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First-Timer’s Guide

First-Timer’s Guide: Buena Vista

This quaint town offers the best of Colorado—outdoor adventures, tasty restaurants, boozy sips—all with beautiful views. 

Daliah Singer

First-Timer’s Guide: Durango

Though this southwestern Colorado town is heavy on Old West charm, its restaurants, craft beer scene, and outdoor recreation options bring it firmly into the 21st century.

Jessica LaRusso

First-Timer’s Guide: Fort Collins

Located just over an hour from Denver, this mid-size college town offers an ideal mix of outdoor recreation, casual dining and drinking, and activities for day and night.

Callie Sumlin

First-Timer’s Guide: Carbondale

Sitting at the base of Mt. Sopris and at the confluence of the Crystal and Roaring Fork rivers, this mountain town is made for enjoying every kind of high-country thrill.

Daliah Singer

First-Timer’s Guide: Santa Fe, New Mexico

Just six hours from the Mile High City, this international art destination feels a world away. A few ideas to inspire your next three-day-weekend romantic getaway.

Jessica LaRusso

Los Secretos De Taos

This Northern New Mexico town and its surrounding area are packed full of clandestine delights—both old and new.

Dougald MacDonald

First-Timer’s Guide: Paonia

With the state’s largest concentration of organic and sustainable growers, petite Paonia is a hotbed of fresh farm-to-table food—and wine. Here, a few suggestions for making the most of your visit to this scenic and friendly Western Slope town.

Terri Cook

Photos: Backpacking the Four Pass Loop

This 28-mile trek, tucked in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness area, is one of the most challenging—and spectacular—adventures in all of Colorado. 

Sarah Banks

First-Timer’s Guide: Grand Lake

This idyllic mountain hamlet, with its come-as-you-are watering holes, wealth of recreational activities, and legendary hikes, provides the quintessential Colorado summer vacation.

Mary Clare Fischer

First-Timer’s Guide: Palisade

From July through September, Colorado’s Grand Valley—with the town of Palisade located at its heart—is full of roadside fruit stands as well as eager agri-tourists. Here, a few suggestions for where to go, what to see, and how to best enjoy a visit to this stunning part of Colorado.

Lindsey B. King

First-Timer’s Guide: Estes Park

There’s something for everyone in this Rocky Mountain town, from outdoor adventures to delicious food and haunted hotels. 

Erin Skarda

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