Colorado is a four-season destination with an average of 300 days of sunshine annually. The state features natural hot springs, the headwaters of four major rivers, lakes and reservoirs, 10 national parks and monuments, 13 national forests and grasslands, 42 state parks and 54 mountain peaks that top 14,000 feet.
Summer activities in Colorado include hiking and mountain biking, are easy to access and can be modified to fit any athletic ability, according to the Colorado Tourism Office. The state parks offer well-maintained hiking trails through varied terrain and scenery. You can obtain a free wilderness pass and trek along designated trails through any of the state's national forests. Colorado lays claim to 13 individual river systems, according to the Colorado River Outfitters Association (CROA). The rafting season generally begins in April and lasts until mid-October, with the majority of trips occurring between mid-May and August.
Winter in Colorado offers numerous recreation opportunities. The state features more than 40,000 acres of ski able terrain, 317 lifts, more than 2,400 trails and 26 ski areas. Ski and snowboard season for most resorts begins in November and lasts through April. Additional winter activities include snowshoeing, snowmobiling, sleigh rides, dog sledding and ice fishing.
Nearly 1.2 million visitors visited Colorado's cities in 2009, including the state's largest city and capitol, Denver, the Denver Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) reports. Tourism is Denver's second largest industry, generating $3.1 billion in annual spending while supporting 65,000 jobs. The 16th Street Mall, Cherry Creek Shopping District and LoDo were Denver's top attractions in 2009, with the Denver Zoo, Red Rocks Amphitheatre and the Colorado Rockies baseball team topping the list of the city's paid attractions that year, CVB officials note. In addition to the Rockies, Denver also has six more professional sports teams: Denver Broncos, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Rapids, Colorado Outlaws and Colorado Mammoth.
Colorado welcomed 51.7 million domestic visitors in 2009, a 1.1 percent increase over the record total visitation in 2008, while overall U.S. overnight trips decreased seven percent compared with 2008, according to the Colorado Tourism Office. "Tourism plays a vital role in Colorado's economy. It's one of the largest industries in the state, employing more than 144,000 people, so we are encouraged by the increase in visitation last year, especially given the significant decrease experienced in other parts of the nation," said Don Marostica, director of the state's office of economic development and international trade.
Denver International Airport is the largest airport in Colorado, according to the Colorado Tourism Office. The state also has eight regional airports: Colorado Springs Airport, Durango-LaPlata County Airport, Eagle County Regional Airport, Fort Collins/Loveland Airport, Grand Junction Regional Airport, Steamboat Springs Airport, Telluride Regional Airport and the Yampa Valley Regional Airport.
