Colorado Adventure eNewsletter - June 2006

 Summer Heats Up With Fun at Colorado's Ski Resorts

Colorado ski resorts transform into summer playgrounds offering outdoor enthusiasts everything under the sun from hiking and biking to rafting, camping and horseback riding. At Vail Mountain Resort, spend your days hiking in alpine meadows, walking alongside wildflowers and playing rounds of disc golf. Children are encouraged to uncover buried dinosaur bones at the resort's Adventure Ridge Dino Dig. At Winter Park, ski lifts operate in the summer transporting mountain bikers to miles of alpine trails. Various biking events also take place, including the 16th Annual American Red Cross Fat Tire Classic June 23–25, featuring various rides and hikes for the entire family. For a screaming good time, slide down the mountain on the heart-pounding Alpine Slide — at 3,000 feet long, it's the longest in Colorado. If life in the fast lane just isn't for you, hop aboard Steamboat Ski Resort's eight-passenger gondola for sweeping views of the area and explore the valley while mountain biking, hiking nature trails or enjoying the outdoors on the sun deck at BK Café or having brunch at Hazie's. For a new twist on mountain biking and snowboarding, scoot around the resort on a Diggler All-Mountain Scooter. If you're looking to elevate your golf game, you'll want to tee off at the Telluride Golf Club in Telluride, where putting is done at 9,300 feet above sea level, surrounded by the highest concentration of 14,000-foot mountains in the United States. The resort's gondola is also open in the summer and provides free rides daily to the top of the mountain.

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 All Aboard! Ride the Rails of Colorado Trains

Grab a seat on one of Colorado's historic railways and travel over mountain passes and through historical towns. This summer, the San Luis Express and Toltec Gorge Limited trains resume passenger service with routes through the stunning Sangre de Cristo Mountains. It's been more than 50 years since passengers have been able to “ride the rails,” and the restored service includes a route from Alamosa to La Veta, and eventually a connection to the narrow gauge Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad. Celebrating its 125th Anniversary, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, travels from Durango to Silverton along the Animas River and through the San Juan National Forest. Operating year-round, the train offers scenic history tours and various special events. The Royal Gorge Route Railroad in Cañon City is your ticket to a two-hour, scenic and historic train ride (choose from lunch, dinner or the Murder Mystery trains) on the most famous portion of the former Denver & Rio Grande Western train line. For stunning views of the Royal Gorge and area wildlife such as Eagles, Blue Heron and Red Tailed Hawks, reserve your seat in one of the new observation dome cars. For a trip to the 14,110-foot summit of Pikes Peak, book a seat on the Pikes Peak Cog Railway. Named for its Swiss railcars, the cog railway operates year-round and offers views of Big Horn Sheep and Mule Deer. Within easy reach of Denver, the Georgetown Loop will take you on a scenic ride in open-air or covered car through the mountain towns of Georgetown and Silver Plume. Travel back in time to one of Colorado's richest gold mining districts aboard the Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad.

 Centennial Celebration at Mesa Verde Takes Center Stage

Mesa Verde National Park, located in Cortez, celebrates 100 years as the premier archeological park in the United States and a World Cultural Heritage Site with a special celebration on June 29–July 2, 2006. Established by Congress in 1906, Mesa Verde is the first national park designated to preserve the works of humankind and features more than 4,000 historic Ancestral Puebloan sites and 600 cliff dwellings dating back 1,000 years. To commemorate this significant milestone, the park is hosting a four-day Centennial Celebration featuring Native American dancers, crafts demonstrations, an art exhibit, quilt show, musical serenades and keynote speakers. Summer programs wrap up with various activities planned on the area's archaeology, geology, history, and ecology native to Southwestern Colorado, as well as hands-on art workshops exploring photography, technologies, pottery and basket making of the Ancestral Puebloan people.

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 Cool Kids’ Stuff

Click here and find fun and free Colorado facts, games, puzzles and pictures at your fingertips.

   MY TRAVEL PLANNER

   Upcoming Events Throughout Colorado  

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