The sky blushes as the first rays of dawn creep over the Colorado mountains. Grand Lake appears glassy smooth, forest and rocks reflecting in its mirrored surface. One peak dominates. “That’s our signature mountain,” says resident Polly Lawler. “It’s called…
Somehow it’s become entrenched in American cultural mythology that if life deals you a savage blow, you simply have to move to the mountains and your girlfriend comes back and your dog gets more handsome. The fact of the matter…
I’ve driven this road a hundred times, but it doesn’t matter. I still strain my neck trying to take in the scenic view as my car climbs the foothills out of Denver and heads into the heart of the Rockies.…
Its breathtaking setting certainly deserves the title, but Estes Park is not really a park ? At least not in the typical sense of the word. In geologic lingo, “park” describes a glacially cut, level valley between mountain ranges. And…
Sunset casts its golden light and eerie shadows across the vast sand dunes. We have just arrived, and feel like we should kick off our hiking boots and dig our toes into the silky sand. But no, it’s only about…
They’re called greater prairie chickens for a good reason. These plump, 2-pound relatives of the grouse live in the tall-grass prairie and supposedly taste like chicken. Once hunted for food, the population of these ground-foraging birds has diminished so much,…
Organic. Sustainable. Local. These buzzwords have taken on a new emphasis in southwestern Colorado. With a $50,000 grant in hand, the local tourism folks set out to establish a whole new genre for travelers – agri-tourism. Families looking to educate…
The chairlift seat slides smoothly under us and lifts us to the sky. Below, we can see grizzly bears wrestling with each other on the edge of a pond. Say what? You get an entirely new perspective of Colorado Springs’…
Wild waters froth as they roar through sheer-walled Poudre Canyon. Beyond a range of craggy peaks, moose nibble wetland willows and songbirds trill. Along the Cache la Poudre-North Park Scenic and Historic Byway, sights and sounds vary from wild to…