Colorado surprised me, not all at once, but slowly, in layers. After spending two weeks exploring the Centennial State, I left genuinely impressed and deeply grateful to have experienced it in a way that felt thoughtful rather than rushed. The landscapes are dramatic without being overwhelming, the Colorado food scene is grounded and sincere, and the pace of life feels refreshingly human. More than once, I caught myself thinking: who knew Colorado would feel so much like home for this Canadian?
Arriving in Denver: Art, Atmosphere and a Historic Luxury Hotel
From the moment you land in Denver, there are small signals that this place has a point of view. Art fills the Denver International Airport, playful, curious, occasionally provocative, hinting at the creativity and confidence threaded throughout the state. And then there’s the iconic blue horse standing just outside. If you know, you know.
We stayed downtown at The Oxford Hotel, Denver’s longest-running hotel, opened in 1891 when the city was a booming railroad hub connecting the American West. Staying there felt like stepping into another time. The rooms carry a quiet elegance, layered, warm, and slightly transportive, and the hotel itself feels inseparable from the city’s story. Being just steps from Union Station made it the perfect starting point for a journey shaped by movement and discovery.
Canyon Spirit Train: A Scenic Rail Journey
That sense of intention carried straight into our next chapter aboard the Canyon Spirit train (formerly Rocky Mountaineer). Crossing the northern part of the state by rail felt both luxurious and grounding, a rare chance to slow down and truly watch the landscape change.
The train follows the Colorado River through deep canyons and remote stretches of land rarely seen from the road. For someone who loves geography and history, it was endlessly fascinating: water carving stone, light shifting across canyon walls, entire ecosystems unfolding outside the window. With thoughtful service, beautifully prepared meals, and the relaxed rhythm of rail travel, the experience felt less like transportation and more like a moving hotel, one that encouraged presence rather than distraction.
Glenwood Springs Hot Springs: Colorado’s Iconic Restorative Escape
We stepped off the train in Glenwood Springs, where water defines the town. Hot springs have drawn people here for generations, and easing into Iron Mountain Hot Springs after a day of travel felt almost ritualistic.
Set along the Colorado River, the property features geothermal pools filled with naturally heated mineral water. Moving slowly from pool to pool as the sun dipped behind the mountains was restorative in the most elemental way, warm water, cool air, and nothing to rush toward.
Fort Collins: Craft Breweries, Small-Batch Makers and Summer Dining
From there, we headed north to Fort Collins, a town that immediately feels welcoming. Its historic Old Town famously inspired Disneyland’s Main Street, U.S.A., and walking through it, the charm is undeniable, brick buildings, leafy streets, patios filled with summer conversation.
Fort Collins understands simple pleasures. Nuance Chocolate is thoughtful and precise without feeling precious. Walrus Ice Cream delivers pure happiness on a warm afternoon. We stayed at The Armstrong Hotel, perfectly positioned for wandering, lingering, and discovering places organically. The town’s Liquid Arts Trail offered a relaxed way to explore its craft culture: tea at Happy Lucky’s Teahouse, beer at New Belgium’s flagship brewery, spirits at award-winning NOCO Distillery, and whiskey and gin at woman-owned Elevation 5003. Each stop reflected the same ethos, quality-driven, welcoming, and deeply rooted in community.
Rocky Mountain National Park: Hiking to Emerald Lake at Sunrise
Fort Collins also proved to be an ideal base for exploring Rocky Mountain National Park, where an early start led us into the mountains just as the sun began to rise. The hike to Emerald Lake unfolded slowly, cool air, still water, and light creeping across the peaks, creating that rare feeling of having the landscape almost to yourself.
Returning to town later that day, tired in the best possible way, dinner at The Farmhouse at Jessup Farm felt like a natural extension of the experience. The cooking was seasonal, comforting, and deeply satisfying, a reminder that some of the best meals are the ones that quietly bring a day full circle.
Aspen and Snowmass: Luxury Mountain Living and Destination Dining
Back in the mountains, Snowmass shifted the energy again. Gondola rides lift you into open air, revealing wide valleys and jagged peaks in every direction. The alpine coaster delivered unexpected laughter and adrenaline, while quieter moments came through hiking trails, scenic chairlifts, and long pauses simply taking it all in. We stayed at Crestwood Condominiums, a calm and spacious base that made it easy to balance adventure with rest. Guided wildflower walks with the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, wandering through The Collective Snowmass, and learning about the area’s Ice Age discoveries added layers of depth and curiosity.
A short trip into Aspen brought one of the most personally meaningful moments of the journey. As a sommelier, touring The Little Nell’s legendary wine cellar felt like a privilege, one of the great wine collections in North America, approached with warmth, knowledge, and real passion. Dinner at PARC Aspen afterward echoed the town’s quiet confidence.
Million Dollar Highway and Black Canyon of the Gunnison: Colorado’s Most Dramatic Landscapes
Heading south marked one of the longest stretches of the journey, and one of the most visually striking. A stop at Black Canyon of the Gunnison set the tone: sheer walls plunging nearly 2,000 feet, carved by water through ancient volcanic rock. Standing at the Painted Wall, streaked with mineral deposits, was both humbling and unforgettable.
From there, the drive followed the Million Dollar Highway, a winding mountain road known less for its past than for its breathtaking views. The route demands your attention, unfolding dramatic vistas as alpine greens gradually give way to warmer, drier tones, a visible shift into another side of Colorado.
Mesa Verde National Park: Cliff Dwellings and Living History
Arriving in Durango, the experience became more intimate. Wandering through small shops filled with handcrafted gemstone jewellery made by local artists felt unexpectedly joyful, pieces shaped by the land itself. That sense of continuity deepened nearby at Mesa Verde National Park, where the cliff dwellings of the Ancestral Pueblo peoples, built between 1190-1300 AD, offer a powerful reminder of how long humans have lived in relationship with this landscape.
Just outside town, The Arboretum by Esoterra carries that relationship forward. Rooted in the preservation of more than 200 heritage apple varieties and now evolving into Southwest Colorado’s first estate winery, it’s a place where land, history, and craft quietly meet.
Great Sand Dunes National Park: Sand-boarding and Dark Sky Stargazing
The final stop was Alamosa, where Colorado transformed once again. Great Sand Dunes National Park rises unexpectedly from a dried ancient lake bed, shaped by wind and surrounding mountains into massive, shifting dunes you can walk, climb, and sled down, and for me, racing down the sand was the most joyful part of experiencing the park. As daylight faded, the experience shifted once more. Designated as a Dark Sky Park, the dunes offer astonishing night skies, with the Milky Way stretching clearly overhead.
That sense of place carried into dinner at Calvillo’s Mexican Restaurant, one of the most memorable meals of the trip. The cooking is vibrant and soulful, reflecting the region’s deep cultural roots, and felt like the perfect close to a day shaped by land and sky.
Denver Central Market and RiNo: Where Colorado’s Food Scene Comes Together
Driving back toward Denver, passing through wide valleys and open roads, it felt almost impossible that all of this had unfolded within a single state and within a single trip. Mountains, canyons, desert landscapes, historic towns, vibrant food scenes and four wildly different national parks had revealed themselves over the course of just two weeks.
That reflection settled fully at Denver Central Market in RiNo. Sitting among locals, sharing food, and watching the city move around us, the journey finally came into focus. Colorado had managed to feel expansive without being overwhelming, adventurous without being exhausting, and welcoming in a way that felt genuinely human.
John Denver’s Rocky Mountain High played more than once along the way. I’d known the song for years. What I didn’t expect was how deeply I’d feel it. Colorado surprised me, and I left grateful for every mile.
