Experience the best of Fort Collins

Fort Collins lies where the Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountain foothills, on the Cache la Poudre River, which trappers named in French for a cache of gunpowder. The town grew from an 1860s army post and farm colony, and Colorado State University, founded in 1870, shapes its character. Old Town, with brick storefronts, a tree-lined square and pedestrian plazas, is the heart of the city.

The Poudre Canyon, a narrow gorge with rapids for rafting, runs west from town along a scenic highway into the mountains, and the river is Colorado's only National Wild and Scenic River. Horsetooth Reservoir, a long lake below a rocky ridge, is the locals' playground. Rocky Mountain National Park lies to the south-west, beyond Estes Park, and the Wyoming border is close to the north.

Fort Collins is a beer town, with a long list of breweries, and local farms supply the restaurants. Summers are warm and dry, and winter brings snow but plenty of bright days.