Panning for Gold and Other Adventures in Idaho Springs: This excursion from Denver offers a chance to pan for gold, explore a gold mine, take home an ore sample, and visit a mill and museum. The Argo Express is a half-scale replica of an old-time steam train, providing rides at the Argo Mill. While in the area, you can take a drive to the summit of 14,260-foot Mount Evans.

Ropin' Dogies at Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch: Nestled in the mountains outside Loveland, this is a real cattle-and-horse ranch where guests are encouraged to pitch in with chores when they're not horseback riding, swimming, fishing, or busy loafing. There's an outdoor pool, tennis and volleyball courts, indoor recreation room, children's programs, and square dancing.

Riding an 1880s Narrow Gauge Steam Train: There are two: the Durango & Silverton, follows the Animas River from Durango up through the San Juan mountains to historic Silverton; the Cumbres & Toltec chugs out of Antonito, Colorado, through the Toltec Gorge of the Los Piños River, over Cumbres Pass into Chama, New Mexico. Scenery is stupendous over both lines, and each fulfils every train buff's greatest dream of smoke in your eyes and cinders in your hair.

Exploring Great Sand Dunes National Monument & Preserve: About 40 miles northeast of Alamosa, this huge pile of sand is a great place to explore, camp, hike, or just play in the 750-foot-tall dunes. Rangers provide guided nature walks and campfire programs in summer, and a hiking/off-road-vehicle trail leads out the back of the monument into the national forest.