1. Crystal Lake

What will take your breath away: Looking at a crystal-clear reflection of ALL THIS.
What will literally take your breath away: Hiking 8.5 miles up an old wagon road to see it.

2. Red Rocks Amphitheatre

What will take your breath away: The rocks, the rock ‘n’ roll, the glory.
What will literally take your breath away: Those stairs.

3. Royal Gorge Bridge

What will take your breath away: Views atop the highest suspension bridge in the country!
What will literally take your breath away: Watching people dare to bungee off of it.

4. Bridal Veil Falls

What will take your breath away: The eye-popping colors of Telluride.
What will literally take your breath away: Biking up an elevation gain of 1,650 feet to view a 365-foot waterfall.

5. Mesa Verde

What will take your breath away: The innovation of mankind!
What will literally take your breath away: The ladders (amirite?!).

6. Dinosaur National Monument

What will take your breath away: Dinosaur bones!
What will literally take your breath away: Water splashed in your mouth as you raft the Yampa River.

7. Horsetooth Reservoir

What will take your breath away: The massive waterway underneath a glowing sunset.
What will literally take your breath away: Canoeing all 6.5 miles of it.

8. Chautauqua Park

What will take your breath away: 80 acres of untouched land.
What will literally take your breath away: 80 seconds in Boulder.

9. Glenwood Hot Springs

What will take your breath away: Indulging in the serene power of The World’s Largest Hot Springs.
What will literally take your breath away: Holding your breath so you don’t smell it.

10. Hanging Lake

What will take your breath away: Watching a majestic lake fill up and empty out with such balance that the whole thing is considered a geological phenomenon.
What will literally take your breath away: Hiking to the top the day after your legs became Jell-O at Glenwood.

11. Garden of the Gods

What will take your breath away: Looking at some of the most bizarre rock formations in the world.
What will literally take your breath away: Watching other people climb the most bizarre rock formations in the world. [Hands sweat]

12. Devil’s Head Fire Lookout

What will take your breath away: A panoramic view that spans from the Western Mountains to the Eastern Plains (all within an hour of Denver).
What will literally take your breath away: A narrow 143-step climb.

13. Rabbit Ears Pass

What will take your breath away: Tracking up the heart of the Continental Divide.
What will literally take your breath away: Flying down the other side at a 7% steep incline.

14. Lookout Mountain

What will take your breath away: Overlooking most all of Metropolitan Denver.
What will literally take your breath away: Driving to the top as a requirement for your Denver-area driver’s ed class.

15. Great Sand Dunes

What will take your breath away: Mountains + Desert + Grassland
What will literally take your breath away: Climbing back up the hill after just sandboarding your way down.

16. The purple seats at Coors Field

What will take your breath away: Watching a game at America’s Most Beautiful Ballpark.
What will literally take your breath away: Sitting LITERALLY one mile above sea level.

17. The Sawtooth

What will take your breath away: Leaning over some of the sharpest cliffs in the state.
What will literally take your breath away: Knocking out two 14ers in one jagged journey.

18. Maroon Bells

What will take your breath away: Witnessing what is, quite possibly, the most iconic view of the Rocky Mountains.
What will literally take your breath away: Other people trying to do the same thing.

19. The waterfall inside of Casa Bonita

What will take your breath away: Tableside diving shows, the incredible “flag-raising” service system, and of course, sopaipillas.
What will literally take your breath away: Finding air within Black Bart’s Hideout as a grown adult.

20. Trail Ridge Road