S P E C I A L A D V E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E

The CANYONS & PLAINS Of The SOUTheAST

JOUrNeY bACk IN TIme IN The CeNTrAL PLAINS

bIrdINg & SCeNIC bYwAYS Of The SOUTherN rOCkIeS

wILd weST herITAge IN The SOUThweST

PHOTO: Ken ArcHer, KenArcHerPHOTOs.cOm

Parks, Peaks & Preserves of asPen

eveNTS & feSTIvALS Wildlife festivals & cultural events calendar wILdLIfe hOTSPOTS Our pick Of sOme Of the best Wildlife Watching areas in the state
Explore Colorados spectacular diversity of wildlife along the

Colorado Birding Trail

STATe mAP & web SITeS navigate the state frOm mOuntains tO plains

wild and scenic rivers, wild places far from the crowd,

. . .and wildlife roaming free.. Come to Colorado and youll discover something wild at every turn!

Tame isnt a word for Colorado. This is a state of wild mountain vistas,

Something Wild at Every Turn

BriAn HAwKins

S P E C I A L A D V E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E

S P E C I A L A D V E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E

Kit Carson County Carousel, Central Plains

irdwatchers and nature enthusiasts who find their way to Colorado shouldnt miss the Colorado Birding Trail, a public and private initiative linking birding and wildlife-watching sites with great places for outdoor recreation and outstanding archaeological and paleontological discoveries. Framed by the majestic Sangre de Cristo and San Juan mountain ranges, southern Colorados San Luis Valley is a birdwatchers paradise. The valley boasts wetlands brimming with waterfowl and wading birds; shrublands and foothills that are home to sage thrashers, Brewers sparrows and spotted and green-tailed towhees; forests filled with Stellers jays, pygmy nuthatches and Williamsons sapsuckers; and high mountain peaks that support white-tailed ptarmigan, browncapped rosy-finches and American pipits. The valleys Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve boasts the tallest dunes in North America. Some visitors use modified skis and snowboards to rush down the towering mountains of sand! Southeast Colorado, with its mild weather, is a birdwatchers paradise, boasting nearly 500 bird species, more than anywhere else in North America. Piping plovers and least terns nest at John Martin Reservoir State Park near Las Animas. In winter, bald eagles roost near the reservoir. Southwest Colorado is the location of Mesa Verde National Park, home of Ancestral Puebloan cliff-dwellings. Current residents amid the parks canyons, mesas and pion-juniper habitat include ash-throated flycatchers, western scrub-jays, black-throated gray warblers, golden eagles and

Our JOurney
Brian hawkins
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Colorados Central Plains

The historic counties of east central ColoradoElbert, Kit Carson, Lincoln, and Cheyenneinvite travelers to get off the beaten trail and out of their cars to discover all that the plains of Colorado have to offer. Here, amid fields of waving grain and endless blue skies rarely marred by clouds, the quiet prairies whisper stories about the people who came here, survived here, and ultimately created multigenerational ties here. With the Our Journey Program, visitors can embark on a marvelous tour of historic discovery for an outstanding value. Visitors will get entry to 15 plains heritage museumsall for free! And all on one ticket downloaded from the website, www.ourjourney.info. What could be easier than that? Participating museums include Lincoln County's Hedlund House Museum in Hugo; Limon Heritage Museum & Railroad Park; Worlds Wonder View Tower, Genoa; Arriba Museum; Elbert County Museum, Kiowa; Bailey Saddleland Museum, Simla; Grampa Jerrys Clown Museum, Arriba; Flagler Hospital Museum & Hal Borland Room; Second Central School Museum, Flagler; Kit Carson County Carousel, and Old Town, Burlington; Kit Carson Museum, Kit Carson; Cheyenne County Museum, and Mountain States Telephone & Telegraph Museum, Cheyenne Wells. Want to really get off the highway and discover the plains? Check out Off The Beaten Trail, a visitor experience that isnt just an old traditional tourism effort. This highly interactive and educational journey takes visitors to some historically significant, but less well-known places. In this adventure, travelers will be treated to great stories, beautiful scenery, and rich history, discovering these wide-open spaces through an innovative scavenger hunt. Or geocache enthusiasts can GPS their way to all the sites, where they will collect real treasures as mementoes of their Central Plains discovery. Visit the website, www.ourjourney.info, to request a free Treasures Guideand get discoverin!
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AnnA ZOrOmsKi/weAVer muliTmediA GrOuP

Arch Rock, Southeast Colorado

Stellers Jay

The Colorado

can guide you to more than 490 avian species across the state. Visit the trails site for maps, birding basics and other resources.

Birding Trail

peregrine falcons. In south central Colorado, the historic town of Trinidad was once a main stop on the Santa Fe Trail. Its downtown National Historic District includes stunning architecture along with museums and a professional repertory theater. Perhaps best known for its chile peppers and annual Chile and Frijoles Festival, Pueblo is also home to the Riverwalk, the Union Avenue Historic District, the Sangre de Cristo Arts & Conference Center and the nationally recognized Buell Childrens Museum. The respected El Pueblo Museum celebrates the areas history and cultural diversity, while the Nature and Raptor Center, home to rescued wild raptors such as owls and eagles, offers hiking along the Arkansas River. Caon City is home to one of the worlds largest suspension bridges; a classic passenger train, the Royal

Gorge Route Railroad; and an award-winning winery, The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey. Whitewater rafting on the Arkansas River through the Royal Gorge is one of the hottest rafting rides in the state! Standing in the shadow of the magnificent Spanish Peaks, Walsenberg is along the Highway of Legends National Scenic and Historic Byway, which connects Walsenburg with several other mining towns including La Veta and Trinidad. The town was also the home of Robert Ford, who famously assassinated outlaw Jesse James. For a free copy of the 2012 Colorado Official State Vacation Guide, visit www.COLORADO.com or call 1-800-COLORADO.

Birding the Canyons & Plains of SoutheaSt Colorado

SoutheaSt Colorado iS a land of heritage. natural heritage, like grasslands and canyons and migrating birds. and cultural heritage, like Plains Indians and sodbusters and World War II. Of Colorados 493 bird species, 430 can be found here. With the greatest concentration of north american bird species anywhere on the continent, this is a great place for rare birds. Listen for black rails at Boggsville national Historic District and Bents Old Snow Geese Fort national Historic site. view the courtship dance of lesser prairie-chickens on an arena Dust Tour on private land in april and early May. Watch for least terns and piping plovers at regional lakes and playas. and to see a bighorn sheep, the kind you think are only in the mountains, drive the county road through Cottonwood Canyon in fall, winter or spring. Picketwire, vogel, Picture and Carrizo canyons are rich in native american petroglyphs as well as homesteading, ranching and settlement history. For insight on two defining moments in american history, visit sand Creek Massacre national Historic site and Camp amache national Historic Landmark, a World War II internment camp for Japanese-americans. To discover the Canyons & Plains of southeast Colorado visit www.secoloradoheritage.com
sally Depra

istockphoto.com/natureniche

kevin linDahl

S P E C I A L A D V E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E
AnA ZOrOmsKi

S P E C I A L A D V E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E

Where Wild Things Roam

naTl. WildliFe areas Alamosa and Monte Vista NWR San Luis Valley Arapahoe NWR North Park Baca NWR San Luis Valley Browns Park NWR Far NW CO, adjacent to Dinosaur NM Black Canyon, Gunnison National Park, Southwest Colorado

Crossroads of Cultures: Southern Rockies Heritage Group

Bighorn sheep, bobcats and bears. Bluebirds, herons and hawks. Travel any of the four scenic byways traversing Fremont, Custer, Pueblo, Huerfano, and Las Animas counties, which make up the Southern Rockies Heritage Group (SRHG), and you will find abundant wildlife. These scenic Byways To Birding will take you to a wonderful variety of birding sites, from the plains to the foothills to high alpine regions. Then there are Trinidad and Pueblo, metropolitan areas offering very different birding opportunities than the ranching areas of the Wet Mountain Valley and the foothills of the Spanish Peaks. Good binoculars or a scope are a must for anyone enjoying the beauty and serenity of the byways. Passing through Pueblo and Custer counties? Travel the Frontier Pathway. In Fremont County, discover the Gold Belt Highway. In Huerfano County dont miss the Highway of Legends. And in Las Animas County and the town of Trinidad, its the legendary Santa Fe Trail. Along these scenic routes youll also discover outstanding heritage and historical sites reflecting local mining, agricultural and manufacturing history. Visit www.bywaystobirding.com to discover the wonderful opportunities for heritage, history, the arts and outdoor adventure in the Southern Rockies area.

Keeping Colorado Wild: Colorado Parks & Wildlife

Although renowned for its scenery, it is the wildlife of Colorado that is the heartbeat of the land. Home to 960+ species of wildlife, Colorados Parks and byways, refuges and festivals, will help you discover all there is to see. In addition to elk, bighorn sheep, moose and deer, there are bald eagles and hummingbirds, beavers and box turtles awaiting discovery. Some particularly interesting or rare animals to keep an eye out for include burrowing owls, peregrine falcons, Mississippi kites, seven grouse species, least terns and shorebirds such as piping, snowy and mountain plovers. More than 20 festivals celebrate the marvelous birds, beasts and butterflies that keep Colorado wild. Taking place year-round, festivals provide outstanding opportunities for appreciating some of the states most popular wildlife. If its hard to fit a festival into your schedule, look for wildlife on your own along the Colorado Birding Trail (ColoradoBirdingTrail.com), which is expanding into northwest Colorado.

2012
Colorado Cultural & Heritage Events
MAY 46 Canon City Blossom & Music Festival MAY 1213 La Junta Wagons Ho! MAY 1314 Montrose Wine & Food Festival JuN. 13 Elizabeth Stampede Rodeo/Music JuN. 23 Canon City Holy Smoke BBQ Showdown JuN. 4JuLY 23 La Junta Koshare Indian Dancers JuN. 810 Trinidad Santa Fe Trail Festival JuN. 12 Telluride Heritage Fest JuN. 1517 Aspen Food & Wine Classic JuN. 28AuG. 19 Aspen 63rd Aspen Music Festival JuL. 8 La Veta Art in The Park Festival JuL. 829 Durango Music in the Mountains JuL. 1215 Westcliffe High Mountain Hay Fever Festival JuL. 2122 Cheyenne Wells Tumbleweed Festival JuL. 2328 Burlington Kit Carson County Fair & Rodeo JuL. 28 Kiowa Elbert County Fair & Rodeo JuL. 2829 Aspen Arts Festival JuL. 2729 Canon City Fiddlers Along the Arkansas JuL. 2829 Ordway Crowley County Days JuL. 31AuG. 4 Cheyenne Wells, Cheyenne County Fair & Rodeo AuG. 611 Hugo Lincoln County Fair & Rodeo AuG. 1519 Rocky Ford Arkansas Valley Fair & Rodeo AuG. 1819 Westcliffe Wet Mt. Western Jubilee AuG. 24SEPT 3 Pueblo Colorado State Fair AuG. 27 Ouray Grillin, Chillin & Thrillin Music & Brew Fest SEPT. 2123 Pueblo Chili & Frijoles Festival

Downtown, La Veta, Southern Rockies

AnA ZOrOmsKi

Rocky Mountain Arsenal NWR Northeast Denver Two Ponds NWR Arvada sUggesTed sTaTe WildliFe areas Flagler SWA, Flagler Two Buttes SWA Baca County Bosque del Oso SWA, Weston

Pyramid Peak

Radial Dikes Along Highway of Legends

Tamarack SWA Logan County

Birding & Wildlife Festivals

Where Heritage, Culture & Adventure Come Alive! Southwest Colorado

The Guide to Colorado Mammals, by mary Taylor Young, profiles all of colorados 129 mammal species, including description, size, field notes, habitat, range map and color photo. www.MaryTaylorYoung.com

Aspen
The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad

Jason Dewey

JUlY
Grand Mesa Moose Day Grand Junction | 970-856-4497

photos: ken archer, archerphotos.com

Discover the cultures that have called southwest Colorado home for centuries. This region of the state is rich in cultural heritage. Learn about the lives of Ancestral Puebloans, and discover their ancient dwellings and watch towers, at Mesa Verde National Park, Chimney Rock Archaeological Area and Hovenweep National Monument. Trace the journeys of Spanish explorers Dominguez and Escalante. Discover the history of the Ute people they encountered, who still inhabit the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain reservations here. Learn about Wild West outlaws like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kidyes, they really did ride the range in Colorado! Ride the range yourself, or get outdoors and enjoy almost any activity you can imagine, from world-class mountain biking to gold-medal fishing. Southwest Colorado is home to

seven scenic and historic byways, five major hot springs, five national forests, five wilderness areas, seven state and national parks and recreation areas, two national monuments and two national conservation areas. You never know what wildlife is around the next curveperegrine falcons, pinyon jays, white-throated swifts or ptarmigan; desert bighorn, moose, elk and deer. For more information, and a brochure, visit www.swcolotravel.org.

Bald Eagles

Black Bear Cub

Whether on foot, on wheels, on water or in the air, aspen offers endless outdoor activities spring, summer and fall. run the rapids of the roaring Fork river, scale the rock walls up Independence Pass, pedal or hike along miles of trails in the 2.3-millionacre White river national Forest, home to the Maroon Bells, the most photographed peaks in north america. Or just take a leisurely stroll around incredibly scenic Maroon Lake. For great birdwatching, check out the wetlands at north star nature Preserve, just east of downtown aspen. explore its slow-moving waterways by kayak or stand-up paddleboard. sign up for an educational program at aspen Center for environmental studies (aCes). With four campuses in the roaring Fork valley, including a 25-acre nature preserve in downtown aspen, aCes has summer programs for all agesguided nature walks; eagle, hawk, and owl demonstrations; one- and two-hour programs for children; sunset beaver walks; and interpretive campground programs. Learn about aspens native american roots, its Old West mining past, and its storied transformation into an international destination. Take time to enjoy the towns world-class shopping, cosmopolitan dining, and rich cultural scene. For more on all the outdoor fun around aspen, www.AspenChamber.org.

OcTOBer
Elk Fest | Estes Park | estesparkcvb.com

nOvemBer
Georgetown Bighorn Sheep Festival Georgetown | wildlife.state.co.us

FeBrUarY
Eagle Day Festival Pueblo | www.eagleday.org High Plains Snow Goose Festival Lamar | highplainssnowgoose.com

marchapril
Monte Vista Crane Festival Monte Vista | cranefest.com Lesser Prairie-chicken Viewing Prowers County | arenadusttours.com Greater Prairie-chicken Viewing Wray | wraychamber.net Gunnison Sage-grouse Festival Gunnison | siskadee.org Greater Sage-grouse Viewing Walden | northparkchamber.org Karval Mountain Plover Festival Karval | karval.org Ute Mountain-Mesa Verde Birding Festival Cortez | mesaverdecountry.com