Back for More / COME TO LIFE BACK FOR MORE Whether it’s your first, third or 10th Colorado trip, consider using these familiar towns as a launchpad to uncover places that you might not have heard of yet. IN BOULDER? JAUNT TO LONGMONT. A growing creative community and well-established craft-bever-age scene. Don’t Miss: Longmont Museum & Cultural Center, Long-mont Farmers Market, farm din-ners at Ollin Farms and Meadow Lark Farm Dinners, the Brewhop Trolley, several fromage-focused businesses like The Art of Cheese, Haystack Mountain Cheese and Cheese Importers hiking and biking on the Summit County Recreational Parkway in the summer. Don’t Miss: Gold Medal-fishing on the Blue River, Raven Golf Club at Three Peaks, the historic Mint Steakhouse, Silver thorne Performing Arts Center, The Outlets at Silverthorne IN FORT MORGAN? IN CRESTED BUTTE? WANDER TO GUNNISON. To appreciate a welcoming, Western-rooted community that offers a taste of Colorado’s signature frontier heritage and proximity to some of the state’s most-iconic landscapes. Don’t Miss: Night skies at the Gunnison Valley Observatory, the Gunnison Whitewater Park, Curecanti National Recreation Area, the West Elk Loop Scenic Byway, the Pioneer Museum, Garlic Mike’s Float ’n Dine experience ROAM TO STERLING. It’s the largest city in Logan County and has recently experienced a re-naissance of growth, welcoming new restaurants, boutiques and a blossoming arts community. Don’t Miss: Galleries such as the Ster-ling Creatives Artist Cooperative, Peter L. Youngers Fine Arts Gallery and the Sanderson Gallery; the Overland Trail Museum, a walk-ing tour of the Downtown Sterling Historic District, North Sterling State Park, Simkins Parlour, Parts & Labor Brewing IN ALAMOSA? IN BRECKENRIDGE? IN DENVER? FROM LEFT: CHEESE IMPORTERS, JONATHAN PHILLIPS; FLY FISHING NEAR CARBONDALE, C2 PHOTOGRAPHY. CHECK OUT AURORA. It’s close to many of Denver’s attractions on the east side of town but boasts a cultural reputation of its own. Don’t Miss: A show at the Aurora Fox Arts Center, six public golf courses and Cherry Creek State Park’s swimming area, favorite eateries like Annette, Rosenberg’s Bagels & Delica-tessen and Comida at Stanley Marketplace Conservation Area, floating down Ruby and Horsethief canyons, whitewater rafting through Westwater Canyon, mountain biking the Kokopelli Loops or Lunch Loops Trails, the Dinosaur Journey Museum HOP ALONG TO SILVERTHORNE. Being surrounded by five major ski resorts with year-round activities sure doesn’t hurt, and it makes for an affordable home base whether carving the slopes in the winter or tackling heart-pumping CRUISE TO DEL NORTE. Surround-ed by 3,778 acres of public lands, the enclave’s location provides incredible access to outdoor adventure. Don’t Miss: Penitente Canyon, the Rio Grande County Museum and Cultural Center, Summitville ghost town (4x4 vehi-cle recommended), Three Barrel Brewing Company, the Dining Room at the Windsor Hotel IN STEAMBOAT SPRINGS? IN ASPEN? HIT UP CARBONDALE. It makes a great base camp for recreation enthusiasts while exuding a creative vibe. Don’t Miss: The Rio Grande ARTWay and Powers Art Center, biking, kayaking and fly-fishing, speakeasy Batch, farm-to-table restaurant SILO and Carbondale Creamery’s homemade gelato DISCOVER RANGELY. Those willing to travel two hours west will get a look at Colorado’s remote northwest corner and its array of Wild West history. Don’t Miss: The Flat Tops Trail and Dinosaur Dia-mond scenic byways, Canyon Pintado National Historic District’s ancient pictographs, the Rangely Outdoor Museum, the Rangely Automotive Museum IN PUEBLO? IN GRAND JUNCTION? TREK TO FRUITA. The beautiful landscapes are prime for explora-tion, especially via mountain bike. Don’t Miss: Hiking Devil’s Canyon in McInnis Canyons National PEEP LA JUNTA. To get an authentic sense of Colorado’s frontier history. Don’t Miss: Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site, the Koshare Museum, rock art and petroglyphs from 300 to 800 years ago in Vogel Canyon, a guided tour to the dinosaur tracks in Picketwire Canyon, cocktails at The Railyard USE DOZENS OF ITINERARIES TO PLAN A GETAWAY TO SOME OF THE STATE’S LESS-TRAVELED PLACES AT COLORADO.COM/COLOROADTRIPS . COLORADO.COM / 63
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