Though known to the neighboring Ute Mountain tribe, the empty dwellings went mostly unnoticed until local ranchers stumbled on them in 1888. The area was declared a park in 1906; since then a handful of the 600 or so multistory cliff dwellings spread over 52,000 acres have been stabilized and opened to the public. Cliff Palace, the highlight of the park and the largest cliff dwelling in North America, had over 150 rooms occupied by about 100 people at its peak. You’ll have to get a ticket for a ranger-led tour of this and Balcony House, which requires climbing ladders and crawling through a 12-foot-long tunnel and is the most challenging in the park. Both are on Chapin Mesa, as is Spruce Tree House, with 130 rooms and eight kivas (circular ceremonial chambers). If you’d rather explore on your own, the 6-mile Mesa Top Loop Road affords easy access to dozens of overlooks.
The only place to hang your hat in the park is the modest Far View Lodge, where the restaurant offers pretty good Southwestern fare. Rooms, though modest, have private porches with Four Corners views for miles.
WHERE: 35 miles west of Durango. Tel 970-529-4465; www.nps.gov/meve. When: year-round, but certain sites open only Apr–Oct. FAR VIEW LODGE: Tel 800-449-2288 or 970-564-4300; www.visitmesaverde.com. Cost: from $120. When: Apr–Oct. BEST TIMES: Apr–Jun and late Aug–Oct for fewer crowds; late May for Mesa Verde Country Indian Arts and Western Culture Festival.
A Natural High
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK
Colorado, U.S.A.
Housing three distinct ecosystems within 415 square miles, Rocky Mountain National Park is Colorado’s natural showpiece, a place of sparkling streams, glacial lakes, and rugged peaks galore—Longs Peak stands at 14,259 feet. Most of the 3 million annual visitors begin at the picture-perfect town of Estes Park, 3 miles from the park’s eastern edge. From here the only route through the park is Trail Ridge Road, traversing 48 miles of astonishing scenery as it crosses the Continental Divide in one of the country’s most important long-distance treks. The two-lane route tops out at 12,183 feet before reaching Grand Lake, the park’s western entrance.
In between, there are over 350 miles of hiking trails. Bear Lake, one of 150 in the park, is a popular starting point for the scenic trail to Emerald Lake; the trailheads to Glacier Gorge and the not-to-be-missed Mills Lake are nearby. Wildlife thrives in this Alpine setting, from elk, moose, and bighorn sheep to elusive mountain lions, bears, and coyotes; wildflowers bloom from May through August.
While there aren’t any accommodations inside the park, the town of Estes Park is home to the rambling Stanley Hotel, which inspired Stephen King’s The Shining. A more intimate experience awaits at the Romantic RiverSong Inn, a ten-room hotel nestled among 27 acres of evergreens. For a dude ranch experience with a dollop of luxury, go no farther than the 8,000-acre C Lazy U Ranch near Grand Lake. You can ride horseback by day and tuck into Western cookout fare at night, or simply unwind around the main hall’s big stone fireplace.
The full Continental Divide Trail stretches from Mexico to Canada, passing through the park.
WHERE: Estes Park is 65 miles northwest of Denver. Tel 970-586-1206; www.nps.gov/romo. When: park, year-round; Trail Ridge Rd., late May–mid-Oct. STANLEY HOTEL: Tel 800-976-1377 or 970-577-4000; www.stanleyhotel.com. Cost: from $119 (off-peak), from $159 (peak). ROMANTIC RIVERSONG INN: Tel 970-586-4666; www.romanticriversong.com. Cost: from $165. C LAZY U RANCH: Tel 970-887-3344; www.clazyu.com. Cost: from $275 per person, all-inclusive (off-peak, 2-night minimum); from $2,590 per week, all-inclusive (peak). BEST TIMES: mid-Jul for Estes Park’s Rooftop Rodeo and Parade; Sep–early Oct for elk viewing.
Birthplace of Skiing in Colorado with an Old West Flair
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS
Colorado, U.S.A.
The place where it all started was named in the 1860s by French fur trappers who thought a gurgling hot spring sounded like a steamboat cruising the Yampa River. The town of Steamboat Springs began as a summer resort, but with the opening of Howelsen Hill in 1914, it became the first ski destination in the state. Equal parts ranching community and Ski Town, U.S.A. (its trademarked moniker), it’s the hometown of more Winter Olympics athletes than any other place in the country, including Billy Kidd, the 1964 slalom silver medalist. Sign up for his clinic—you’ll spot him on the slopes wearing his Stetson hat and famous grin.
Steamboat stands 6,700 feet above the Yampa River Valley, surrounded by the Medicine Bow/Routt National Forest and two wilderness areas rising to just over 12,000 feet. In addition to Howelsen Hill, with three lifts and 15 trails, there’s the far larger Steamboat Ski Resort 3 miles from town. Six peaks (the highest is 10,568-foot Mt. Werner) make up the resort where the term “Champagne Powder” was coined to describe its much ballyhooed eiderdown-soft snow. It’s a friendly place with plenty of easy and intermediate terrain, and a pioneer of kid’s programs.
It’s no surprise that there are more than 150 mineral springs in the area, starting with the Steamboat Springs Health and Recreation Center in town, which offers three outdoor mineral pools, a 350-foot water-slide, and an Olympic-size lap pool. The Strawberry Park Hot Springs, on Hot Springs Creek, offers a more natural setting, where water as hot as 150°F flows into stone pools tucked into the snow-dusted forest.
For a cozy, out-of-the-way retreat, take a trip to tiny Clark, where you’ll find the Home Ranch, one of the most outstanding guest ranches in the state. Here, gourmet meals are served at communal tables (Friday is BBQ night), and a day spent horseback riding can be followed by a soak in the private hot tub on your porch under a canopy of stars.
Steamboat Ski Resort maintains 165 ski trails, ranging from beginner to advanced.
WHERE: 160 miles northwest of Denver. HOWELSEN HILL: Tel 970-879-4300. Cost: lift tickets from $16. When: ski season Dec–Mar. STEAMBOAT SKI RESORT: Tel 970-879-6111; www.steamboat.com. Cost: lift tickets from $91. When: ski season late Nov–early Apr. STEAMBOAT SPRINGS HEALTH AND RECREATION CENTER: Tel 970-879-1828; www.sshra.org. STRAWBERRY PARK HOT SPRINGS: Tel 970-879-0342; www.strawberryhotsprings.com. HOME RANCH: Tel 970-879-1780; www.homeranch.com. Cost: 2-night stay from $950, all-inclusive (off-peak); from $5,655 per week, all-inclusive (peak). BEST TIMES: Jan–Feb for skiing; early Feb for Winter Carnival; May–Jun for wildflowers; early Jul for Cowboy Round-up Days.
Epic Scenery and Skiing Second to None
TELLURIDE
Colorado, U.S.A.
Start with one of the best-preserved gold- and silver-mining towns in the state and perhaps the prettiest setting in the Rockies. Add an outstanding ski resort, plus a cultural season with a dazzling year-round roster, and you have Telluride. Restored Victorian homes and chic boutiques stand in the shadow of 14,000-foot peaks—proving that things have definitely changed since Butch Cassidy robbed his first bank here in 1889.
Of the 115 ski trails on 2,000 acres of gorgeous terrain, more than two-thirds are given over to beginners and intermediates, while experts rank the steeps among the toughest in the country. On a crystalline day, the See Forever trail lives up to its name. And forget the crowds—Telluride’s remote location guarantees virtually uninterrupted runs.
A breathtaking gondola ride takes you from town to the European-style Mountain Village. This is where you’ll find the Peaks Resort, where you can soothe your slope-weary bones, or join the locals over live music at either the mining-era Last Dollar Saloon or the ever-popular Fly Me to the Moon Saloon.
Step back in time in nearby Dolores at the painstakingly restored 19th-century ghost town resort of Dunton Hot Springs. Idyllic days are spent fly-fishing, horseback riding, or enjoying early-morning yoga in a log cabin once used as a Pony Express stop.
Known for its festivals, Telluride hosts a plethora of events, including Mountainfilm (late May), the Jazz Celebration (early June), and the Bluegrass Festival (mid-June). The Telluride Film Festival, in September, was described by Roger Ebert as “like Cannes died and went to heaven”; Blues & Brews, a beer and music festival, takes place later the same month. With so many e
vents crowding the calendar, the townsfolk understandably welcome No Festival Weekend, when nothing whatsoever is going on.
Telluride’s Main Street calls to mind its Wild West roots.
WHERE: 33 miles southwest of Denver. VISITOR INFO: www.visittelluride.com. TELLURIDE SKI RESORT: Tel 800-778-8581 or 970-728-6900; www.tellurideskiresort.com. Cost: lift tickets from $92. When: late Nov–early Apr. PEAKS RESORT: Tel 800-789-2220 or 970-728-6800; www.thepeaksresort.com. Cost: from $139 (off-peak), from $199 (peak). DUNTON HOT SPRINGS: Tel 970-882-4800; www.duntonhotsprings.com. Cost: cabins from $500 all-inclusive (off-peak), from $850 (peak). MOUNTAINFILM: Tel 970-728-4123; www.mountainfilm.org. When: late May. JAZZ CELEBRATION: Tel 970-728-7009; www.telluridejazz.com. When: early Jun. BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL: Tel 800-624-2422 or 303-823-0848; www.bluegrass.com/telluride. When: mid-Jun. FILM FESTIVAL: Tel 510-665-9494; telluridefilmfestival.org. When: early Sep. BLUES & BREWS FESTIVAL: Tel 866-515-6166 or 970-728-8037; www.tellurideblues.com. When: mid-Sep. BEST TIMES: Apr–Jun and Oct–Nov for nicest weather; Jun–Sep for cultural events; Dec–Mar for skiing.
Powder Bowls and Perfect Snow
VAIL
Colorado, U.S.A.
The largest single ski resort in North America has over 10 square miles of skiable terrain—and what terrain it is. It boasts 5,289 acres of free-ride, including the seemingly endless majesty of the world-famous Back Bowls. The town itself, built in the 1960s, lacks the character of other Colorado ski towns, but visitors are here for the skiing. Thirty-four lifts crisscross the slopes, including the biggest, fastest set of high-speed detachable quads on one mountain.
Seven natural bowls filled with dry, fluffy powder stretch 7 miles wide on the back side of the mountain. The Blue Sky Basin, as big as Aspen Mountain (see p. 734), is perhaps the most spectacular: Its 645 acres of gladed runs (and no groomed trails) are carved out of the pristine wilderness for a quieter and more isolated experience.
The deluxe Lodge at Vail has the best slopeside location in town (and the lodge’s Mickey’s Lounge leads the pack for après-ski entertainment). Another good choice is the Sonnenalp Resort of Vail in Vail Village, featuring a full-service spa and 88 luxury suites with an old-world ambience.
Nearby Beaver Creek offers 146 trails across three mountains and recalls a sheltered town in the Alps; the resort is close enough to Vail that you can ski one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. (Vail and Beaver Creek lift tickets are also valid at Breckenridge, Keystone, and Arapahoe Basin, all within 40 miles and linked by shuttle service.) The nearby Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch, named for a group of old-timers who settled here in the early 1900s, centers on a grand timber lodge like those in Yellowstone and Yosemite. The ski-in/ski-out resort has nearly 100 fireplaces and a 21,000-square-foot spa with three rock-lined grottoes and a river hot tub.
WHERE: 100 miles west of Denver. Tel 877-204-7881 or 970-476-5601; www.vail.snow.com. Cost: lift tickets from $97. When: ski season mid-Nov–early Apr. LODGE AT VAIL: Tel 877-528-7625 or 970-476-5011; lodgeatvail.rockresorts.com. Cost: from $200 (off-peak), from $500 (peak). SONNENALP: Tel 800-654-8312 or 970-476-5656; www.sonnenalp.com. Cost: suites from $380 (off-peak), from $850 (peak). BEAVER CREEK: Tel 800-842-8062 or 970-845-9090; www.beaver creek.com. Cost: lift tickets from $97. THE RITZ-CARLTON, BACHELOR GULCH: Tel 800-241-3333 or 970-748-6200; www.ritzcarlton.com. Cost: from $399 (off-peak), from $600 (peak).
The Perfect American Small Town
ESSEX
Connecticut, U.S.A.
A dignified, Revolutionary War–era spirit lingers in Essex, a mint-condition town on the Connecticut River, where Colonial and Federal houses hark back to a shipbuilding heyday. On Main Street, white picket fences frame landmark buildings, while sailboats bob in nearby marinas.
Learn about Essex’s seafaring heritage at the Connecticut River Museum, an 1870s steamboat warehouse filled with maritime artifacts, including a full-scale replica of America’s first submarine, The Turtle. Train buffs will enjoy riding in vintage 1920s Pullman cars on the Essex Steam Train north to Deep River, where a summertime Fife & Drum Muster of more than 70 units marches down Main Street. Passengers can either return to Essex by train or continue aboard a Mississippi-style riverboat to East Haddam.
One of the most celebrated buildings in picture-book Essex is the Griswold Inn, the oldest continuously operating inn in Connecticut. The “Gris” is most famous for its Tap Room, a 1738 watering hole with a potbellied stove at its center and wood-paneled walls lined with maritime memorabilia and Currier & Ives prints. Many of the guests come for the enormous Sunday Hunt Breakfast, which dates back to the War of 1812.
Just a few minutes’ drive inland is tiny Ivoryton’s Copper Beech Inn, where the 22 rooms are as charming as the surrounding gardens. The main house is the site of Brasserie Pip’s, serving lots of French standards, such as steak frites, duck confit, and sweetbreads.
WHERE: 100 miles northeast of New York City. VISITOR INFO: www.essexct.com. CONNECTICUT RIVER MUSEUM: Tel 860-767-8269; www.ctrivermuseum.org. ESSEX STEAM TRAIN: Tel 860-767-0103; www.essexsteam train.com. GRISWOLD INN: Tel 860-767-1776; www.griswoldinn.com. Cost: from $99; dinner at the Tap Room $35, Sunday Hunt Breakfast $19. COPPER BEECH INN: Tel 888-809-2056 or 860-767-0330; www.copperbeechinn.com. Cost: from $175 (off-peak), from $239 (peak); dinner $60. BEST TIMES: mid-Jul for the Fife & Drum Muster in Deep River; Christmas for holiday decorations.
Home of a Literary Legend
THE MARK TWAIN HOUSE
Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A.
Literary fans come from around the world to visit the home of beloved author Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain. “To us,” Twain said, “our house . . . had a heart, and a soul, and eyes to see us with. . . . It was of us, and we were in its confidence, and lived in its grace and in the peace of its benediction.”
Although more commonly associated with his birthplace of Hannibal, Missouri, Twain always held this home in Hartford in a special light. The custom-designed high-Victorian mansion was commissioned from well-known New York architect Edward Tuckerman Potter. Twain lived here with his family from 1874 to 1891, during which time he penned some of his most acclaimed works, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. The beautifully restored 19-room mansion features decorative work by Louis Comfort Tiffany and some 10,000 Victorian-era objects. A striking contemporary museum stands adjacent to the house, further detailing the life and times of this master storyteller.
Nearby, the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center celebrates the legacy of the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, considered by many the greatest antislavery novel of all time. The brick Gothic Victorian was the author’s home from 1873 until she died in 1896.
Hartford’s acclaimed Wadsworth Atheneum is the nation’s first public art museum. Just minutes from the landmark state capitol, its highlights include a renowned collection of Hudson River School paintings by such artists as Thomas Cole and Frederic Church.
MARK TWAIN HOUSE: Tel 860-247-0998; www.marktwainhouse.org. HARRIET BEECHER STOWE CENTER: Tel 860-522-9258; www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org. WADSWORTH ATHENEUM: Tel 860-278-2670; www.wadsworthatheneum.org. BEST TIME: Christmastime, when the Mark Twain House is decked out in holiday splendor.
Rural Sophistication Under the Elms
LITCHFIELD HILLS
Connecticut, U.S.A.
The notion that the real New England is an endless drive from the urban chaos of New York City is dispelled upon approaching the Litchfield Hills, where a landscape of 18th- and 19th-century saltbox farmhouses, red barns, and tidy villages unfolds in the northwestern corner of Connecticut.
The small town of Litchfield anchors the region with its elegant storefronts, while just beyond its outskirts you’ll find Connecticut’s largest nature preserve, the 4,000-acre White Memorial Foundation. Explore some of its 35 miles of leafy trails, then head to Litchfield’s West Street Grill, everyone’s favorite place to linger, thanks to a
well-chosen wine list and eclectic menu.
An ultra-luxurious treat in this pristine corner of New England is the all-inclusive, 100-acre mini-resort Winvian, on the edge of the White Memorial Foundation. Cottage prices are over the top but so is the service.
Rooms are decidedly more affordable at the Bavarian Tudor-style Manor House B&B just north of Litchfield, in sylvan Norfolk. Built in 1898 by Charles Spofford, who designed London’s subway system, it is distinguished by a parlor whose 20 stained-glass windows were supplied by his friend Louis Comfort Tiffany.
In the heart of Litchfield County, the charming town of Washington is dotted with restaurants, galleries, and an inviting bookstore. Its claim to fame is the stately Mayflower Inn & Spa, which sits on 58 manicured acres like an English country house; a newly added 20,000-square-foot spa provides the prelude to sweet dreams in four-poster featherbeds.
Located just 10 miles southeast, Woodbury has earned the title of Antiques Capital of Connecticut. Take a break from browsing at the Good News Café, where the seasonal menu features a few permanent favorites, including mac-and-cheese with lobster and spinach. Or head north out of Washington to Lake Waramaug, overlooked by the 1890s Boulders Inn. Inviting accommodations and a famous Sunday brunch make for the perfect weekend.
Litchfield’s First Congregational Church was built in the Federal style.
WHERE: Litchfield is 110 miles north of New York City. VISITOR INFO: www.litchfieldhills.com. WEST STREET GRILL: Tel 860-567-3885; www.weststreetgrill.com. Cost: dinner $45. WINVIAN: Tel 860-567-9600; www.winvian.com. Cost: cottages from $650. MANOR HOUSE B&B: Tel 866-542-5690 or 860-542-5690; www.manorhouse-norfolk.com. Cost: from $180. MAYFLOWER INN: Tel 860-868-9466; www.mayflowerinn.com. Cost: from $550; dinner $50. GOOD NEWS CAFÉ: Tel 203-266-4663; www.good-news-cafe.com. Cost: dinner $40. THE BOULDERS INN: Tel 800-455-1565 or 860-868-0541; www.bouldersinn.com. Cost: from $355; dinner $60. BEST TIMES: early Jul for Litchfield Open House Tour; Jul–Aug for chamber music in Norfolk; early Aug for Litchfield Jazz Festival in Kent; Oct for fall foliage; Dec for Christmas Show & Sale at Washington Art Association.
1,000 Places to See Before You Die Page 116
