Magnificent scenery, fresh mountain air and a range of ways to explore make Colorado a great family destination.

Here are five ways to enjoy this high-altitude state:

Discover Denver. Get started in this vibrant, family-friendly city with a visit to its prestigious zoo, home to more than 4,000 animals. Take in the aquarium, the Museum of Nature and Science and the engaging Butterfly Pavilion & Insect Center. Watch a Colorado Rockies baseball game or capture a thrill on a roller coaster ride at city central Elitch Gardens Theme Park. Stop at the REI Flagship store and tackle the climbing wall at no charge. Contact: www.visitdenver.com.

Learn about dinosaurs. Visit the Dinosaur National Monument in Dinosaur, Colo., and explore land where the giant creatures once roamed. Or travel back in time at the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center, a new 20,000-square-foot museum in Woodland Park. Fossils from the Cretaceous Period, including marine reptiles, pterosaurs, dinosaurs and a working fossil lab, are on display. Enjoy a children's play area and hands-on educational activities. Contact: www.colorado.com.

Visit Mesa Verde. A historic monument, the Mesa Verde National Park in Cortez provides a glimpse into the lives of the ancestral Pueblo people who made this area home. The park boasts more than 4,000 archaeological sites. Kids can become Junior Rangers by completing certain activities. Contact: www.nps.gov/meve.

Ride the rails. Colorado's historic railroads include the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad where families can explore the region's mining days amid jaw-dropping scenery. The Pikes Peak Cog Railway climbs more than 14,000 feet to the top of Pikes Peak, and the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is the highest and longest narrow-gauge railway in the United States. Contact: www.colorado.com.

Play outside. Few states offer more opportunities for great hiking and climbing, biking, ballooning, rafting, kayaking and horseback riding. Choose a guest ranch as your headquarters or pitch a tent in a scenic campground. Contact: www.colorado.com.

Lynn O'Rourke Hayes is editor of FamilyTravel.com.