As our open-air Jeep headed for the turn off to Last Dollar Road, right outside of Telluride, I snuggled under thick wool blankets and breathed in the cool morning mountain air that makes summer in Colorado so amazing. Our family adventure would take us along the former mining route, an unpaved and often bumpy road that winds through valleys up into high mountain passes. Extreme heights always have me a little faint of heart, but I was eager to get going since Last Dollar Road so I could capture photos of some beautiful Colorado vistas to enjoy back home.

“Just breathe,” he told himself as he navigated Telluride’s thrilling trek. Studded with steel rungs and strung with ropes, Via Ferrata—one of the few of its kind in the U.S.—soars 2,000 feet high and offers aerial views of a tree-littered valley and the town. The adrenaline-pumping, two-mile expedition includes navigating a rock wall, walking along a sheer cliff trail only a foot wide...

When Eric Troutner arrived in Telluride, he felt short of breath—and it wasn’t entirely due to the breathtaking landscape. Nestled in the San Juan Mountains, the town sits at 8,750 feet with surrounding peaks soaring as high as 14,000. “There’s almost 30% less oxygen in the air here than at sea level,” he says. “I looked for ways to adjust quickly and found our spa had treatments tailored to ease high-altitude symptoms

Locals lovingly call them 14ers—the majestic, rugged mountains rising above 14,000 feet that are heavily concentrated in Colorado, which has the most of any state. The quest to dominate these treacherous summits has captivated many adventurers. “The Telluride area has 14 of the state’s 53 peaks,” Troy Trinh says. “My favorite, Wilson Peak, happens to be one of the toughest. You might recognize its northern face from the Coors Light can.”

The San Juan Skyway is a 236-mile loop that incorporates the famous Million-Dollar Highway, the most famous portion of which travels from Ouray to Silverton (US 550) over Coal Bank Summit and the Molas Divide. The route includes five passes, countless ghost towns and a smattering of some of the finest mining remnant towns in the West