voormi (Pagosa Springs), Pearl Izumi (Louisville), Spyder Active Sports (Boulder), Mountain Standard (Boulder), Pactimo (Greenwood Village), Loki (Grand Junction), Janska (Colorado Springs), CG Habitats (Denver), Dynafit (Boulder), Flylow Gear (Denver), Obermeyer Ski Clothing (Aspen), Point6 (Steam-boat Springs), Strafe (Aspen), Freeride Systems (Leadville) FOOTWEAR: La Sportiva (Boulder), Crocs (Niwot), Newton Running Company (Boulder), Pakems (Highlands Ranch) OUTDOOR-ADVENTURE GEAR: Big Agnes (Steamboat Springs), Sea to Summit (Boulder), Purl Wax (Dillon), Tenkara fly-fishing equipment (Boulder), Sierra Designs (Boulder), Scott Fly Rods (Montrose), Otter Box waterproof cases (Fort Collins), Ultimate Direction hydration packs (Boulder), Backcountry Access (Boulder), Ecovessel (Boulder), Badfish Stand Up Paddleboards (Salida), Native Eyewear (Den-ver), Zeal Optics (Boulder) 4 2 STOPS: NATIONAL PARKS The thing about our four National Parks is how amazingly different they all are. You’ll come upon landscapes in one that you won’t find in any other park. So, really, you can’t just see one — you’ve gotta collect them all! 1 ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK The 8 DAYS RECOMMENDED; 630 MILES park welcomes millions of visitors each year and still manages to nurture cravings for solitude. Daybreak is the best time to explore the park’s stunning see-through lakes, sweeping meadows and dew-spritzed forests. Top picks: Drive Trail Ridge Road (summer only), hike/snowshoe to Chasm Falls, peek in on the elk herd in Moraine Park PRESERVE Nestled in a spot where the Sangre de Cristo Mountains buckle inward, the highest mountains of sand in North America have been building and shifting for eons — the result of the San Luis Valley’s unique wind patterns. Top picks: Sled or sandboard down the dunes, splash around in Medano Creek, hike a dune at dusk — when the light gives them a rich gold color and shadows snake across them FROM TOP: BLACK CANYON OF THE GUNNISON NATIONAL PARK, TIM KEMPLE; GREAT SAND DUNES NATIONAL PARK & PRESERVE. 2 GREAT SAND DUNES NATIONAL PARK & 3 MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK Mesa Verde’s Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings have been inspiring interest in this ancient culture for more than 100 years. Tucked securely into cliff walls, the adobe-constructed homes, buildings and kivas are a novel sight. Top picks: Cliff Palace tour, Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum, Mesa Top Loop Road drive 4 BLACK CANYON OF THE GUNNISON HELP US SAVE THESE SPECIAL PLACES FOR GENERATIONS TO COME BY STAYING ON TRAILS AND ROADS, PICKING UP TRASH AND HEEDING SIGNS. To find volunteer opportunities in areas you plan to visit, download the YourCo app. NATIONAL PARK Sheer black walls plummet almost 2,700 feet on this 53-mile stretch of narrow gorge, revealing millions of years of natural history and so named because the walls are often shrouded in shadows, making them appear black. Top picks: Gold-medal fishing, Morrow Point boat tours, dark-sky stargazing ranger programs WANT MORE? SEE PAGE 48 AND VISIT COLORADO.COM/NATIONALPARKS. 92 / COLORADO.COM
Colorado Official State Vacation Guide 2017: Page 92
