COLORADO'S ROCKY MOUNTAIN AND MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARKS
Located in north-central Colorado, Rocky Mountains National Park is the place to visit for glacier-carved peaks that rise up to 14,559 feet, alpine meadows carpeted with wildflowers, and pristine lakes and rivers. Explore some of its 300 miles of hiking trails and, from late May to late October, drive the 48 miles along Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous paved road in the USA.
There are great places to stay in both Estes Park, which has an extensive choice of rustic cabins, cottage and lodges (including the Stanley Hotel, which featured in the 1980 horror film The Shining), and Grand Lake, farther away but home to the Rapids Lodge and Restaurant, established in 1915 and renowned for its scenic location.
To explore one of America's most fascinating indigenous cultural sites head into the state's south-west corner for Mesa Verde National Park, settled in the mists of time by native people who mysteriously disappeared in 1300. It encompasses about 5,000 ancient sites, including some of the country's largest and most-comprehensive cliff dwellings.
Colourful nearby Durango, well-known for its thrilling, vintage train rides up to the former mining town of Silverton, offers good accommodation in places such as the historic Strater Hotel, with its Wild West-themed saloon, and Cortez, with many accommodation options, is also a great touring base for such ancient Puebloan cultural sites as Hovenweep National Monument.
HEAD INTO THE STATE'S SOUTH-WEST CORNER FOR MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK, SETTLED IN THE MISTS OF TIME BY NATIVE PEOPLE WHO MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED IN 1300. IT ENCOMPASSES ABOUT 5,000 ANCIENT SITES, INCLUDING SOME OF THE COUNTRY'S LARGEST AND MOST-COMPREHENSIVE CLIFF DWELLINGS.