COME TO LIFE / Cities & Towns Vail When people think skiing in the U.S., Vail is often the first town that comes to mind. Located in the heart of the Rockies, it’s a town created by and for skiing but has grown to a year-round destination that’s a favorite with families and lovers of the outdoors, including hikers, golfers, snowshoers/cross-country skiers and more. Eagle County Airport offers daily flights from Denver and several other major U.S. destina-tions; drive distance west from Denver is 156 kilometres. TOP ATTRACTIONS: Vail and Beaver Creek ski resorts, Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museum & Hall of Fame, Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, international music and dance festivals, outdoor concert series, Epic Discovery year-round mountain adventures Leadville At a sky-scraping 3,095 metres, Leadville is the United States’ high-est-altitude city. Leadville was a very influential boomtown during the late 1800s mining days — it was almost named Colorado’s capital city. Well-preserved, the town has 70 square city blocks of Victorian-era buildings that are part of a designated National His-toric Landmark District, along with 51 square kilometres of preserved mining district to explore. Leadville is a 160 kilometre drive west of Denver and south of Vail. TOP ATTRACTIONS: Tabor Opera House, Top of the Rockies Scenic and Historic Byway, Leadville, Colorado & Southern Railroad, National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum, Ski Cooper, Tennessee Pass Nordic Center, Twin Lakes, Mount Elbert (the state’s tallest peak) Breckenridge Breckenridge’s quaint main street could be a painting of the mountain town of your dreams. The oldest and largest town in Colorado’s famous Summit County (Keystone, Frisco, Silverthorne, Copper Mountain and Dillon are others) started out, like many, as a mining town, and locals aren’t about to forget it — the 250-plus buildings on the National Historic Register in the very walkable downtown attest to that. Historic attractions, one of the nation’s most popular ski resorts and end-less outdoor activities keep visitors busy year-round. Breckenridge is 61 kilo metres east of Vail and 128 kilometres west of Denver. TOP ATTRACTIONS: Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper Mountain and Arapahoe Basin ski resorts, Edwin Carter Museum, Summit County Recreational Pathway, Breckenridge Creative District, Outlets at Silverthorne, Lake Dillon, Breckenridge Brewery, Frisco Adventure Park Buena Vista & Salida These charming small towns are located on the banks of the Arkansas River and have incred-ible views of many of the state’s towering fourteeners (peaks that rise 14,000 feet — or 4,200 metres — above sea level). Whitewater rafting, ziplining, kayaking, skiing, rock climbing, biking, ziplining and hot springs fill the days of visitors to this area. Salida is a Colorado Creative District, and both towns collectively host 100 breweries, distilleries, wineries, galleries and local eateries. Salida is a 227 kilo-metre drive north of Denver and 93 kilometres south of Leadville. TOP ATTRACTIONS: Browns Canyon National Monu-ment, Collegiate Peaks Scenic Byway, Buena Vista Whitewater Park, Mt. Princeton Hot Springs Resort, Salida Aquatic Center, Cottonwood Hot Springs, Monarch Crest Scenic Tramway, Monarch Mountain Ski Area, Mt. Shavano Fish Hatchery, Comanche Drive In Theatre, Sunlight Mountain Ski Resort, St. Elmo and Tin Cup ghost towns Climbing Mount Harvard near Buena Vista Vail Breckenridge Leadville Buena Vista Salida Denver Collegiate Peaks cerca de Buena Vista Lake Dillon near Breckenridge 16 / COLORADO.COM LAURENCE PARENT; EFRAIN M. PADRO.
Colorado Holiday Guide UK English 2018: Page 16
