Collins

Situated north of Denver and tucked between the plains and the mountains, Fort Collins is the last city on Interstate 25 north before you hit the Wyoming border. It's also a gateway city to northern Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park and Roosevelt National Forest. And it has plenty to offer on its own, inluding a well-deserved reputation as one of Colorado's top craft-brewery hubs. This northern Colorado city is an outdoor-oriented community, with the nearby national park, Lory State Park and Horsetooth Reservoir, where you can do everything from boating and swimming (in the summer months) to horseback riding, camping, fishing, mountain biking and rock climbing. And there are plenty of places for off-road driving, mountain biking, hiking and other outdoor activities. Golfers will find several challenging local courses, and anglers can fish for both stream and warm-water fish.