Elizabeth

Traveing there for 2 weeks- what can we see and do? Love history and the mountains. What about the air force academy?

Paul Rabe

Colorado is almost UNBEATABLE for those who love mountains. Some of my personal favorites, in no particular order:

Denver -- Buckhorn Exchange (must-visit restaurant; almost unique ambiance), Museum of Western Art, Natural History Museum, US Mint
Colorado Springs -- Seven Falls, Garden of the Gods (must see), any of a dozen mountain roads (check weather -- you do NOT want to be in a thunderstorm on these roads!), Old Gold Camp Road
Pike's Peak (you will see spacious skies, amber waves of grain, and purple mountains majesty)
Rocky Mountain National Park (crowded but worth it)
Georgtown/Black Hawk/Central City (although casinos are taking over these towns and destroying them)
Hiway 67 south of Denver
Telluride
Million Dollar Hiway
Mesa Verde

If you can, try to drive I-70 across into Utah and visit Arches/Canyonlands, then go down Hiway 666 to Mesa Verde. The Moab area should not be missed!

Henning Rieske

Also donīt miss the following:
Goldenīs Lookout montain (with Buffalo Billīs grave and museum) - great view of the plains and Denver (go there for a beautiful sunrise !!).
Mt. Evans Road (the highest auto road in the US) just off I-70 near Idaho Springs. Georgetown historic Loop RR. Rocky Mountain Ntl. Park (try to go there on a weekday). I strongly recommend the "peak to peak Hwy" (Hwy 119 off I-70, Hwys 72 and 7 to Estes Park). Black Hwak and Central City are gambling towns now, but the buildings are historic and quite beautiful. Black Canyon of the Gunnison N.M. is worth a visit.

Bob Brown

I agree with the other postings on this subject. Let me add my two cents worth, based on several trips to Colorado, some if spent climbing the fourteeners (those mountains over 14,000 feet.) If you are into that sort of thing, Mt. Harvard and the Mount of the Holy Cross are not technical climbs, just puffing and normal prudence. But, for those altitudes, you need to be in good condition.

If you are not into nature climbs, let me suggest that mining history is a big part of Colorado. Cripple Creek, Leadville, Ouray, and Silverton are spectacular places to visit.
The drive from Ouray via Silverton to Durango is really good. If you want a hair raising jeep ride, take the trip from Ouray over to Telluride.

For a spectacular, but sane, mountain drive, take Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. The season will start to get late for the higher elevations soon, so for those mountain vistas, don't wait until December!!

The aspen will start to turn soon, so you may be in for a spectacular time when the gold and yellow saturates the hills.

As for the national parks and monuments other than RCMP, there is the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Great Sand Dunes, Colorado National Monument, which is red sandstone, and Mesa Verde NP

The AF Academy is ok. But the mountains are my pick.

You will have a great time.

MJ

Actually, if you just point the car west from Denver and get lost for two weeks, you'll see some of the most spectacular scenery in the country. You can take one-day or half-day whitewater rafting trips on the Colorado at Steamboat Springs or on the Arkansas around Johnson City. See Boulder, only 28 miles north of Denver and stop off at Eldorado Springs(off Rt. 36) for waterfalls and watch the rock climbers scaling cliffs with their fingers. Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park are a must. Watch for herds of elk along route 7 on the way from Boulder. Try to drive some of route 40 which snakes through the mountains, and check out the cute little ski town of Breckenridge off route 70. Also recommend Canon City.

Susie

If you like history, be sure not to miss some of the ghost towns of Colorado. I've been to Independence which is over Independence Pass just beyond Vail. Also there is the ghost town of Ashcroft which is a nice short drive from Aspen. Some of the old buildings in Ashcroft have been refurbished. Both of these towns are on roads that are closed by mid-October due to the snow and avalanches.

raeona

Cripple Creek, mentioned earlier, now has gambling...isn't the charming Old Town destination it once was.....

Alan

Lots of good suggestions. Check out Great Sand Dunes National Monument and bring your surfboard. The Fort at Morrison is an unique eating place. You never know who you will see there. A bit pricey but you are on vacation. A show at the Red Rocks is pretty impressive.