Road-trip stops in Colorado

Bishop Castle

One man — Jim Bishop — building a stone-and-iron castle by hand in the Colorado mountains since 1969. Still going. Climb the stairs up the tower, ring the bell, peer into the iron dragon's mouth that breathes fire on the Fourth of July. No safety rails to speak of. Older kids and the family member who never gets dizzy. Bring water.

Mesa Verde National Park

The largest preserved cliff dwellings in North America — 600 Puebloan structures built into sandstone alcoves between 600 and 1300 CE, then mysteriously abandoned. The most famous, Cliff Palace, is a 150-room cliff city you can tour with a ranger ($8 + park entry). Balcony House requires ladders and a tight tunnel — skip if claustrophobic. The 12-mile Mesa Top Loop Road is the drive-it version with overlooks. Reservation-only ranger tours April–October. Just off US-160 in SW Colorado.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Trail Ridge Road is the highest paved through-road in any U.S. national park — 48 miles cresting 12,183 ft at the summit. Sixty named peaks above 12,000 ft. Bear Lake on the east side is the easy-access alpine lake; Sprague Lake the wheelchair-accessible one. Wildlife: elk are guaranteed, moose in the Kawuneeche Valley, marmots above 11k ft. Time-entry reservations May–October. Estes Park is the east-side gateway; Grand Lake the west-side.