The Rocky Mountains

 

When discussing Colorado, it’s bordering on impossible to not touch on the mountains. The Colorado Rockies begin their ascent just outside Denver and at their highest, climb to an impressive 14,000+ feet above sea level, creating a beautiful backdrop for the metro area (as witnessed by seemingly every snapshot of Denver you see in the media). There are few sites I have witnessed in my life as beautiful and as inspiring as the sun setting behind the Rockies. When conditions are right, the entire sky can fill with glowing oranges and blues, highlighting the majestic peaks. Now this may sound a little corny, but I truly believe it is good for the spirit to incorporate beauty into your life as often as possible, and this certainly provides a regular dose for me. 

 

More than just a pretty backdrop, the Rockies provide a virtually limitless playground within a short drive from most anywhere in the metro area. The list of activities the mountains afford residents (and visitors) is impressive. The obvious one first…world class skiing. Colorado is home to some of the best skiing and ski towns in the world, period. Motorsports more your style? Hop on a snowmobile and take a romp through the high country and find some of the most scenic locations anywhere. More into the natural approach? Strap on a pair of snowshoes and set out through the serene forests. The point here is, when it comes to winter sports, there are few places that can compete with the Rocky Mountains. 

 

While winter in the high-country is great, don’t be fooled, the summer months in the mountains can be just as enjoyable (and yes, possibly even more). Get lost for an afternoon of fly-fishing, hike or mountain bike along a trail in a mountain setting you won’t forget. Great golf, rafting, climbing and the list goes on. No matter what you’re doing, even if it’s just relaxing, enjoying the fresh mountain air on a sun-filled day is a life experience everyone should be so lucky to enjoy.

 

There’s just something about being in the mountains that just makes you feel good. The charming mountain towns are filled with history of rugged individuals determined to make the area their home long before the interstate came to make it easy for us to enjoy the mountains today. If you have some “rugged individual” in you, fear not, as there are still plenty of places to escape modern life and truly experience nature. However, if you would prefer a more pampered experience, there are definitely lots of places to do that as well. Towns such as Breckenridge, Winter Park/Fraser, Silverthorne, Aspen, Vail, Copper Mountain and many others offer luxury that can compete with the best resorts.

 

From the Denver metro area, depending on traffic, you can generally get to some of the better known mountain towns in about an hour and a half to two hours, which makes escaping to the high country for a day or two a wonderful benefit to living in Colorado.