South Central Colorado

Running from majestic mountains into rugged high desert plains, south central Colorado has a collection of 14,000-foot peaks, striking red-rock outcroppings, rivers that boil with white-water rapids in spring, and even the incongruous sight of towering sand dunes dwarfed by a mountain range at their back. It's worth a few days of exploration—embarking on a white-water rafting trip, shopping in stores set in historic downtowns, and hiking in the backcountry. Although Colorado Springs is bustling, much of south central Colorado has a barely discovered feel. If it's peace and quiet you're after, staying put in a cabin in the woods, perhaps with a fishing stream close by, can make for an utterly relaxed week.

At the foot of looming Pikes Peak, Colorado Springs is the region's population center and, bucking the mining-nostalgia trend, a hub for the military and the high-tech industry. The city has been a destination for out-of-towners since its founding in 1870, due to the alleged healing power of the local springwater and clean air. The gold rush fueled the city's boom through the early 20th century, as the military boom did following World War II—the missile defense complex inside Cheyenne Mountain—and the Air Force Academy are products of the latter.) Now more than 500,000 residents strong, the city offers a mix of history and modernity, as well as incredible access to the trails and red-rock scenery in this section of the Rockies.

Surrounding Colorado Springs is a ring of smaller cities and alluring natural attractions. To the west, between alpine and desert scenery, are the Florissant Fossil Beds and the Royal Gorge, both worth a short visit if not an entire day. Cripple Creek offers low-stakes gambling, Cañon City rafting, and Pueblo a nice dash of public art and history museums. Outdoorsy types love the entire area: Camping and hiking are especially superb in the San Isabel and Pike national forests. Climbers head to the Collegiate Peaks around Buena Vista and Salida (west of Colorado Springs) and the Cañon City area for a variety of ascents, from moderate to difficult.

South central Colorado was first explored by the United States in 1806, three years after it made the Louisiana Purchase. Zebulon Pike took up the assignment of scout, but he never did climb the peak that is now named for him, nor did he have the scientific background of his contemporaries, the famous explorers Lewis and Clark. Weaving through the southeastern section of the state are the haunting remains of the Santa Fe Trail, which guided pioneers westward beginning in the 1820s.

Less »