Different parts of what's now Colorado accrued to the US at different times: the east and north were acquired under the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, while the south was won 45 years later in the war with Mexico . (Land grants issued under Mexican rule were honored by the Americans, which accounts for a still-strong Hispanic influence.) Gold-hungry Spaniards came through in the sixteenth century, and US Army Colonel Zebulon Pike ventured into the mountains on an exploratory expedition in 1806, but the Native American way of life only became seriously threatened with the discovery of gold west of Denver in 1858. At that time Colorado was still part of Kansas Territory; it became a territory in its own right in 1861, and a state in 1876. The distractions of the Civil War gave the Native Americans the opportunity to fight back, but they were soon overwhelmed. From then until the end of the century, Colorado boomed; the quantities of gold and silver extracted from the mountains did not really compare with the riches found in California, but they were sufficient to fuel a rip-roaring frontier lifestyle. At first, too, absentee landlords attempted to exploit massive ranches on the plains, but their disregard for conservation ensured that the droughts and storms of 1886 and 1887 swept away the topsoil.

For the modern visitor, the obvious first port of call is Denver , at the eastern edge of the Rockies and the biggest city for six hundred miles. Outside Denver, the northern half of the state holds the most popular destinations, starting with the dynamic college town of Boulder and the spectacular Rocky Mountain National Park . The majority of the resorts that have made Colorado the continent's foremost skiing destination snuggle into the mountains to the west of Denver: Summit County attracts the most visitors, Vail is considered best for terrain, and Aspen boasts the glitziest après-ski scene. The far west of the state stretches onto the red-rock deserts of the Colorado Plateau. Pikes Peak towers over the enjoyable city of Colorado Springs , but the rest of the state's southeast quarter is mostly agricultural plains. To the southwest untouched old mining towns like Crested Butte and Durango stand in the mountains, while Mesa Verde National Park preserves perhaps the most impressive of all the cliff cities left by the ancient Ancestral Puebloan civilization.  TOP

Colorado is also one of the best destinations in the world for cyclists , hosting numerous on- and off-road championships. For excellent maps and guides to cycle routes in the state, contact the State Department of Transportation (tel 719/530-0051).  TOP

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.

Southeast Colorado
The gently undulating plains of southeast Colorado come as a surprise to travelers expecting the ski resorts and alpine splendor that characterize the rest of the state. Here instead are hundreds of small farming towns and endless acres of grassland, much of which looks as it did 150 years ago, when traders and early explorers crossed the region along the Santa Fe Trail, following the Arkansas River between Missouri and Mexico.

The southeast's most popular destination is the engaging small city of Colorado Springs , which sits at the foot of towering Pikes Peak and provides access to the old gold-mining country around Cripple Creek.

Southwest Colorado
The high mountain passes of southwest Colorado are classic mining territory; dotted through the valleys you'll find all sorts of well-preserved late-Victorian frontier towns. As the pioneers moved in, first illegally and then backed by the federal government, they drove the Ute away into the poorer land of the far southwest.

From Durango , the main town of southwest Colorado, the dramatic San Juan Skyway completes a loop of over two hundred miles through the mountains, north along US-550 and then back via Hwy-145 and US-160. The stretch of road north of Durango, negotiating its way over stunning high passes, is known as the Million Dollar Highway for the gold-laden gravel that was used in its construction. Remote Crested Butte , to the north of the San Juan Mountains, is a gorgeous nineteenth-century mining village turned ski resort and one of Colorado's major attractions.  TOP