Colorado’s epic winters might be lost on me (I’m not a skier or snowboarder), but its summers are a different story. The 10 summers I’ve spent in our state have been filled with backpacking trips, wildflower-peeping hikes, alpine-lake paddleboarding, and Red Rocks concerts. Even the not-so-charming parts of these adventures—I’m looking at you, dehydrated camping meals and standstill I-70 traffic—can’t dull my excitement for a warm-weather weekend spent exploring the Rockies.

This issue captures the magic of the summer season in Colorado. You’ll tour spaces designed to embrace the great outdoors, including a Denver family’s revamped Airstream trailer that allows them to camp in comfort and style, a Winter Park property with front-row views of the Fraser River, and a Boulder County home with views of the Flatirons. You’ll also meet local business owners whose offerings can help you celebrate summertime: Breigh Jones-Coplin shows off her colorful floral creations, and Paul Tamburello, owner of Little Man Ice Cream Company, shares a keepsake that inspired his ice cream empire—which includes Congress Park’s Sweet Cooie’s, where I’m pictured above.

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I hope your summer is filled with whatever makes it magical to you, whether that’s roughing it in the Rockies, soaking up the sun on your patio, or cooling down with an ice cream cone.