Things to do / Travel Guide
The Colorado Rockies region is large swath of the state of Colorado west of the Colorado Rockies Front Range. The region spans a portion of northwestern Colorado and extends down through the western central area to encompass the following: Grand Mesa (the world's flattest mountain), White River National Forest, Gunnison National Forest, Curecanti National Recreation Area, and Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument. The region continues to extend down to the southwestern corner of the state to include portions of San Juan National Forest and San Juan Mountains.
Essentially, the region can be broken down into three sub-regions: northwest Colorado, South-Central Colorado, and southwest Colorado.
Northwest Colorado
The northernmost point, sits the ski-resort town of Steamboat Springs, surrounded by the Yampa River Valley and the six peaks of the Steamboat Ski Area: Mt. Werner, Sunshine Peak, Storm Peak, Thunderhead Peak, Pioneer Ridge, and Christie Peak. To the east, the region cuts across the Park Range of the Colorado Rockies and includes the town of Vail. To the west lies Grand Junction, the region's largest city. Just above Grand Junction, the northwestern reaches of the Colorado Rockies region follow a diagonal path along a portion of the Colorado River, through the White River National Forest, beyond Sheep Mountain.
South-Central Colorado
The main communities of South-Central Colorado are Leadville, Buena Vista, and Salida. Also located within this sub-region are the natural attractions of Twin Lakes and Mt. Ebert, Colorado's tallest peak at 14,433 feet.
Southwest Colorado
Below Salida, the Colorado Rockies extends south and west, cutting across the Sawatch Range toward and below the towns of Silverton, Ouray, and Telluride. The region continues across the San Juan Mountains, and then dips down below the San Juan National Forest to incorporate the town of Durango. From Durango, the western border of the region then follows a sharp path due north back through the San Juan National Forest, cutting across the Uncompahgre Plateau and Uncompahgre National Forest. Also found in this Colorado Rockies sub-region, north of Durango and west of the aforementioned communities, are Delta, Gunnison, and Montrose.
|
|
|