Royal Gorge is absolutely breathtaking. The drive out of Denver and through the Eisenhower Tunnel is, as well. There are lots of ski resorts in Summit County (Keystone, Copper Mt., Breckenridge, Arapaho Basin and it seems like Vail is also a Summit resort).... and the terrain around there is beautiful year-round. Leadville has fascinating history. Molly Brown of Titanic fame was from there, I believe. There is a train ride you can take out of Durango.

You will absolutely love it.

I also recommend looking for Lays Chipotle' Limon potato chips. I had some that I purchased in Buena Vista and have not been able to find them outside of Colorado. YUM!