While throngs of gold-seekers paraded to and from Colorado's hills, homesteaders quietly moved onto these prairies and built communities. The roots are still visible today. Old emigrant trails, antique buildings and abandoned settlements pepper the landscape. The Pony Express passed through, as did Kit Carson and Buffalo Bill.

Residents love to celebrate and share their area's history. Nearly every summer weekend contains a gunfight reenactment, draft-horse pull, mountain man rendezvous, antique carriage parade, or a heritage festival.

Of course, it wouldn't be Colorado without outdoor recreation. Sun-splashed lakes and reservoirs offer plenty of water sports, and hunters can find pheasants, antelope, deer, geese, ducks, quails and wild turkeys.

But what makes the Colorado North East Region special is its boundless generosity. The people are friendly, the towns small and pretty, the pace unhurried. And when you look up and see the endless sky reaching to the horizon, you realize that it doesn't take mountains to make a destination.