Comment on 10 of the most beautiful wildflowers in Colorado — and where to find them

By LAURIE KELLMAN SINTRA, Portugal — The doorbell to Martinho de Almada Pimentel’s house is hard to find, and he likes it that way. It’s a long rope that, when pulled, rings a literal bell on the roof that lets him know someone is outside the mountainside mansion that his great-grandfather built in 1914 as a monument to privacy. There’s precious little of that for Pimentel during this summer of “overtourism.” Travelers idling in standstill traffic outside the sunwashed walls of Casa do Cipreste in Cintra sometimes spot the bell and pull the string “because it’s funny,” he says.

Your business has perhaps never been more appreciated in Hawaii as the state makes a comeback from the tragic fires on Maui in 2023. Plumeria, used in leis, can be seen and smelled at the Koko Crater Botanical Garden on Oahu.(Mindy Sink, Special to The Denver Post) “I believe we have become more appreciative of the beauty and significance of this place — and more dedicated to preserving the culture, land and people that make Maui so special,” said Chelsea Levitt, director of marketing and public relations at the Fairmont Kea Lani resort in Wailea.

Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we offer our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems). Drivers traveling on the stretch of U. S. 50 between Delta and Montrose don’t have many reasons to pull over.

Cataract Canyon doesn’t have the scale or reputation of its sister gorge, the Grand Canyon, but this sky-reaching ravine should top any river trip list. Remote and little-known, you’ll likely only share the water with a passing canoe at the junction of the Green and Colorado rivers, the latter of which starts in its namesake’s Never Summer Mountains. Otherwise known as the “Center of the Universe,” the confluence is the largest in the Southwest.

With Labor Day less than three weeks away and preseason ski sales coming soon, Vail Resorts announced projected resort opening dates for its Colorado holdings on Wednesday, along with details regarding Epic Pass deadlines. Breckenridge is scheduled to open Nov. 8 and Vail on Nov. 15. Beaver Creek and Crested Butte are slated to open on Nov.

Summer is not the time for leaf peeping in Colorado, but it might be the time to consider aspen trees. Populus, billed as the country’s first carbon-positive hotel, is set to open soon at 240 14th St. (and you can make reservations starting in September), just in time for fall colors. The hotel combines eco-friendly construction, materials, and collaborations with agricultural and forest partners to achieve its carbon-positive goals.