People who live east of the Rockies often visit Denver and then venture to fairly nearby mountain towns. They often overlook the lesser-known but equally spectacular gems that lie on the other side of the Continental Divide in a region known as the Western Slope.

Right along Interstate Highway 80, Grand Junction (800-962-2547, visitgrandjunction.com) is a great starting point for travel along some of Colorado's lesser-used byways, where roadside stands feature a bounty of local produced fruits and veggies. The area also is home to several wineries.

In the city's backyard is the breathtaking Colorado National Monument (above; 970-858-3617, Ext. 360; nps.gov/colm), with deep canyons of red rock amid soaring monoliths. Outdoor activities abound, and for those seeking a less-strenuous experience, there's the beautiful, 23-mile Rim Rock Drive.

An hour south along U.S. Highway 50 is Montrose (800-873-0244, visitmontrose.com), a popular base camp for visiting Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (970-641-2337, nps.gov/blca). Those who've never heard of the place are forgiven. Despite its rugged beauty, Black Canyon is one of the least-visited national parks. (It hosted a mere 160,000 guests in 2008, compared with more than 9 million at the Great Smoky Mountains.)

A scenic, 90-mile, 3,000-foot climb brings tourists to Crested Butte (800-851-0482, gunnisoncrestedbutte.com), a mining town-turned-ski resort with year-round recreational pursuits.