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At a loss for what to get your graduate on the big day?  Luckily, Lynn Dyer is here to help!  As the executive director of Mesa Verde Country in Colorado, Lynn knows all about the value of exploring the American outdoors.  We love the great suggestions she’s got to offer – from hiking and biking to tours of wineries and archaeological sites!  It’s all available right here at home – no need to make the trek all the way to Europe. Who knew Colorado had so much to offer?!

College graduation season is upon us, and with that comes finding the perfect gift for the graduate. Traveling is one of the most memorable experiences a person can have and perfect for commemorating your graduate’s achievement. Extended trips to Europe are always popular, but it’s still possible to give your college grad the trip of a lifetime here on this side of the pond.

To give a gift that a graduate will never forget, start by considering the student’s interests, hobbies and career/job goals. That list can help inspire ideas for trips that will fit the grad best. The best experience combines outdoor, recreational pursuits with culture, history and/or other educational opportunities.

If the budget doesn’t allow a classic trip to the ruins of ancient Greece and Rome, why not help your grad experience North American’s oldest ruins instead? In southwestern Colorado’s Mesa Verde Country, the broad area surrounding Mesa Verde National Park, lie two national scenic byways, one national forest, two national monuments, one tribal park, and the largest archaeological reserve in the United States.

The 114-mile Trail of the Ancients National Scenic Byway is full of archaeology and culture in the heart of the high-desert Colorado Plateau. Arid and mostly uninhabited, the terrain along the Trail encompasses Mesa Verde National Park, Hovenweep National Monument, the Anasazi Heritage Center, Ute Tribal Park, Cortez Cultural Center and the Four Corners Monument.

Photo Credit: Mesa Verde Country

Canyons of the Ancients National Monument contain more than 100 archaeological sites per square mile – the highest density in the nation. Three major sites are open to the public for exploration and many others are backcountry sites. Hovenweep National Monument protects six prehistoric, Ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi) villages spread over a 20-mile expanse of mesa tops and canyons along the Utah-Colorado border. And Ute Tribal Park, operated by one of the seven original Ute bands that inhabited Colorado, offers guided visits of pictographs, geological land formations, and Ancestral Pueblo petroglyphs, artifacts and dwellings. Many of the ruins are more than 1,000 years old.

Along with hiking (the San Juan National Forest alone contains 2 million square acres), the area is fast becoming a destination area rivaling Moab for mountain bikers. Nearly 40 mountain bike rides – including the famed Phil’s World network of single-track trails – cover more than 500 miles in Mesa Verde Country.

Photo Credit: Mesa Verde Country

Mesa Verde Country is also home to vineyards, wineries, breweries and a distillery.  Along the San Juan Skyway – the “Most Beautiful Drive in America” – are the famous and scenic towns of Telluride, Ouray, Silverton and Durango, with access to more of the west’s most famous attractions: Ouray Hot Springs, the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and Museum, and four wilderness areas.

Occasions such as graduation call for life-changing adventures.  The trip – and gift – of a lifetime may be closer than you think. And years from now, graduates will likely remember the gift of travel with many more smiles than any computer or briefcase.

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Lynn Dyer is the executive director of the Mesa Verde Country® Visitor Bureau. Mesa Verde Country is the southwest Colorado travel destination surrounding Mesa Verde National Park. She has received the Colorado Governor’s Award for “Outstanding Individual Contribution to Colorado Tourism.” Lynn can be reached at 800-530-2998 or lynnd@mesaverdecountry.com. Mesa Verde Country can be found on the Web at www.mesaverdecountry.com and on Facebook.