Buena Vista

Skyscraping mountains, the most impressive being the Collegiate Peaks, ring Buena Vista (pronounced byoo-na vis-ta by locals). The 14,000-foot, often snowcapped peaks were first summited by alumni from Yale, Princeton, Harvard, and Columbia, who named them for their respective alma maters. A small mining town-turned-casual resort community, Buena Vista's main street is lined with Wild West-style historic buildings. On U.S. 24, which bisects the town, there are inexpensive roadside motels. The town is also a hub for the white-water rafting industry that plies its trade on the popular Arkansas River, and a great central location for hiking, fishing, rafting, and horseback riding.