Conservationist John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club and often referred to as the “Father of Our National Parks System,” once wrote, “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike.” For travelers craving food for the soul, Colorado is the crème de la crème of beautiful and scenic destinations.

Boasting the highest mean elevation of any state, Colorado is best known for its Rocky Mountain peaks, with 1,000 summits reaching upwards of 10,000 feet high and 54 above 14,000 feet (called “Fourteeners” by locals). For high-elevation seekers, no trip to Colorado is complete without visiting the infamous Pikes Peak, discovered by U.S. Army Lieutenant Zebulon M. Pike in 1806, and Mount Evans, located only 50 miles west of Denver, which features the highest paved road in the United States.

“Some awesome and free to nearly-free activities are available only in summer and fall in Colorado, such as driving to the top of 14,000-foot-plus Mount Evans,” say officials from the Colorado Tourism Office. “Once on top, visitors have a jaw-dropping panoramic view of the Rockies and can almost always meet shaggy white mountain goats strolling about – they’re not pets to play with but are very calm and not camera shy around visitors.”

“Visitors can also drive Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous road in the United States, from the eastern side of Rocky Mountain National Park to the western side,” says the tourism office. “They can also drive and/or take cog train to 14,000-foot-plus Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs, the mountain that inspired the song, 'America.' Both roads are closed in winter, so summer is a great time to enjoy the views, wildlife and sometimes even snow on top of the mountains.”

Let the Sun Shine In
Many travelers may think of snow and ski trips when they consider Colorado for a vacation destination, but autumn is just as jam-packed with mild, temperate weather and fun outdoor activities as winter. With an estimated 300 days of sunshine per year, the state’s alpine climate features temperatures ranging in the 70s during clear fall days and low humidity – perfect for camping, white water rafting, fly fishing, backcountry hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, horseback riding and golf, just to name a few.

“Colorado was completely different when I visited during off-season,” says Sherida Schouweiler, a mother of two from Sacramento, Calif. “Previously, I had been to Steamboat Springs to ski with my brother and I definitely know the snow was better than the Sierras. On my second visit, during warmer weather, I just remember thinking how beautiful it was and how surprised [I was] that everything was so green. It’s wonderful to view the scenery and just be outdoors.”

Highlights of Schouweiler’s visit to the Centennial State in late summer included a drive up Independence Pass and a hiking trip with her family to the Maroon Bells, located south of Aspen, said to be one of the most photographed areas of Colorado. “We saw spots where beavers had chewed on the logs near Maroon Lake and it was really interesting to see that up close,” she says. “I have a great photo of me, my husband and our son, Ryan, in his backpack carrier in front of the Bells that I still have hanging in my house.”

Pack up the Kids
Most visitors to Colorado agree that it’s the varied degree of outdoor activities available that makes this scenic Western state a literal playground for adults and children alike. Family-oriented adventures include panning for gold in the creeks surrounding Central City and “digging” for prehistoric animal footprints and fossils along Dinosaur Ridge, about 15 miles west of Denver, and Dinosaur Loop, a 486-mile scenic byway that passes through Dinosaur National Monument and the Colorado National Monument.

Thrill seekers can tour the darkened shafts of abandoned gold and silver mines, fly high in the blues skies above the Rocky Mountains in a hot air balloon or strap on their headlamps and take to the underground caves found deep inside local mountains.

The Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park overlooking Glenwood Springs, located northwest of Denver, is one such historic living cavern system that is open year-round to visitors. Once referred to as the “Eighth Wonder of the World,” the natural attraction features the historic Fairy Caves, filled with stalactites, stalagmites and flowstone formations as well as newly opened caverns with ceilings that reach higher than a five-story building. Visitors access the park with a scenic ride on the 4,300-foot Iron Mountain Tramway.

“The Fairy Caves along with the vapor caves and hot springs (dubbed the ‘Spa in the Rockies’ in the late 1800s), put Glenwood Springs on the map more than 100 years ago,” says Marianne Virgili, executive director of the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association. “From adventure to beauty, science and history, the Glenwood Caverns and historic Fairy Caves have something to offer everyone.”

Mother Nature’s wondrous beauty is found not only inside caves on Colorado’s Western Slope, but also amid the area’s Aspen tree-lined trails and rivers that grace the mountains and valleys.

Like a Pot O’ Gold
Mother Nature’s wondrous beauty is not only found inside caves on Colorado’s Western Slope, but also amid the area’s Aspen tree-lined trails and rivers that grace the mountains and valleys. Visitors may mistakenly think they struck gold as they witness the annual autumn tradition of the turning of the Aspens in such quaint towns as rural Redstone or artsy Carbondale.

“Temperate Indian Summer days are perfect for a brisk walk amidst a flurry of yellow, orange and red leaves or for simply stretching out in a hammock to view one of the foremost occurrences in the natural world,” Virgili says.

The Front Range of the state is also no stranger to oohs and ahhs from out-of-towners. With its fair share of Fourteeners to view or climb, Rocky Mountain National Park is eye candy for visitors seeking miles of lush forest that turn an array of colors in the fall, bright wildflower meadows and local wildlife such as bighorn sheep, elk, deer, moose, coyote and a variety of bird species. Hikers and rock climbers can journey south of Boulder to explore the famous Flatirons, a 25,000-acre open stretch of the Rocky Mountains that will give their legs and lungs plenty of work.

Not far from the Flatirons is the state’s capital and largest city, Denver. In this bustling downtown destination, families can tour the Denver Museum of Nature and Science that features a new space and science center, the Denver Zoo that includes an expansive indoor rainforest and the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, one of the nation’s largest urban wildlife sanctuaries. Sports fans can catch a Colorado Rockies Major League Baseball game at Coors Field or a Denver Broncos National Football League match-up at the open-air venue Invesco Field at Mile High (named for the city’s mile-high 5,280 elevation).

With all the outdoor activities and natural beauty Colorado offers, it’s no surprise John Muir also said, “A day in the mountains is worth a mountain of books.” And a trip to the Rocky Mountains is worth its weight in gold.

Want to see more?

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• Packing 101
• Talk about it!