Wandering Around America One State at a Time – Colorado

State 6:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states alphabetically and the next state is

Colorado

Colorado became the 38th state on August 1, 1876. Denver is the capital.

It’s easy to see why Colorado is such a popular destination. With it’s spectacular mountain scenery, ancient ruins to explore, breathtaking scenic drives, picturesque small towns, Pikes Peak, and wildlife there was beauty every where we went.

As we visited the ancient cliff dwellings in  Mesa Verde National Park I couldn’t help but wonder about the people that lived there so long ago.

Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde National Park

The San Juan Skyway through the San Juan mountains was one of the most beautiful  scenic drives we’ve ever taken. Starting from Cortez, we took our time to enjoy the views from overlooks, stopped to stroll along the dog-friendly streets of Teluride and enjoyed lunch in Ouray before going by old mining camps around Silverton.

Waterfall beside the San Juan Skyway
Waterfall beside the San Juan Skyway
Ouray
Ouray
Old Gold Mine
Old Gold Mine along the San Juan Skyway
Another spectacular view along the San Juan Skyway
Spectacular views along the San Juan Skyway

Our campsite at San Luis Lakes State Park had spectacular views of the Sangre de Cristo mountains and was a good home base to explore Great Sand Dunes National Park.

Views of the Sangre de Cristo mountains from our camp site at San Luis Lakes State Park were amazing.
View of the Sangre de Cristo mountains from our camp site at San Luis Lakes State Park.
The people look tiny on the Great Sand Dunes
The people look tiny on the Great Sand Dunes
On the trail to Zapata Falls near the Great Sand Dunes
On the trail to Zapata Falls near the Great Sand Dunes

In the Colorado Springs area we visited Garden of the Gods and drove as far as we could go on the Pikes Peak Highway.

Garden of the Gods with Pikes Peak in the background
Garden of the Gods with Pikes Peak in the background
Garden of the Gods
Garden of the Gods
At elevation 11,424 feet, we were as far as we could go on the Pikes Peak Highway
At elevation 11,424 feet, we were as far as we could go on the Pikes Peak Highway
The closest we could get to Pike's Peak was six miles away but the view was still amazing
The closest we could get to Pike’s Peak was six miles away but the view was still amazing

One of our favorite national parks is Rocky Mountain National Park. We love it so much we have been there twice. Our first visit was in the spring and even though there was a lot of snow we saw plenty of wildlife.

That's a lot of snow!
That’s a lot of snow!
At Rainbow Curve on Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, about 11,000 feet
At Rainbow Curve on Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, about 11,000 feet
A hike to Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park
A hike to Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park

Our second visit was in August when the weather was perfect and again there was plenty of wildlife. We were finally able to drive to the Alpine Visitor’s Center on Trail Ridge Road.

Big Horn Sheep on Trail Ridge Road
Big Horn Sheep on Trail Ridge Road
Rocky Mountain National Park
The Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park
Alpine Visitor's Center View in Rocky Mountain National Park
Alpine Visitor’s Center View in Rocky Mountain National Park

To read previous posts about the states featured in this series just click on the state name: Alabama      Alaska      Arizona      Arkansas      California

20 thoughts on “Wandering Around America One State at a Time – Colorado

  1. Glad you enjoyed Colorado! Tom grew up in Colorado and has been to all the places you wrote about. He loves it there! My Grammy and Grampy live in Colorado Springs, and I’ve only been around there so far. We’re heading back to Colorado this spring! I hope I get to see all those other places!

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  2. Your post are fantastic. As recent retirees with a fifth wheel, we are just beginning to travel and may trace some of your stops. We would be interested in some of your recommendations for camp grounds and time of year to visit. thank you for sharing the post

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  3. I was fortunate to call Colorado ‘home’ for over twenty years. I look forward to going back every summer. Great round up of some of the highlights of the state.

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    1. Thank you Ingrid! What a beautiful place to call home for a while! Somehow we completely missed Colorado on our first trip west so we returned the next year but only saw the area around Mesa Verde. It wasn’t until a couple of years after that we finally made it to Rocky Mountain National Park! I’m so glad we did! It’s one of my favorite national parks.

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    1. Judy, glad to share the cliff dwellings with you. It is such a beautiful state with so many interesting places to explore. After we left Loveland on one of our trips to RMNP we drove through the Colorado plains to Kansas. I never knew Colorado even had plains until we did that.

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  4. Colorado is one of my favorite states for all you captured here! I lived there from age 4 to 9. My dad made sure we enjoyed it! It was great to finally get my hubby there, two Septembers in a row. The last visit, he declared next time we’ll come in our RV! Can’t wait but it’ll be a few years…

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    1. Debbie, you are lucky to have a dad who made sure you enjoyed where you lived. If we hadn’t had the RV we probably never would have been able to experience Colorado! Keep Colorado on your RV bucket list!

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      1. Colorado was his best assignment. We had relatives in California, so once a year drove there and saw all great things in between, too!
        Well, Tokyo was great too! We enjoyed the sights there as well.

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          1. So was my dad! He did a two stints in Colorado Springs, 6 years and my favorite childhood memories! Although I loved living near Tokyo, Japan. I think our moves added to my wanderlust spirit. Where all did you live? I was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Love that but we moved when i was 2, to Germany.

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  5. Glad you enjoyed Colorado! I live in CO and it’s so beautiful! There is SO much to explore and I’m impressed at how much you guys were able to see! You definitely visited some of the best sights :]

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