The Rockies have some of the world’s best mountain views

With good reason, Rocky Mountain National Park was the third most visited national park in 2015. These mountains provide truly unrivaled views. A short journey south, Mount Elbert, the state's tallest peak at a whopping 14,433 feet, offers summit enthusiasts the chance to reach new heights.

Spanning some 3,000 miles between Alaska and New Mexico, the Rocky Mountain chain began forming 80 million years ago. Their youth (relative to mountains, of course) shows in their sharper edges and rough faces, which contrast beautifully with the curves of the glacial lakes they hold. These can take on downright surreal colors thanks to “rock flour,” the microscopic bits of a ground-up mountain that slide off a glacier when it melts. The scenery is gob-smacking any time of year, with summer the ideal time for swimming and fishing while winter calls for soaking in hot springs and zipping down the mountainside on a pair of skis.