Where once people rushed for riches, now they rush for adventure. Since the pandemic, they’ve come in numbers like never before — at least not since that first rush.
This isn’t the Wild West of whiskey-swilling prospectors and gunslingers anymore, but it’s still the Wild West in other ways. The streets of our most historic towns are packed, and the surrounding hills are deluged as well, as in times of yore.
It is a transformation we aim to capture in this year's Summer Guide, serving as a glimpse into the bustling past and a guide to destinations bustling now.
Relive history
Explore the outdoors
Trending Now
Sign Up For Free: Denver Morning Brew
Your morning rundown of the latest news from overnight and the stories to follow throughout the day.
More to see and do in Colorful Colorado
It’s not baseball. Not football. Not hockey. Not basketball, cycling, golf or pickleball (though that last one sure is getting popular). It’s not even mountain climbing.
“Now THIS is Colorado,” reads the highway sign welcoming visitors to Chaffee County. And it’s easy to see why.
The whole family can catch a thrill at Colorado’s many tourist attractions. That’s assuming the whole family meets some height and weight requirements. And isn’t prone to queasiness.
If you’ve been enraptured by the college town just northwest of Denver — Boulder, home of the University of Colorado — the rival asks you please to turn your attention farther north.
Driving through the desert of far western Colorado, something like a dream appears. Between the dirt and rock faces of buttes and mesas, there’s an ocean of green waving along Interstate 70.
Several of Colorado’s railroads live on from their frontier births. Where many once connected commerce, now they stir nostalgic imaginations on scenic tours. That’s especially the case in the fall, when aspen-washed hillsides turn gold. Here’s a look at options to consider come September, when displays are brightest: