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COLORADO
INTRODUCTION
Le COLORADO est l’état géographiquement le moins homogène des Etats-Unis, des plaines infinies de l’est
aux montagnes imposantes de l’ouest. Les Indiens d’Amérique chassaient dans des vallées luxuriantes du nord
en été et retournaient pendant l’hiver au sud dans les prairies de l’Anasazi de Mesa Verde pour cultiver le maïs
dans leur mesas isolée dans ce qui était la grande première civilisation du sud-ouest.
Les différentes parties du Colorado actuel ont rejoint les Etats-Unis en plusieurs étapes : l’est et le nord
faisaient partie du Louisianna Purchase en 1803, tandis que le sud a été gagné 45 ans plus tard dans la guerre
avec le Mexique. (Les Américains ont laissé les terres qui appartenaient aux Mexicains, qui représentent une
influence Hispanique toujours forte.) Des Espagnols affamés d’or ont passé au seizième siècle et l’armée US
avec le colonel Zebulon Pike s’est aventurée dans les montagnes en 1806, mais le mode de vie amérindien n’a
été menacée que lors de la découverte d’or à l’ouest de Denver en 1858. En ce temps-là, le Colorado faisait
toujours partie du Territoire du Kansas; il devenu indépendant qu’en 1861 et un état en 1876. Durant la
Guerre civile les Indiens ont tenté de reprendre le territoire, mais ils ont été vaincus. A partir de ce moment
jusqu’à la fin du siècle, le Colorado a prospéré; les quantités d’or et l’argent extraites des montagnes n’étaient
pas comparables avec celles trouvées en Californie, mais elles furent suffisantes pour accroître le niveau de vie
des habitants. Il y eu également l’exploitation massive des ranchs laissés à l’abandon dans les plaines, mais à
cause du peu d’égard envers l’environnement, les sécheresses et les tempêtes de 1886 et 1887 ont balayé la
couche de terre arable.
Pour le visiteur moderne, l’escale évidente est Denver, au bord oriental des Rocheuses et la plus grande ville à
six cents milles à la ronde. A part Denver, les sites les plus connus se trouvent dans la moitié nord de l’état, en
commençant avec la ville universitaire de Boulder et le spectaculaire parc national de Rocky Mountain. La
majorité des stations d’hiver qui ont fait du Colorado la destination principale du continent pour le ski, se
trouvent dans les montagnes à l’ouest de Denver : Summit County attire la plupart des visiteurs, Vail est
connu pour ses pentes et Aspen pour sa vie nocturne. La partie la plus à l’ouest de l’état confine avec les
déserts de roche rouge du Plateau du Colorado. Pikes Peak dominent l’agréable ville de Colorado Springs,
mais le reste du quart du sud-est de l’état est principalement composé de plaines agricoles. Les vieilles villes de
mineurs intactes du sud-ouest comme Crested Butte et Durango sont dans les régions montagneuses, tandis
que le Parc National Mesa Verde permet d’admirer la plus impressionnante de toutes les villes aux bord des
falaises laissées par les antiques Anasazi.
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SITES INTERESSANTS
Red Rocks Amphitheater : U2 aenregistré Under a Blood Red Sky dans le sensationnel Red Rocks
Amphitheater , dont la scène est située entre deux roches de grès rouges apparemment luminescentes de 400
pieds. Peu importe qui joue, le site et l’acoustique de cet endroit suffit à le rendre incontournable.
Trail Ridge Road : Dans les magnifiques vues du Parc National des Rocky Mountain, prenez les 45 miles de
la Trail Ridge Road , «la plus haute route du monde»; vous pouvez même laisser la voiture et suivre les
chemins pédestres serpentant dans les alpes, où vous découvrirez peut-être un puma.
Black American West Museum : À Denver, les expositions du Musée américain Noir D’ouest illuminent
l’histoire non contée de l’Ouest Sauvage - malgré la prédominance de cavaliers au visage pâle dans les
westerns et les romans, il y avait beaucoup de pionniers, hors-la-loi et des cow-boys noirs, la plus grande
partie d’entre eux étaient des esclaves libérés ou en fuite.
Mesa Verde National Park : Au Parc National Mesa Verde vous pouvez explorer les palais spectaculaires
construits au bord des falaises des Indiens d’Amérique Anasazi, une tribu qui a peuplé la région criblée de
canyon au treizième siècle avant de disparaître mystérieusement.
Aspen : Essayez de découvrir des célébrités locales comme Cher ou Jack Nicholson sur les pentes de ski
d’Aspen, ou en été, aller voir aux environs les villes fantômes et les eaux bouillonnantes de Roaring Fork River
- ou, si vous préférez, détendez-vous simplement et savourez l’incomparable paysage alpestre.
Glenwood Hot Springs Pool : Essayez le contact géothermique supposé guérissant de Glenwood Hot Springs
Pool, “ le plus grand bassin de source chaude du monde ” avec des sièges de style de jacuzzi.
Cripple Creek : Blotti sur le flanc occidental de Pikes Peak, la ville légendaire de mineurs de Cripple Creek se
parcoure en train qui plonge dans ses mines abandonnées - et pour des prospecteurs modernes, les
constructions du style Victorien de la ville accueillent des casinos et des hôtels.
Montain Bike à Crested Butte : Profitez du montain-bike sur les pistes renommées entourant Crested Butte;
et prenez une bière froide à l’Idlespur Brewpub, une micro-brasserie logée dans une caverne du principal puit
de la pittoresque ancienne ville de mineurs.
Leadville : Leadville vaut un arrêt, ne serait ce que pour le triste testament du nabab ruiné de l’ère victorienne
Horace Tabor - visitez la Matchless Mine qui, selon les volontés du défunt Tabor, sa veuve a gardé jusqu’à
mourir de froid et voir ensuite l’Opéra de Tabor, une construction merveilleusement atmosphérique.
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DENVER
Introduction
Ses gratte-ciel marquant la transition
finale entre les Grandes Plaines et l’Ouest
américain, DENVER s’élèvent au pied
des Montagnes Rocheuses. Connue
comme la «Mile High City» et servant
comme le point de départ pour les
touristes se rendant dans les Rocheuses,
elle est uniformément platte. Les
sommets majestueux sont clairement
visibles, mais ils se trouvent à environ
quinze milles à l’ouest de la ville et
Denver, pendant le dernier siècle, a
suffisamment eu d’espace pour se
développer.
La richesse minérale a toujours été au cœur de la prospérité de la ville, avec toutes les fluctuations de fortune
que cela entraîne. Quoique les ressources locales ont progressivement été épuisées, Denver a réussi à
s’accrocher à son rôle de plus important centre commercial et de transport de l’état. Son origine en 1858 est
purement fortuite; c’est le premier endroit où de petites quantités d’or furent découvertes dans le Colorado. Il
n’y avait ni rivière significative, ni route, mais les prospecteurs arrivèrent sans revendiquer au préalable un
droit de propriété sur la terre - encore moins les Arapahoe, a qui l’on confirma leur droit de propriété par le
Traité de 1851 du Fort Laramie. Les diverses communautés avaient leur propre nom pour l’endroit; avec une
judicieuse distribution de whisky, une faction a persuadé le reste d’être d’accord avec «Denver» en 1859. Leur
but étant d’obtenir les bonnes grâces du gouverneur du Territoire du Kansas, James Denver,
malheureusement pour eux il avait déjà démissionné. Le journaliste Horace Greeley qui y séjourna à cette
époque, décrivit la place comme «une ville de rondin de 150 logements, non achevés pour les trois-quarts,
aux deux tiers non habités et dont un tiers ne pouvait l’être.»
Il y avait en réalité très peu d’or à Denver lui-même; au début la ville fut habitée par des chercheurs de
fortune sans succès, qui ont décampé à l’annonce de découverte massive d’or à Central City. Denver a
survécu, en prospérant même avec la découverte d’argent dans les montagnes. Toutes sortes de personnages
louche s’y sont établi; Jefferson Smith «Savonneux», par exemple, a acquis son surnom ici, vendant des pains
de savon aux prix exorbitants sous le prétexte que certains contenaient un billet de 100 $. Quand les premiers
chemins de fer furent construits en évitant Denver – ce qui fut la fin pour tant d’autres communautés - les
citoyens se sont simplement réunis et construisirent leur propre connexion à la ligne.
Aujourd’hui, Denver est accueillant et agréable, quoique la ville est un peu conservatrice. Le tourisme est basé
sur des sorties dans les espaces grands ouverts plutôt que sur la visite de la ville, mais d’une certaine façon son
isolement, à quelque six cents milles de n’importe quelle zone urbaine de même taille, donne à ses deux
millions d’habitants une gentillesse rafraîchissante; et dans une ville qui est habituée à fournir son propre
divertissement il semble qu’il s’y passe toujours quelque chose.
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La ville et ses centres d’intérêt.
Quoique l’argent pétrolier ait apporté un
boom de la construction au début des
années 1980, créant «17th Sreet canyon»
le Downtown Denver reste connue
comme la ville de la ruée vers l’or des
années 1860. Il est très facile de choisir
les sections les plus vieilles sur une carte;
alors qu’un réseau quadrillé de rues
s’étend à l’infini dans toutes les
directions, au centre un petit secteur de
rues aux embranchements pointus
cassent l’harmonie. La plupart des
activités quotidiennes se déroulent dans
les magasins et les restaurants de la 16ème Rue, qui est une zone piétonne avec des transports gratuits; il y a
aussi une série de galeries, brasseries et magasins entre la 14ème et la 20ème, Wynkoop et Larimer, connus
sous le nom de LoDo, ou Lower Dowtown. C’était dans le district de Larimer Square, autour du Market
Street entre la 14ème et la 15ème, que William Larimer a construit le petit chalet en bois original de Denver.
Il a complètement brûlé dans une incendie générale il y a quelques années, depuis lors une ordonnance de la
ville a décrété que toute nouvelle construction devait être en briques. Restauré selon son apparance
victorienne, Larimer Square fournit un autre centre d’intérêt pour ses magasins, bars et restaurants.
Pour une appréciation rapide de la
position géographique de Denver,
dirigez-vous vers le State Capitol à
Broadway et E Colfax Avenue. La
treizième marche en direction de l’entrée
est exactement un mille au-dessus du
niveau de la mer; retournez-vous et
regardez l’ouest, vous aurez une superbe
vue - ardemment protégée par des
règlements sur la construction - des
Rocheuses s’élevant à l’horizon. Le
Capitole est une copie conforme de celui
à Washington DC, mais l’entrée gratuite
(lundi à vendredi de 9.30am-3.30pm) sont agréablement informels et vous pouvez monter à son dôme pour
une meilleure vue. De l’onyx rouge en provenance du monde entier a servi à sa construction.
Dans le Civic Center Park, directement devant le Capitole, se trouvent deux des plus excellents musées de
Denver. Le Musée d’Art de Denver à 100 W 14ème Ave (mardi-samedi 10am-5pm, dimanche midi-5pm;
4.50 $, gratuit samedi), couvert par des tuiles en verre grises, a des peintures du monde entier, mais il est
surtout connu pour ses exemples superbes d’industrie artisanale amérindienne, avec de merveilleuses pièces
des tribus Plains et Hopi. Quelques pièces de l’art pré colombien de l’Amérique Centrale - en particulier les
extraordinaires miniatures Olmec - sont aussi spectaculaires.
Les particularités les plus intéressantes du Musée d’Histoire du Colorado à 1300 Broadway (lundi-samedi
10am-4.30pm, dimanche midi-4.30pm; 3 $) se trouvent dans les galeries au sous-sol. Plusieurs dioramas,
faits sous les auspices du WPA dans les années 1930, montrent des scènes historiques dans de fascinants
détails, commençant avec l’Anasazi de Mesa Verde et suivi par la réunion de trappeurs avec des Indiens «à un
marché dans le désert» au début des années 1800 et un modèle de Denver en 1860. Les archives complètes
des photographies des premières vitrines de l’ouest le travail de W H Jackson, qui est mort en 1942 à l’âge de
99 ans.
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L’entrée gratuite des US Mint (hôtel des monnaies), une courte promenade au nord-ouest à 320 W Colfax
Ave (lundi- vendredi 8am-2.45pm; chaque 20min), montre des millions de pièces de monnaie jaillissant des
presses dans une rafale de projection de métal.
Beaucoup des peintures au petit Musée d’Art Occidental à 1727 Tremont Place (mardi-samedi 10am4.30pm; 3 $) ont plus de signification historique qu’artistique, de stimulants travaux de Georgia O’Keeffe
cotoyent des pièces habituelles de Frederic Remington. Le bâtiment lui-même était une fois le bordel
principal de Denver, discrètement connecté par un passage souterrain au grand triangulaire Brown Palace
Hotel de l’autre côté de la rue.
La Molly Brown House, 1340 Pennsylvanie Ave (juin-août lundi-samedi 10am-3.30pm, dimanche midi3.30pm; septembre- mai le même horaire, fermé lundi; 5 $) était le domicile à Molly Brown
«l’insubmersible», qui fut célèbre pour avoir survécu au naufrage du Titanic (elle avait déjà survécu à un
ouragan dans le Pacifique) permet de récolter de l’argent pour les survivants et leurs familles. De façon
intéressante, «Molly» est un surnom donné après sa mort - on l’a connu comme Maggie pendant sa vie. Une
pauvre fille irlandaise qui est allée l’Ouest épouser un millionnaire, elle finit ses jours dans la haute société à
Denver; après que le Titanic a apporté sa notoriété, elle devint un suffragette et se présenta à l’élection de
sénateur. Tristement, la visite de la maison se concentre plus sur ce que les Brown possédaient et sur ce que les
conservateurs ont réussi à authentifier qu’en soulignant la vie extraordinaire de Molly.
La communauté noire de Denver se trouve principalement dans le vieux district de Five Points, le nord-est de
downtown, créée pour abriter les cheminots noirs dans les années 1870. Le Musée américain Noir D’ouest à
3091 Rue de Californie (été lundi- vendredi 10am-5pm, samedi et dimanche midi-5pm; reste de l’année
mercredi-vendredi 10am-2pm, samedi-dimanche midi-5pm; 3 $) a des détails intrigants sur les pionniers
noirs et les hors-la-loi. Peut-être la section la plus intéressante est sur les cow-boys, qui dévoilent beaucoup de
mythes Western : on estime qu’un tiers de tous les cow-boys étaient noirs, beaucoup d’entre eux des esclaves
libérés après la Guerre civile qui ont quitté le Sud et trouvé travail comme gardien de bétail.
Deux ou trois milles à l’est de la ville en direction de l’aéroport, l’énorme City Park abrite le Musée d’Histoire
naturelle de Denver, 2001 Colorado Blvd (quotidiennement 9am-5pm; musée et planétarium 6 $, IMAX 6
$, tous trois pour 9 $). Comme beaucoup de musées de cette sorte, au-delà de (très belle) l’exposition de
dinosaures, de faune et flore, il inclut du matériel anthropologique sur des Indiens d’Amérique, qui, quoique
fascinant, semblent assez hors de propos. Il y a aussi un grand zoo tout près (quotidiennement : avril-octobre
9am-6pm; reste de l’année 10am-5pm; 6 $).
Le parc à thème Elitch Gardens de Denver, sur le bord occidental de la downtown à 2000 Elitch Circle (été
dimanche-jeudi 10am-10pm, vendredi et samedi 10am-11pm; reste de l’année varie; tél 303/595-4386;
19.95 $ agé de 6 et au-dessus), est non seulement peu commun pour être ainsi près du centre ville (accessible
par une piste cyclable le long du Cherry Creek ou sur le Cultural Connection Trolley), mais aussi en ayant un
parc d’eau dernier cri. Il y a quelques grandes attractions, y compris la Gomme à effacer l’esprit, qui vous
catapulte à 60mph le long de terrifiantes boucles de tire-bouchon; la Tower of Doom, une chute libre à la
verticale de 70ft; et le Sidewinder.
Si vous cherchez quelque chose un peu plus tranquille, le Cherry Creek Mall, quelques milles au sud-est de
downtown, est après la 16th Street, le centre commercial le plus populaire de Denver. En face de son entrée
principale est une des meilleures librairies aux EU, la Tattered Cover Bookstore à 2955 E First Ave (tél 303/
322-7727), qui comprend plus de quatre étages extrêmement bien approvisionnés. Même plus tranquille est
Denver Botanical Gardens, 1005 York St (quotidiennement 9am-5pm; 3 $), où une grande variété de plantes
prospère, de l’indigène à l’exotique.
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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 this involves 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
rollercoasts through 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.
Aspen
Coffee-table magazines might have you believe that a tollgate outside ASPEN only admits film stars and the
super-rich. This elite ski resort, two hundred miles west of Denver via Leadville, is indeed home to the likes
of Cher, Jack Nicholson and Goldie Hawn, but it can be an affordable, and very appealing place for anyone
to come in summer – unless you’re on an absolute shoestring budget. Visiting in winter requires more cash,
though you can save money by skiing the less expensive Aspen Highlands slopes.
From inauspicious beginnings in 1879, this pristine mountain-locked town raced to become the world’s top
silver producer. By the time the silver market crashed fourteen years later, it had acquired tasteful residential
palaces, grand hotels and an opera house. In the 1930s the population slumped below seven hundred;
ironically, it was the anti-poverty WPA program that gave the struggling community the cash to build its first
crude ski lift in 1936. Entrepreneurs seized the opportunity presented by the varied terrain and plentiful
snow, and the first chairlift was dedicated on Aspen Mountain in 1947. Skiing has since spread to three more
mountains – Aspen Highlands, Snowmass and Buttermilk Mountain, and the jet set arrived in force during
the 1960s. Development is a burning political issue: tight architectural constraints have been put on
businesses (McDonald’s is forbidden to have a neon sign), but the last decade has seen yet more
Scandinavian-style lodges, condo blocks and giant houses that remain empty for most of the year.
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Boulder
BOULDER, just 27 miles northwest of Denver on US-36, is one of the liveliest college towns in the country,
filled with a young population that seems to divide its time between phenomenally healthy daytime pursuits
and almost equally unhealthy nighttime activities – the town is often referred to as “7 miles surrounded by
reality.” It was founded in 1858 by a prospecting party who felt that the nearby Flatiron Mountains, the first
swell of the Rockies, “looked right for gold”; in fact they found little, but the community grew anyway.
With an easygoing, forward-looking atmosphere and plenty of great places to eat and drink, Boulder makes
an excellent place to return each night after a day in the mountains. Downtown centers on the leafy
pedestrian mall of Pearl Street, lined with all sorts of lively cafes, galleries and stores – including several places
where you can rent mountain bikes. The most obvious short excursion is to drive or hike up nearby Flagstaff
Mountain, for views over town and further into the Rockies; any road west joins up with the Peak to Peak
Highway, which heads through spectacular scenery to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. For
rock climbing, Eldorado Canyon State Park (tel 303/494-3943) offers many opportunities and The Boulder
Mountaineer (tel 303/442-8355) can answer any questions and, of course, provide gear.
The adventurous University of Colorado offers a mixed bag of events. Its mid-April Conference on World
Affairs attracts an eclectic and high-powered assortment of world figures to a sort of free-for-all think tank,
while it plays host each summer to the Colorado Music Festival (tel 303/449-1397), in the Chautauqua
Auditorium (tel 303/449-2413), and the seven-week Colorado Shakespeare Festival (tel 303/492-0554).
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Glenwood Springs
Bustling, touristy GLENWOOD SPRINGS sits at the end of impressive Glenwood Canyon, 160 miles west
of Denver and within easy striking distance of Vail and Aspen. Just north of the confluence of the Roaring
Fork and Colorado rivers, the town offers endless recreational opportunities. Long used by the Ute as a place
of relaxation, the hot springs here were the target for unscrupulous speculators who broke treaties and
established resort facilities in the 1880s. The sulphurous smell that hits you on the north side of the river
emanates from Glenwood Hot Springs Pool, 410 N River St. Billed as the “world’s largest outdoor mineral
hot springs pool,” it sports an exhilarating hydrotube water slide and special “jacuzzi” seats (summer daily
7.30am–10pm; rest of year daily 9am–10pm; $8). Next door, you can destress in the natural subterranean
steam baths of the Yampah Spa Vapor Caves at 709 E Sixth St (daily 9am–9pm; $8.75), with cool marble
benches set deep in ancient caves.
Some of the West’s most colorful characters came here in the early days, including Dr John R “Doc”
Holliday, a dentist better known as a gambler, gunslinger and shooter in the gunfight at the OK Corral. A
chronic tuberculosis sufferer, Holliday came to the springs for a cure but died just a few months later in
November 1887, at the age of 35. He is buried on a bluff overlooking the town in the picturesque Linwood
Cemetery. In the paupers’ section, you can find the grave of Harvey Logan, alias bank robber Kid Curry, a
member of Butch Cassidy’s notorious gang.
Whitewater Rafting, I-70 exit 114 (tel 970/945-8477), arranges good float trips, and whitewater rides along
a fairly placid twenty-mile stretch of the Colorado River. Hiking and mountain biking trails alongside
streams and waterfalls crisscross the White River National Forest surrounding the town, and offer good
fishing opportunities. The nearby, family-oriented Ski Sunlight complex offers some of the least expensive
skiing in the region, accessible by shuttle from Glenwood Springs (tel 970/945-7491; $1).
Grand Junction
GRAND JUNCTION, 246 miles west of Denver on I-70, is often neglected as a destination, even though
its immediate environs abound with outdoor opportunities, and within a fifty-mile stretch you can trace the
transition from fertile valley to full-blown desert. Another town that sprang into life in the 1880s with the
arrival of the railroads, it now makes its living primarily through the oil and gas industries. Although initial
impressions are bound to be unfavorable – an unsightly sprawl of factory units and sales yards lines the I-70
Business Loop – downtown is much better, with leafy boulevards encircling a small, tree-lined, historic and
retail district.
The Colorado section of Dinosaur National Monument is ninety miles north of Grand Junction along Hwy139, but the town itself holds the diverting Dinosaur Valley Museum, 362 Main St (summer daily 9am–
5pm; rest of year Tues–Sat 10am–4.30pm; $4.50), housing realistic reconstructed reptiles along with giant
bones excavated locally.
Grand Junction offers a wide range of cycling terrain, from canal paths to rigorous mountain trails. Bikes can
be rented from the Bike Peddler, 701 First St (tel 970/243-5602). There’s great hiking beside the rippled,
purple-gray Book Cliffs, paralleling the town on the north side, whose subtle changes of color throughout the
day are a delight. The area is also a rock climber’s dream. Summit Canyon Mountaineering, 549 Main St (tel
970/243-2847), can supply you with information and gear.
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Leadville
Standing at an elevation of over ten thousand feet, south of I-70 and eighty miles west of Denver, the
wonderfully atmospheric old mining town of LEADVILLE is the highest incorporated city in the US, with a
magnificent view across to broad-shouldered, ice-laden mounts Elbert and Massive, Colorado’s two highest
peaks. As you approach from the south, your first impression is of giant slag heaps and disused mining sheds,
but don’t let this put you off: Leadville is rich in character and romance, its old redbrick streets abounding
with tales of gunfights, miners dying of exposure and graveyards being excavated to get at the seams.
In the light of this, visiting Leadville’s rambling National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum, 120 W Ninth
St (summer daily 9am–5pm; rest of year Mon–Fri 10am–2pm; $3), is a patchy experience: skip the baffling
dioramas and outdated mine-shaft models in favor of the lurid globs of precious minerals and the
atmospheric old photos of weather-beaten prospectors and rough-and-ready sluicers. For a more illuminating
romp through the town’s grim early history, head for the Heritage Museum, just around the corner at 102 E
Ninth St (summer daily 10am–6pm; $2.50). Glass cases hold snippets on local fraternal organizations, quack
doctors, music-hall stars and the like, while a host of smoky photographs portray the lawless boomtown that
in two years grew from a mining camp of 200 people into Colorado’s second largest city.
Of all Leadville’s extraordinary tales, perhaps the most compelling is that of Horace Tabor, a storekeeper who
supplied goods to prospectors in exchange for a share in potential profits, and hit lucky when two prospectors
developed a silver mine that produced $20 million inside a year. Tabor collected a one-third share and left his
wife to marry local waitress “Baby Doe” McCourt in the socialite wedding of 1883, attended by President
Chester Arthur. By the time of his death in 1899, Tabor was financially ruined. Baby Doe took his dying
injunction to “hold onto the Matchless” – his only remaining mine – literally, and she died there, emaciated
and frostbitten, 36 years later. The godforsaken wooden outhouses of the Matchless Mine still stand, two
miles out on Seventh Street, and in the crude wooden shack in which she died, guides recount the story of
Baby Doe’s bizarre life in full, fascinating detail (daily 9am–4.15pm; $3). Also on Seventh Street is the
Leadville, Colorado & Southern Scenic Railroad, (depot at 326 E 7th St; tel 719/486-3936; $23), which
takes passengers on a 2 1/2-hour scenic trip to Fremont Pass.
Back in town, don’t miss the Tabor Opera House, 308 Harrison Ave (Sun–Fri 9am–5.30pm; $4), where
you’re free to wander onto the stage, through the ranks of red velvet and gilt seats, and around the eerie,
dusty old dressing rooms, while recorded oral histories tell tales of the grand old theater’s golden days. They
give no details, sadly, of the time in 1882 when Oscar Wilde, garbed in black velvet knee britches and
diamonds, addressed a host of dozing miners on the “Practical Application of the Aesthetic Theory to
Exterior and Interior House Decoration with Observations on Dress and Personal Ornament.”
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Rocky Mountain National Park
You don’t have to go to ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK to appreciate the full splendor of the
Rockies; it is simply one small section of the mighty range, measuring roughly twenty-five by fifteen miles. A
tenth of the size of Yellowstone, it attracts the same number of visitors – around three million per year – and
with the bulk of those coming in high summer, the one main road through the mountains can get incredibly
congested. However, it is undeniably beautiful, straddling the Continental Divide at elevations often well in
excess of ten thousand feet. A full third of the park is above the tree line, and large areas of snow never melt;
the name of the Never Summer Mountains speaks volumes about the long, empty expanses of arctic-style
tundra. Lower down, among the rich forests, are patches of lush greenery; you never know when you may
stumble upon a sheltered mountain meadow flecked with flowers. Parallels with the European Alps spring
readily to mind – helped, of course, by the heavy-handed Swiss and Bavarian themes of the region’s motels
and restaurants.
This is not an area that humans have ever made their home, though it lies on the route of old Indian trails,
and the Ute would come here to hunt in summer. Early white mining ventures came to nothing, and the
region was dedicated as a national park in 1915. The original proposal was for it to be much bigger,
extending from Wyoming to Pikes Peak; the existing boundaries were drawn up as a compromise, after long
negotiations with Colorado’s powerful logging and mining interests.
Steamboat Springs
With its wide surrounding valleys, STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, 65 miles north of Vail, looks like no other
Colorado mountain resort. Its roots are in ranching rather than mining, and its downtown area still evokes a
pioneer feel – until you spot the upmarket boutiques. In this ski-mad town, rancher-types judge the quality
of snowfall by the number of fence wires it covers; they’re usually satisfied with a three-wire winter, which
corresponds to its average snowfall of 325 inches per year.
The town’s unprepossessing ski resort (lift tickets $46 per day), snuggled into Mount Werner five miles south
of downtown, is boosted by such activities as bobsled rides at the small downtown, Howelson Hill Ski Area
($10), dogsled expeditions, hot-air ballooning and snowmobiling are all available. A favorite year-round
activity is to let all the stress seep out at the secluded 105°F Strawberry Park Hot Springs (daily; 10am–
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midnight; $5–10), ten miles north of town but only accessible by 4WD in winter. If you prefer to stay in
town, the Steamboat Springs Health and Recreation Center offers hot mineral pools, (6.30am–10pm; $5), as
well as workout facilities. In the summertime, opportunities for mountain biking, whitewater rafting, and
horseback riding abound. Outfitters throughout the town can assist you with gear and guides.
Summit County
The mix of purpose-built ski resorts, old mining towns, snow-covered peaks, alpine meadows and crystal
lakes that make up Summit County lie alongside I-70, around seventy miles west of Denver. Before white
settlement, the Ute hunted here every summer: the swanky Keystone Ranch Golf Club now occupies the
meadow where they pitched their tepees. During the late nineteenth century the county witnessed several
gold-mining booms; dilapidated ghost towns cling to the mountainsides, but one settlement that survived is
BRECKENRIDGE, whose streets are lined with brightly painted Victorian houses, shops and cafes. This is
the liveliest of Summit County’s four towns; FRISCO, stretching sedately along a quiet valley, appeals to
those looking for a less hectic pace. Both the other towns, DILLON and SILVERTHORNE, are dull,
though the latter contains dozens of cut-price factory outlet stores. The villages at the resorts of Keystone and
Copper Mountain are also unexciting.
Vail
Compared to most other Colorado ski towns, VAIL, 122 miles west of Denver off I-70, is a new creation.
Only a handful of farmers lived here before the resort – a collection of fake Tyrolean-style chalets and
concrete-block condominiums – opened in 1952. During the Ford administration, it served as the western
White House; Gerald Ford and his wife still live here, hosting annual celebrity golf and skiing competitions.
According to SKI magazine, Vail is the top ski destination in the US – but not for its aesthetic beauty. What
lures the ultra-rich (more conspicuous here than in Aspen) is the exceptional quality of snow, the sheer
variety of terrain, and the huge number of lifts (expensive at $48 a day, though the ticket also lets you ski
Beaver Creek, ten miles west and home to America’s top-rated ski school). You can also speed down a 3000ft
bobsleigh run for $15 a time, or, in summer, go mountain biking: one good option is to take the gondola
from Lionshead center (mid-June–Aug daily 10am–4.30pm; $12, $19 with bike) and ride down the
mountain.
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Winter Park
The former railroad center of WINTER PARK, 67 miles northwest of Denver, may not be Colorado’s
trendiest resort, but its wide, ever-expanding variety of ski and bike terrain, friendly atmosphere and goodvalue lodgings draw over one million visitors a year. As the only publicly owned resort in the state, it has great
facilities for kids, female and disabled skiers – and the 200-acre Discovery Park, an excellent, economical area
for beginners. Experienced skiers, in turn, relish the mogul runs on the awesome Mary Jane Mountain, the
fluffy snows of the Parsenn Bowl, and the “backcountry” idyll of the new Vasquez Cirque.
In addition to skiing, you can snowmobile the Continental Divide on a one-hour tour with Trailblazers in
Fraser (tel 970/726-8452; $35), or around a 25-mile course at Mountain Madness (tel 970/726-4529; $35
per hour), just north of town. Summer visitors can enjoy six hundred miles of mountain bike trails, as well as
Saturday night rodeos ($6), chair-lift rides ($16, with room for bikes), the super-fun mile-and-a-half-long
Alpine Slide ($6) and several contemporary music festivals.
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 US160. 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. Crested Butte, a gorgeous
nineteenth-century mining village turned ski resort, is one of Colorado’s major attractions.
Cortez
The town of CORTEZ, in the far southwest corner of Colorado, consists basically of one long curve of
highway (US-160), roughly 25 miles up from the Four Corners Monument that marks the meeting place of
Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah. Its primary function is as an overnight stop for visitors to Mesa
Verde National Park, heading to or from the canyonlands of northern Arizona. Nothing in town commands
much attention, though the giant Sleeping Ute Mountain to the southwest, visible from all over, makes a
dramatic backdrop, looking uncannily like a warrior god asleep with his arms folded across his chest.
The visitor center at 928 E Main St (daily 8am–6pm; tel 970/565-4048 or 1-800/253-1616) has information
on the entire state. Motels include the Aneth Lodge, 645 E Main St (tel 970/565-3453 or 1-877/263-8454;
$45–60), and Budget Host Inn, 2040 E Main St (tel 970/565-3738; $45–60). Dry Dock Restaurant, 200 W
Main St (tel 970/564-9404), dishes up great seafood in its pleasant garden, while Main Street Brewery, 21 E
Main St (tel 970/564-9112), is a brewpub serving simple meals.
Crested Butte
The beautiful Victorian mining village of CRESTED BUTTE, 150 miles northwest of Telluride and 230
miles southwest of Denver, almost died off in the late 1950s when its coal deposits became exhausted.
However, the development of 11,875ft Mount Crested Butte into a world-class ski resort in the 1960s, and a
mountain-bikers’ paradise two decades later, means that today it can claim to be the best year-round resort in
Colorado. The old town is resplendent with gaily painted clapboard homes and businesses, and zoning laws
ensure that condos and chalets are confined to the resort area, tucked behind the foothills three miles up the
road. The rapid transition from near-ghost town to sporting heaven has lured young people here from
throughout the West, to produce an addictive laid-back atmosphere.
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Durango
DURANGO, named after Durango, Mexico, and now twinned with it, too, was founded in 1880 as a rail
junction for the Gold Rush community of Silverton, 45 miles further north. Steam trains still run the same
spectacular route through the Animas Valley, and remain the foundation of Durango’s tourist economy: the
Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad runs up to four round-trips daily between May and October,
from a depot at 479 Main Ave at the south end of town (all leave in early morning; $53 round-trip; reserve
tickets at least two weeks in advance; tel 970/247-2733). Shorter excursions, covering the most scenic areas of
the route, run between late November and early May (daily 10am; $42).
Durango has also become one of the West’s latest boomtowns, attracting a large influx of long-distance
computerized teleworkers. Combine them with outdoors enthusiasts, who come to ride their mountain bikes
on the grueling back roads nearby, and in the morning at least the place has a youthful, energetic buzz. In the
evening, they’re all a bit too wiped out to do very much.
Greyhound services between Denver and Albuquerque call in at 275 E Eighth Ave. Durango’s visitor center,
near the train station (summer Mon–Fri 8am–7pm, Sat 10am–6pm, Sun 11am–5pm; rest of year Mon–Fri
8am–6pm, Sat 8am–5pm, Sun 10am–4pm; tel 970/247-0312 or 1-800/525-8855), has full lists of
accommodation, topped by the landmark Strater Hotel at 699 Main Ave (tel 970/247-4431 or 1-800/2474431; $100–130), and rounded off by the $13 dorms at the shabby Durango Youth Hostel, downtown at
543 E Second Ave (tel 970/247-9905; up to $30 / $30–45). The innumerable motels north of town along
Main Avenue double their rates in summer; try the Siesta at no. 3475 (tel 970/247-0741; $45–60), or the
Vagabond Inn at no. 2180 (tel 970/259-5901; $45–60). The Scrubby Oaks, three miles east at 1901 Florida
Rd (tel 970/247-2176; $60–80), is a good-value mountain-view B&B. There are plenty of places to eat and
drink: Carver’s Bakery & Brewpub, 1022 Main Ave (tel 970/259-2545) opens at 6.30am and keeps buzzing
all day, while Steamworks Brewing Co, 801 E Second Ave (tel 970/259-9200), also serves good food.
Mesa Verde National Park
MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK, the only national park in the US exclusively devoted to archeological
remains, is set high in the plateaus of southwest Colorado, off US-160 halfway between Cortez and Mancos.
It’s an astonishing place, so far off the beaten track that its extensive Anasazi ruins were not fully explored
until 1888.
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Between the time of Christ and 1300 AD, Anasazi civilization expanded to cover much of the area known as
the “Four Corners.” Their earliest dwellings were simple pits in the ground, but before they vanished from
history they had developed the architectural sophistication needed to build the extraordinary complexes of
Mesa Verde. Most of the best-preserved Anasazi relics are in modern New Mexico, Arizona and Utah.
Mesa Verde is a densely wooded plateau, cut at its southern edge by sheer canyons that divide the land into
narrow fingers. The Anasazi are thought to have been the only inhabitants the region has ever had: no one
has lived here since the thirteenth century, and neither have any traces been found of a human presence
before 500 AD. The people who built the first pit-houses here in the sixth century were already skilled potters
leading a stable agricultural life; they owned domesticated turkeys and grew corn. After several hundred years,
they moved off the mesa tops and began to construct spectacular multistory apartments and entire
communities, nestling in rocky alcoves high above the canyons. Quite why they did so is not clear, though
recent evidence suggests that Anasazi culture was not quite as peaceful as previously imagined; in any case the
soil at Mesa Verde ultimately appears to have been depleted, and they seem to have migrated into what’s now
New Mexico to establish the pueblos where their descendants still live.
Ouray
The attractive mining community of OURAY lies 23 miles north of Silverton, on the far side of the 11,018ft
Red Mountain Pass, where the bare rock beneath the snow really is red, thanks to mineral deposits. The
Million Dollar Highway twists and turns, passing abandoned mine workings and rusting machinery in the
most unlikely and inaccessible spots; back roads into the mountains offer rich pickings, for hikers or drivers
with 4WD vehicles.
Ouray itself squeezes into a narrow but verdant valley, with the commercially run Ouray Hot Springs beside
the Uncompahgre River at the north end of town. A mile or so south, a one-way loop dirt road leads to Box
Cañon Falls Park (daily 8am–7pm; $2), where a straightforward 500ft trail, partly along a swaying wooden
parapet, leads into the dark, narrow Box Cañon. At the far end, the falls thunder through a tiny cleft in the
mountain.
The local visitor center is outside the hot springs (daily 8am–6pm; tel 970/325-4746 or 1-800/228-1876). At
Box Canyon Lodge, an old-style timber motel at 45 Third Ave below the park (tel 970/325-4981 or 1-800/
327-5080; $45–60), you can bathe in natural hot tubs; the luxurious B&B St Elmo Hotel, 426 Main St (tel
970/325-4951; $80–100), holds a good restaurant, and the Ouray Coffee House, next to the springs at 960
Main St (tel 970/325-4001), has an appealing patio for light lunches.
Silverton
Journey’s end for the narrow-gauge railroad from Durango comes at SILVERTON, spread across a small flat
valley surrounded by high mountains. It’s one of Colorado’s most atmospheric mountain towns, with wide,
dirt-paved streets leading off towards the hills to either side of the one main road. Silverton’s zinc and copper
mining days only came to an end in 1991; the population has dropped since then, but those that remain have
so far resisted suggestions that its future lies in legalizing gambling to draw in the tourists. Meanwhile, the
false-fronted stores along “Notorious Blair Street,” paralleling the main drag, recall the days when Bat
Masterson was the city marshal, and are the scene of a daily shoot-out at 5.30pm.
The majority of visitors to Silverton are day-trippers, and to spend a night here is to step back a century.
Bargain accommodation is to be had at the Triangle Motel, 848 Greene St (tel 970/387-5780; $45–60), at
the south end of town, which also offers good-value two-room suites and jeep rental, though the old-style,
central Grand Imperial Hotel, 1219 Greene St (tel 970/387-5527 or 1-800/341-3340; $60–80), is not much
more expensive. The French Bakery, 1250 Greene St (tel 970/387-5976), serves food from sandwiches
through to full meals, while, Romero’s, 1151 Greene St (tel 970/387-0123), is an enjoyable Mexican cantina.
The tin-walled Silverton Hostel, 1025 Blair St (check-in daily 8–10am & 4–10pm; tel 970/387-0015; up to
$30), has $11 dorm beds.
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Telluride
TELLURIDE, 120 miles northwest of Durango on Hwy-145, is a former mining village, which in the 1880s
was briefly home to the young Butch Cassidy, who robbed his first bank here in 1889. These days Telluride is
better known as the home of a top-class ski resort that rivals Aspen as the prime winter destination for the
stars. It has, however, achieved this status without losing its character – the wide main street, a National
Historic District with low-slung buildings on either side, still heads directly up towards one of the most
stupendous mountain views in the Rockies. Healthy young bohemians with few visible means of support but
top-notch ski or snowboarding equipment seem to form the bulk of the 1200 citizens, while most of the
glitzy visitors tend to hang out two miles above the town in Mountain Village; the two places are connected
by a free year-round gondola service. In summer, the hiking opportunities are excellent; one three-mile
round-trip walk leads from the head of the valley, where the highway ends at Pioneer Mill, up to the 365ft
Bridal Veil Falls.
Accommodation is much less expensive in summer than during ski season, though prices do go up for the
Bluegrass Festival in June, the Jazz Festival at the beginning of August and the Film Festival at the start of
September. As well as being the town’s official information service, Telluride Central Reservations, 666 W
Colorado Ave (summer daily 9am–7pm; rest of year Mon–Fri 9am–5pm; tel 970/728-4431 or 1-800/5253455), coordinates lodging and package deals, with free lift tickets for the first month of the season for guests
in certain lodges. Skiing comes half-price if you stay in any of seven neighboring towns. Of specific places,
the 1895 New Sheridan Hotel, 231 W Colorado Ave (tel 970/728-4351 or 1-800/200-1891; winter $100–
130, summer $45–60), offers some bargain rooms with shared bath, and the Victoria Inn, 401 W Pacific Ave
(tel 970/728-6601 or 1-800/611-9893; $80–100), has clean doubles.
Eddie’s, 300 W Colorado Ave (tel 970/728-5335), serves good Italian food and home-brewed ales; Smugglers
Brewpub and Grille, San Juan and Pine (tel 970/728-0919) is a lively evening hangout with a wide-ranging
menu.
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 gives access to the old gold-mining country around Cripple Creek.
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Colorado Springs
Seventy miles south of Denver on I-25, COLORADO SPRINGS was originally developed as a vacation spot
in 1871 by railroad tycoon William Jackson Palmer. He attracted so many English gentry to the town that it
earned the nickname of “Little London.” Despite sprawling for ten miles alongside I-25, modern Colorado
Springs, a bastion of conservatism compared to liberal Denver, still retains much of Palmer’s vision.
Contributing factors include a high military presence, fundamentalist religious organizations, the exclusive
Colorado College and a well-to-do Anglo-American community.
Motorists whisk through the incredible Garden of the Gods, on the west edge of town off US-24 W, without
bothering to get out of their vehicles. This gnarled, twisted and warped red sandstone rockery was lifted up at
the same time as the nearby mountains, but has since been eroded into finely balanced overhangs, jagged
pinnacles, massive pedestals and mushroom formations. Among outstanding features are High Point, which
has the best view, Balanced Rock and the Central Garden. The visitor center, at the park’s eastern border (tel
719/634-6666), has details on hiking and mountain biking trails.
At the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, 101 Pro Rodeo Drive, off I-25 exit 147 (daily 9am–5pm; $6), videos and
displays explain the sport’s various disciplines, other local exhibits of note include the painting and sculpture
gardens of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, 30 W Dale St (Tues–Fri 9am–5pm, Sat 10am–5pm, Sun
1–5pm; $3); the more specialized works at the Western Museum of Mining and Industry, east of I-25 exit
156A (Mon–Sat 9am–4pm, Sun noon–4pm; $5); and the restored courtroom at the Colorado Springs
Pioneer Museum, 215 S Tejon St (Tues–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 1–5pm; free).
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Cripple Creek
Fifty miles or so out from Colorado Springs, the much-chronicled gold camp of CRIPPLE CREEK, named
for a calf that broke its leg trying to jump over a tumbling stream, nestles in a grim volcanic bowl on the west
flank of Pikes Peak. In 1891, a cowhand, Bob Womack, was the first to discover gold on this poor cattleraising land. Elated by his find, he sold his share for $500 and spent the lot on whiskey. Others were more
fortunate: a total of over $500 million worth of gold was extracted. By 1900 25,000 people lived in a town
boasting eight newspapers, numerous banks, splendid hotels, department stores, elegant homes and even a
stock exchange. Today the main street still backs onto a forbidding rocky plateau, but since gambling was
legalized in Cripple Creek in 1990 most of its Victorian buildings have been converted into casinos.
Scenic steam trains on the Narrow Gauge Railway (June–mid-Oct daily 10am–5pm; tel 719/689-2640; $8),
trundle for four miles past abandoned mines. One mile north on Hwy-67, ex-miners take you a thousand
feet underground to see gold veins in Mollie Kathleen’s Mine (May–Oct daily 9am–5pm; $8). Built in 1896
and the only one of Cripple Creek’s Gold Rush hotels still in business, the grand old Imperial Hotel, 123 N
Third St (tel 719/689-7777 or 1-800/235-2922; $60–80), is a unique place to stay. Otherwise there are
anodyne casino hotels and the usual chains.
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