You have gazed upon the pristine Garden of the Gods, experienced the stunning Hanging Lake, and may have even hiked the unforgettable Maroon Bells, so you have seen just about everything that Colorado has to offer, right? We both know the answer is no. If you want to see the Centennial State in a brand new light, check out these nine natural wonders from the last 100 years that are simply mesmerizing:
Quite possibly the most famous ruins in all of Colorado are that of Mesa Verde, which is home to 5,000 known Ancestral Puebloan archeological sites, more than 600 cliff dwellings, and the namesake misnomers (pictured).
Despite being discovered by Spanish explorers in the 1700s, Pikes Peak did not become a popular destination until the late 1800s, thanks to the pictured Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway. (Psst... one of the more famous tourists to visit Pikes Peak was Katharine Lee Bates, who penned the iconic "America the Beautiful" after witnessing the stunning view from the top!)
If you have yet to visit/hike the iconic Maroon Bells, you have yet to truly experience Colorado! In addition to its picture-perfect views, the area is home to five different trails the range from one to 13 miles round trip.
Located in Canon City, the Royal Gorge Bridge is a whopping 1,260-foot-long, 18-foot-wide, and 1,292-planked structure that sits pretty at 955-feet over the Arkansas River. It can hold hundreds of people at once.
Located in northeast Colorado lies the Pawnee Buttes; rocky 300-foot-tall buttes that stand tall over the surrounding prairie that the area is famous for.
Colorado is home to countless geologic wonders, including the glorious Garden of the Gods, which consists of red rock formations comprised of deposited red, pink, and white sandstone, conglomerate, and limestone that were created millions of years ago during a geological upheaval.
Since 1884, the Georgetown Loop has delighted visitors of all ages via its state-of-the-art (for the time) three-foot-narrow gauge railroad line. Sadly, in 1938, the last commercial line ran from Denver to Silver Plume, leading to the dismantlement of the railroad until the Georgetown Loop Historic Mining & Railroad Park was formed by the Colorado Historical Society in the 1950s.
