Staff writer Hopeful miners create a Conestoga traffic jam heading to Cripple Creek in the 1890s. | Photo courtesy of Cripple Creek Heritage Center Cripple Creek, cuddled into a high altitude valley west of Colorado Springs, was founded by gamblers, men and women drawn by the possibility that a glint of gold would shine from a handful of stone. Cripple Creek and the neighboring town of Victor were the focus…
Gambling in Colorado
The Ute Mountain Casino shines in the darkness of the state’s southwest corner. | Photo courtesy of Ute Mountain Casino Staff writer Colorado’s historic past of scruffy miners and card games in Wild West saloons has inspired a modern-day revival of gambling. The state isn’t unique, of course, in offering legalized gambling – 23 states have some form of gaming – and it doesn’t make the list of Top 10…
Great Wolf Lodge
Staff writer Just north of Colorado Springs, Great Wolf Lodge offers a water park and hotel designed for children and their adults, all under one roof. The lodge, one of 15 in the chain, opened in 2016 and has already attracted a loyal following to its backwoods-themed space. The Colorado Springs lodge has 311 hotel rooms and three pools, including a wave pool and separate shallow pool for little guests,…

Colorado
Get to know the real Colorado. Move beyond the images of cowboy boots and ski poles and picture destinations that run from timberline highways to sand dunes.

Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center
The Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center’s 37-acre complex serves more than 500 athletes and coaches in more than a dozen sports. Guided tours are available.

Pagosa Springs
Pagosa Springs boasts a historic downtown, a beautiful riverfront, an elaborate hotel complex with bubbling and steaming hot springs, all surrounded by the San Juan Mountains.

Chimney Rock National Monument
Chimney Rock has been a landmark in Colorado for more than 1,000 years and is an important archaeological site. It is now part of a national monument.

5 top spots for fall color in the mountains
Fall’s arrival in Colorado means it’s time to head to the mountains and take in the yellows, oranges and reds of the aspens. We’ll share some favorite places, from day trips to weekend escapes. Now’s the time.

Cortez
Cortez serves as a gateway to Mesa Verde National Park and the Four Corners Monument and a jumping-off point for tourists headed into Colorado’s San Juan Mountains.

Crystal Mill
The Crystal Mill is the subject of countless postcards – a rustic, wooden building from 1893 that sits atop a rugged rock outcropping with the Crystal River rushing below.