Colorado Travel Guide

Mesa Verde National Park sits on the high plateau of southwestern Colorado and protects more than 600 cliff dwellings and 5,000 archaeological sites built by the Ancestral Puebloans between the 6th and 13th centuries AD - the largest and best-preserved ancient settlement complex in North America. Theodore Roosevelt established it in 1906 as America's first national park dedicated to preserving the works of people rather than landscape, and it became a World Heritage Site in 1978. Cliff Palace, the core site, is the largest known dwelling in North America and housed about 100 people, while Balcony House can only be reached by crawling through a 21-metre rock tunnel. The park is open year-round, but the ranger tour season runs only from early May to late October, so winter visits are limited to mesa-top sites and overlooks.

Rocky Mountain National Park is one of America's most popular national parks. In north-central Colorado, it features towering peaks (60+ peaks over 3,960 m), stunning alpine tundra, alpine lakes and rich wildlife (especially elk herds) — one of the American Rockies' most magnificent destinations. About 1,076 km² transitioning from coniferous forests to alpine tundra. Trail Ridge Road — one of America's highest continuous paved roads (~3,713 m) — offers stunning alpine tundra views. Over 150 alpine lakes; Bear Lake, Emerald Lake and Dream Lake are most popular. Autumn (mid-Sep to early Oct) — golden aspen trees against blue peaks. Large elk herds; autumn rut is a major attraction. Visiting for the American Rockies' magnificent peaks and alpine lakes is a classic Colorado experience.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison is a stunning canyon national park in Colorado. The Gunnison River carved this ~800 m deep, ~12 m narrow canyon over 2+ million years — named for the deep darkness from minimal sunlight reaching the canyon floor (only ~33 minutes daily at its narrowest). South Rim viewpoints (Painted Wall View, Gunnison Point) offer panoramas — Painted Wall is Colorado's highest cliff (~690 m). North Rim is more remote (open ~May-Oct). Visiting for the deep, dark canyon's awe-inspiring power is a magnificent Colorado experience.