Colorado

Two features dominate the landscape – the mighty Southern Rocky Mountains and the Colorado River. Spanish explorers named the Río Colorado after the red silt carried from its source at La Poudre Pass Lake, in northern Colorado, and the 1450-mile-long river offers a huge range of white water rafting, kayaking and tubing adventures through its canyons and gorges. If you prefer to holiday at high altitude there are numerous year-round mountains resorts to explore. Try a breathtaking hike in the high country of the Aspen Highlands, or up any one of the state's 54 14,000ft peaks. For a bird's-eye view of the mountain landscape try paragliding, hang gliding, skydiving or even zip lining in Vail. The San Juan National Forest, in the south of the state, is a great base for biking as is the mountain resort of Crested Butte, which features some of the best mountain biking trails in world. If you fancy experiencing life in the saddle you can hole at one of Colorado's dude ranches, where herding cattle and learning to lasso is part of the holiday experience.