Colorado Destinations

Colorado is one of the most diverse states in our great nation. From the tremendous variance of ecosystems due to the wide range of elevation, to the other physical attributes of the state like the high plains and prairies to the east, the mountainous region in the center and the plateau and desert canyon country in the western regions. I guess one could say that the only thing we're missing is an ocean. That's alright, I like the size of our waves just fine!

Hopefully, this section will prove to be a valuable resource for a few locals and out-of-state tourists alike. While my thoughts are relatively brief on the areas I have chosen to describe, I have links to many other great Web sites that go further in depth. Also, while the areas I cover are limited to just a handful, I will add futer articles on when I have enough material and information gathered. The following pages cover the both the areas I usually venture to whenever the road is calling my name and some just some great parts of the state in general. But first, some fun facts:

• 8th largest state
• Colorado's population: 5 million
• Denver metro population: 2.5 million
• Highest peak: Mt. Elbert, 14,433' near Leadville
• Tallest peak (base to peak relief): Pikes Peak, ~7,400' near Colorado Springs
• Best peak: Mt. Sneffels near Telluride. Yep, I'm biased!
• 14,000'+ peaks: 54 of the US' 86 are located here (Alaska-16; California-15; Washington-1)
• 13,000'+ peaks: ~740
• Lowest point: 3,350' on the Arkansas River at the Kansas border
• Average elevation: 6,800'
• Colorado has 75% of the US land over 10,000'; truly, a Rocky Mountain high
• 300 sunny days a year

There are five resources which I highly recommend for your Colorado explorations. The first is John Fielder's Best of Colorado. This is the best complete guide for Colorado which is also geared towards the photographer, or just one who wants to see some of the great sites this state has to offer. It also covers dining and lodging options and other attractions. The second book I would suggest is Laurent Martrès' Photographing the Southwest: Volume 3, which covers Colorado and New Mexico. It is one of the two available photographer's guide books for Colorado. The other photographer's guide book is Andy Cook's A Guide To Colorado's Best Photography Locations. I have his first addition, but can only suspect the second one is better. Both of these guide books are very well done, but the former is more formal. The final piece of literature, of sorts, I recommend is The Roads of Colorado road atlas. I find this to be far better than the more popular Colorado Atlas and Gazetteer in that it has far greater topo detail and is much easier to read in general. This is my most used resource in my Colorado library, and here is a picture to prove it! Similarly, Benchmark Maps Colorado Road and Recreation Atlas is just as good of an alternative to The Roads of Colorado. Instead of countour lines, it uses shaded relief that is probably the cleanest way to visualize the topography, and would be my first suggestion for most people. I was a late-comer to this resource, and truth be told, I generally look at it first. It also includes things like scenic byways and other recreational opportunities along with climates for given areas.