Northeast

First-time visitors to Colorado are often surprised to find out that half the state is, well, flat. Even more surprising is that there’s so much to do here. Northeastern Colorado is Great Plains territory, and a large part of the Centennial State’s history was played out in these golden fields — the historical “Home on the Range.”

Having passed through the hands of Spain and France, Colorado was bought by the United States in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase. In pursuit of farming opportunities, pioneers flocked to the frontier by the thousands, traveling in covered wagons, finding only the native Plains’ Indians as existing inhabitants.

Today, this quietly friendly part of the state pays tribute to all its former and present inhabitants with myriad festivals, museums and rodeos. The natural history is preserved in Pawnee National Grassland, where it’s possible to see native wildlife, such as pronghorn (antelope), fox and hawks, near the 300-foot-tall Pawnee Buttes.

And no matter what you’re expecting when you get to northeastern Colorado, count on picturesque vistas, star-filled night skies and the friendliest of folks.