Photos: 2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer Of The Year Contest Entries

Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we offer our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems). My birthday is close to Memorial Day weekend every year, and I like to take advantage of the long weekend by checking a town off of my Colorado travel list. In years past, my friends and I have soaked up the San Juan Mountain views in the warmth of the Pagosa hot springs and gone whitewater rafting in Class 4 rapids down the Royal Gorge in Cañon City.

A bill that would have quadrupled property taxes for thousands of short-term rentals in Colorado is set to be significantly watered down next week, according to the bill’s sponsor. Since Sen. Chris Hansen, D-Denver, proposed the bill in the fall, AirBnB, VRBO and other short-term rental owners have rallied against the idea, saying it would devastate the tourism economy that ski towns rely on. Senate Bill 33 proposed classifying any property used as a short-term rental for more than 90 days per year as a lodging property beginning in 2026.

After an unusually gray winter, the days are brightening once again, and the extra light has me itching for adventure — which is exactly the thing I don’t have time for at this busy stage of middle life. Some days I’m crunched at every joint by work deadlines, teenage drama, morning carpools, trips to Costco (where does all that food go in two days, anyway?), social obligations, yardwork, PTA meetings … life! Maybe there’s hope.

A deal for the state of Colorado to purchase the famous Stanley Hotel in Estes Park that inspired Stephen King’s “The Shining” is officially on the table. The Colorado Educational and Cultural Facilities Authority stepped up with a plan to buy the haunted hotel after a deal to sell the Stanley to an Arizona nonprofit fell through, said CECFA Executive Director Mark Heller. Heller said the authority hopes to wrap up the sale in the coming months, securing the government agency as the owner of the hotel and borrower of the bonds that will help finance 60 new rooms, a fresh restaurant and the construction of the Stanley Film Center. Instead of selling the hotel to Arizona’s Community Finance Corporation and taking ownership after the nonprofit paid back the bonds, CECFA will create a subsidiary and become the borrower of the bonds directly instead.

Sam Kemmis | NerdWallet First it was Ubers. Then it was Wendy’s hamburgers (except the fast food chain clarified it was technically dynamic pricing, not surge pricing). But now, the real deal — surge pricing — is targeting your checked bags. JetBlue quietly (sneakily?) introduced “peak” and “off-peak” pricing to its checked bag fees on March 22, a fact the world was alerted to because my editor happened to check the JetBlue website.

Coloradans looking for travel recommendations don’t need to go far to hit the nation’s top spot. That’s according to Men’s Journal, which this week released its list of the 50 best vacation destinations for 2024 and dubbed Ouray the No. 1 must-hit locale. The Western Slope mountain town beat out many of the country’s most prestigious cities, including Denver, which ranked No.