Denver, Colorado is a medium-sized city located in the middle-western part of the USA. It is generally considered to be more western than middle.

The Rocky Mountains are located just outside of Denver, and offer plenty of recreational activities, in most cases within a few hours of the city. During the winter, the prime attraction is the region's skiing at a large number of ski resorts. You can also go ice skating, snowmobiling, sledding, ice fishing, or sit by a fire listening to locals talk about the rude people who come up from Denver.

And the fun doesn't stop once the temperature rises. In the summer, you can go camping, hiking, bike riding, whitewater river rafting, rock climbing, or you could sell your car and play a single round of golf with the proceeds!

With these and a number of other activities within easy reach, the mountains seem to offer a lot of entertainment to the Denver community. But all of this is really quite insignificant, as there is plenty to do in the city itself. What is much more important is the critical role the mountains play in the life of every Denver resident - the mountains are the ultimate reference point. As long as you can see the mountains, you will not get lost.

Therefore, the first thing to do when visiting Denver is to locate the mountains. They will be quite visible on the horizon, and will serve as your compass during your visit. Whenever you need to get your bearings, just remember this one important fact: the mountains are always to the west.

It is vital that you understand this while visiting, especially if you are going to ask the locals directions. This is because no one gives directions using 'right' or 'left' in Denver, all directions are given using compass points.

Here is an example:

Want to come to the party? Just take highway I-25 north, go west on 6th Avenue, then south on Wadsworth, then west into my driveway.

Just keep one eye on the road, and the other on the mountains, and you'll never get lost.

Our thanks to Tav-Dad for the photograph.