|
| |
| |
|
NORTHERN COLORADO |
| |
The major attraction for visitors in the Denver area is Rocky
Mountain National Park to the northwest. Though on the map the distances
involved may not look that great, it would be a mistake to attempt to
see the whole park on a day-trip from Denver. Segments of the loop drive
along the way can be very slow and laborious, and in a single day it's
more realistic just to dip a few miles into the park's eastern fringes.
The lively foothill town of Boulder can be used as a base, though the
smaller mountain towns give you more time in the wilds: Grand Lake ,
near the western entrance, makes a more attractive stopover than
overblown Estes Park on the east, while Winter Park is an affordable,
enjoyable ski resort. Further west, midway across the state on either
side of the I-70 freeway, you'll find the famous Rocky Mountain ski
resorts of Vail, Aspen and the rest, and the evocative mining town of
Leadville . Continuing towards the Utah border, the landscape dips and
rises in a patchwork of granite peaks, raging rivers and red-sandstone
canyons, winding up at Grand Junction and the memorable scenery of
Colorado National Monument and Dinosaur National Monument .
|
|
