FROM DENVER:
ESTES PARK Start your climb of 14,255-foot Longs Peak from the Meeker Park campground before dawn to avoid thunderstorms and tourists (nps.gov/romo).

FORT COLLINS New Belgium, the birthplace of Fat Tire Ale, offers free tours and tastes of limited editions (newbelgium.com).

LARAMIE High Plains Outdoor Institute runs climbing courses at Vedauwoo, a mess of granite dollops known for wide cracks (hpoiadventure.com).

LANDER Camping in Lander City Park is free and doubles as walk-to lodging after a night out seeing local country bands (landerchamber.org).

PINEDALE Skip the crowded Cirque of the Towers for the 11-mile trek to the Wind River Range's Midsummer Dome (jhmg.com).

JACKSON The Cathedral Traverse—Teewinot, Mount Owen, and the Grand Teton—is the new "It" route for Jackson climbers (exumguides.com). Cast for fine-spotted cutthroat (highcountryflies.com) or raft the Class III Snake, south of town (jhww.com).

VICTOR The Victor Emporium Old Fashioned Soda Fountain has served huckleberry shakes since the fifties (208-787-2221).

DRIGGS Soaring hawks and climbers on the Grand Teton are among the views during a glider ride along Teton Pass (tetonaviation.com).

ALMO Castle Rocks State Park opened next to City of Rocks in 2003, adding about 250 climbing routes to the area (sawtoothguides.com; nps.gov/ciro).

PARK CITY Locals have helped build some 350 miles of singletrack, including the 30-mile Mid Mountain Trail (whitepinetouring.com). With triple-headed showers, Hotel Park City's 46 new cottages, open since December, represent the tonier side of mountain hospitality (hotelparkcity.com).

KAMAS The High Uintas Wilderness is bigger and less visited than the Wasatch. Hike the 18-mile Four Lakes Basin Trail (fs.fed.us/r4/ashley).

DINOSAUR NATIONAL MONUMENT Float Split Mountain Canyon, on the Green River (adrift.com).

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS By midsummer, the Yampa River is ideal for kayaking newbies (backdoorsports.com).

BOULDER Buy an inner tube at the Conoco at Arapahoe and Broadway and float Boulder Creek through town. Coors Light tallboy optional.