© 2026
NPR News, Colorado Stories
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

10 Colorado mountain adventures to celebrate 150 years of statehood

A group of mountain bikers is shown in a pack amongst a community setting.
The Colorado Sun
Mountain bikers are active in Canon City.

Katharine Lee Bates was basking in the glow of Pikes Peak when she penned “purple mountain majesties” for her “America the Beautiful” poem. Countless other souls have swelled in the shadow of Colorado’s sky-scraping peaks.

Not all those soaring spirits yield national anthems, but our snow-capped Rocky Mountains inspire greatness at every turn.

Sometimes it just takes a glimpse of the radiating alpenglow. Other times the energy comes from adventures deep in the embrace of the wildest lands. But every time, the flashing wink of a sunlit peak leaves us better, filling our hearts with possibility and revelation.

That surge commands us to protect and honor things much greater than our flashing shadow. From water to wildlife to wilderness, the Rocky Mountains are America’s wellspring and here in Colorado, as to borrow a famous Frederick Bonfils phrase, “Tis a privilege” to steward that fountain of treasures.

To read the entire article, visit The Colorado Sun.