THIS EDITION WRITTEN AND RESEARCHED BY
Carolyn McCarthy, Greg Benchwick, Christopher Pitts
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Rocky Mountain National Park& Northern Colorado
p128
Vail, Aspen &Central Colorado
p167
Denver & Aroundp56
Boulder & Aroundp101
Mesa Verde &Southwest Colorado
p242
Southeast Colorado &the San Luis Valley
p301
Colorado
©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
Welcome to Colorado . . . 4
Colorado Map . . . . . . . . . . .6
Colorado’s Top 25 . . . . . . . .8
Need to Know . . . . . . . . . 20
If You Like . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Month by Month . . . . . . . 25
Itineraries . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Outdoors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Rocky Mountain Road Trips & Scenic Drives . . . 40
Travel with Children . . . . .51
Regions at a Glance . . . . 53
DENVER & AROUND . .56Denver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Golden. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95Denver.Mountain.Parks..&.Platte.River. . . . . . . . . . . . 98
BOULDER & AROUND . . . . . . . . . .101Boulder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103Nederland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125Eldora.Ski.Area. . . . . . . . . . 127Indian.Peaks.Wilderness..Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK & NORTHERN COLORADO . . . . . . . 128Rocky Mountain National Park . . . . . . . . 130Estes Park . . . . . . . . . . . 136Glen.Haven . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142Fort Collins . . . . . . . . . . 142Northeast Colorado . . . 148Pawnee.National..Grassland .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..148Fort.Morgan. . . . . . . . . . . . . 148Sterling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149Julesberg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149Cache la Poudre River . .150Red Feather Lakes . . . . 150Walden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151Grand Lake . . . . . . . . . . .151Granby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153Hot Sulphur Springs . . 154Kremmling . . . . . . . . . . . 155Steamboat Springs . . . 155Stagecoach.State.Park. . . 162Mt.Zirkel.Wilderness. . . . . 162Hahns.Peak. . . . . . . . . . . . . 162Craig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Dinosaur National Monument . . . . . . . . . . . 163Dinosaur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165Rangely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165Cañon.Pintado.National.Historic.District . . . . . . . . . 165Meeker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
VAIL, ASPEN & CENTRAL COLORADO . . . . . . . .167Idaho.Springs. . . . . . . . . . . 170Mt.Evans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171St.Mary’s.Glacier.&..James.Peak. . . . . . . . . . . . . .171Georgetown. . . . . . . . . . . . . 172Winter.Park. . . . . . . . . . . . . 172Loveland.Pass. . . . . . . . . . . 175Dillon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176Frisco. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177Keystone.Resort. . . . . . . . . 180Arapahoe.Basin.Ski.Area. . . 181Breckenridge. . . . . . . . . . . . 182Copper.Mountain. . . . . . . . 193Vail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195Minturn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205Beaver.Creek. . . . . . . . . . . . 207Glenwood.Springs. . . . . . .209Carbondale. . . . . . . . . . . . . 213Basalt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214Aspen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216Salida. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231Buena.Vista. . . . . . . . . . . . . 234Twin.Lakes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236Leadville. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
MESA VERDE & SOUTHWEST COLORADO . . . . . . . 242Mesa.Verde.National..Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244Mancos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
ON THE ROAD
Remember to run the 4C > 2C script for 2 colour books (the colour of the Plan banner must reflect the Plan section)
PLAN YOUR TRIP
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©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
Contents
Cortez. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250Four.Corners.Navajo..Tribal.Park. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253Ute.Mountain.Indian.Reservation. . . . . . . . . . . . . 253Hovenweep.National.Monument. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253Dolores. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254Rico. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255Telluride. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255Ridgway. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261Ouray.&.the.Million..Dollar.Hwy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263Silverton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .266Durango. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .268Chimney.Rock..Archaeological.Area. . . . . . 274Pagosa.Springs. . . . . . . . . . 275South.Fork. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276Creede.&.Around. . . . . . . . 277Lake.City.&.Around. . . . . .280Black.Canyon.of.the.Gunnison.National..Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283Curecanti.National..Recreation.Area . . . . . . . . .284Gunnison. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285Crested.Butte. . . . . . . . . . .286Montrose. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .289Delta. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291Paonia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292Colorado.National..Monument. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293Grand.Junction. . . . . . . . . .294Fruita . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297Palisade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .298
SOUTHEAST COLORADO & THE SAN LUIS VALLEY . . . . . . . . . . 301Colorado.Springs. . . . . . . .304Florissant.Fossil.Beds.National.Monument. . . . . . 312
Around.Florissant .. .. .. .. .. .. ..312Cañon.City.&.the..Royal.Gorge. . . . . . . . . . . . . 313Florence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315Pueblo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316La.Veta.&.the.Spanish..Peaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318Highway.of.Legends . . . . . 319Trinidad . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320Bent’s.Old.Fort.National.Historic.Site . . . . . . . . . . . . 322Timpas.&.the.Comanche.National.Grassland . . . . . . 323Fort.Garland . . . . . . . . . . . . 323Great.Sand.Dunes..National.Park . . . . . . . . . . . 324San.Luis.State.Park. . . . . . 327Alamosa. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328San.Luis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329Antonito. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .330Conejos.River.&.the..South.San.Juans . . . . . . . . 331Penitente.Canyon. . . . . . . . 332Del.Norte. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333Sangre de Cristo Mountains . . . . . . . . . . . 334Westcliffe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .334Crestone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
Colorado Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
Way of Life . . . . . . . . . . . 347
The Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
Colorado Cuisine . . . . . 353
Wildlife & the Land . . . 357
Directory A–Z . . . . . . . . 362
Transportation . . . . . . . 369
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
Map Legend . . . . . . . . . . 383
Remember to run the 4C > 2C script for 2 colour books (the colour of the Plan banner must reflect the Plan section)
UNDERSTAND
SPECIAL FEATURES
Outdoors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Rocky Mountain Road Trips & Scenic Drives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Colorado Cuisine . . . . . 353
Wildlife & the Land . . . 357
SURVIVAL GUIDE
start early and plan to hike all day, you can avoid the bussed-in crowds and head up and over Buckskin Pass, where solitude can be yours and the views are breath-taking. Other options in the Aspen area include a hike to the famous Grottos and a trail to Conundrum Hot Springs.
The Collegiate Peaks Wilderness is a close second. Best accessed from Buena Vista on Hwy 24, it has eight peaks above 14,000ft. Vail or Minturn are the best de-parture points for Mount of the Holy Cross, while Quandary Peak holds the distinction of being the most accessible 14,000ft peak in the state, just outside Breckenridge.
If you want to sample the backcountry without having to rough it, look into the 10th Mountain Division Hut Association (p 223 ). It manages 29 backcountry huts between Vail and Aspen stocked with fire-wood and some even with saunas, connected by 350 miles of trails.
Northwest Colorado Dominated by the Routt National Forest, there are three wilderness areas in this region: Flattops Wilderness, Sarvis Creek Wilderness and Mt Zirkel Wilderness. All are laced with excellent hiking trails, but the Mt Zirkel Wilderness is especially magical. Untamed and roadless, it’s dotted with icy glacial lakes and granite faces, and is intersected by the Continental
Divide and two major rivers, the Elk and the Encampment, both of which are being considered for protection under the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. In the center of it all is the 12,180ft Mt Zirkel.
Fans of canyon country will want to check out Colorado National Monument. Most of the trails are relatively short, but there’s the rewarding 6-mile Monument Canyon Trail that skirts many of the park’s most interesting natural features, includ-ing the Coke Ovens, the Kissing Couple and Independence Monument.
Southwest Colorado Colorado’s most diverse region features red-rock canyons, Mesa Verde National Park and spectacular high country – you may just want to head here directly. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (p 283 ) is a stunning place to stretch your legs. The easy 1.5-mile Oak Flat Trail of-fers good views of Black Canyon. At sunset take the 1.5-mile Warner Point Nature Trail to either High Point or Sunset View overlooks.
Telluride is a day hiker’s dream town, with many trails accessible from down-town, including the 2.7-mile Jud Wiebe Trail. The Bear Creek Trail is slightly shorter – just over 2 miles – but includes a 1040ft climb to a waterfall. This trail also intersects the 12-mile Wasatch Trail.
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Top: Skier turning in powder, Vail
Bottom: Rafting on the Arkansas River near
Buena Vista,
FIVE WAYS TO BE A GOOD BACKPACKER Leave only footprints, take only pictures. There’s no garbage collection in the
backcountry. Make sure that whatever you pack in, you pack out.
Water. Water. Water. You should have water sanitation or a water-filtration system to enjoy the backcountry. The best way to eliminate potential bacteria is to boil the lake, creek or river water, but filters work well, too.
Have the essentials: a map, extra layers of clothing, rain gear, extra food and water, flashlight, fire-starter kit (with waterproof matches and/or a lighter), camp stove, first-aid kit (with blister-care items), sunglasses, sunscreen, sleeping bag, tent and pocket knife.
Only build fires where permitted, and only use dead and down wood, rather than breaking dead limbs from standing trees. Make sure you put out your fire completely before breaking camp.
Due to high-density backcountry traffic, Colorado authorities are now suggest-ing that campers actually pack out their own personal solid waste, and are even offering free bags with which to do the trick. No joke. Human waste does impact the environment and the new guidelines are a response to that. At the very least, bury yours a minimum of 6in below the surface at least 200ft from any water-courses and pack out your toilet tissue.
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KremmlingWinter Park
Red Cliff Breckenridge
LeadvilleFairplay
TwinLakes
PaoniaCrested
Butte
BuenaVista
Ridgway
Ouray
CrestoneTelluride
CreedeLa GaritaSilverton
Del Norte
SouthFork
SummitvilleMancos
PagosaSprings
Antonito
Crystal
Vail
Dinosaur
Granby
AltaAnimasForks
LakeCity
Rico
Walden
Meeker
Dolores
SilverPlume
Empire
Minturn
BeaverCreek
Rangely
SteamboatSprings
GlenwoodSprings
Aspen
Gunnison
MonteVistaAlamosaCortez
Durango
Carbondale
Delta
Marble
Frisco
GrandJunction
Basalt
Conejos
Fruita
Salida
ARIZONA
UTAH
WYOMING
CENTRALMOUNTAINS
SAN LUISVALLEYSOUTHWEST
COLORADO
NORTHWESTCOLORADO
NORTHERNMOUNTAINS
Gunnison River
Yampa River
Arkansas Riv er
ColoradoRiver
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San Juan Mountains
Rocky
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Cont inental D ivide
LakeGranby
BlueMesaReservoir
DinosaurNational
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Mesa VerdeNational Park
Black Canyonof Gunnison
National Park
ColoradoNational
Monument
Grand MesaNational Forest
GunnisonNational
Forest
State ForestState Park
Rocky MountainNational Park
Rio GrandeNational Forest
Canyons of the AncientsNational Monument
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Million Dollar HighwayDizzy mountain vistas
(p263)
Mesa Verde National ParkAncient cliff dwellings (p244)
AspenHollywood hits the
slopes (p216)
Crested ButteAdorable ski & bike mecca
(p286)
Durango Old West meets outdoor
adventure (p268)
Steamboat SpringsCowboy town &
powder hub (p155)
Dinosaur NationalMonument
Dinosaurs & rock art (p163)
Rocky MountainNational Park
Rockies splendor (p130)
9000ft
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ELEVATION
Colorado©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
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Nederland
IdahoSprings Morrison
Westcliffe
La VetaBlanca
FortGarland
San Luis
Florence
Sterling
EstesPark
FortMorgan
La Junta
Trinidad
CañonCity
Julesburg
Fort Collins
Boulder
ColoradoSprings
Pueblo
Denver
SilverCliff
GlenHaven
Bailey
Golden
Limon
ColoradoCity
Walsenburg
CastleRock
NEWMEXICO
NEBRASKA
KANSAS
OKLAHOMA
COLORADO
Great PlainsReservoirs
EASTERNCOLORADO
Cache laPoudreRiverPurgatoireRiver
Arkansas RiverJohnMartinReservoir
Adobe CreekReservoir
Pike NationalForest
ComancheNational
Grassland
Garden ofthe Gods
Lake PuebloState park
Great Sand DunesNational Park
John MartinReservoirState Park
TrinidadState Park
BonnyStatePark
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Fort CollinsCollege town of bikes
and beers (p142)
BoulderColorado's take on Utopia
(p103)
DenverThe cosmopolitan West
(p59)
Great Sand DunesNational Park
Majestic sand dunes (p324)
175Boulder
95160ColoradoSprings
7025160Denver
340320360240Durango
165245310260130GrandJunction
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Combining urban-infused energy with mountain escape, this is one unforgettable road trip from late spring to fall. Spend a couple of days in Denver, riding the bikepaths, sampling the upstart restaurants and luminary bars of the Highlands and taking in a ball game. Head north through fun and funky Boulder to Rocky Mountain National Park to spend a few days in massive wilderness.
Hit the road south on Hwy 40 through Winter Park then west on I-70 to Vail, where there’s technical downhill mountain biking and access to a network of bikepaths that lead all the way to Breckenridge. Consider a river trip or perhaps a paraglide, and take the gondola up to Eagle’s Nest.
From Vail drive the back roads through Minturn into Leadville, where you can stroll through history before taking Hwy 91 through lonely mountain towns, back to Hwy 6, into Frisco and onto Breckenridge. Luxuriate in your last days here, exploring the quaint historical district in the evenings and cycling and hiking during long summer days. Get in a river trip before heading back to Denver.
Denver & the Northern Rockies
WYOMING
COLORADO
NEBRASKA
Rocky MountainNational Park
Breckenridge
Vail
Leadville
Frisco
Boulder
Denver
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Fly into the tented compound of Denver International Airport, made to echo mountain peaks. For this summer-fall itinerary, rent a car and motor to Boulder. Stretch your legs and prep your lungs by cycling the bikepaths and hitting the trails of Chatauqua Park between sampling farm-to-table fare, coffee houses and congenial brewpubs.
Head west on I-70, stopping in Vail, where you can run a river, cover thrilling terrain by downhill mountain biking and enjoy a sushi feast at Matsuhisa. Continue west to the stunning Wild West scenery of Colorado National Monument, with crumbling red-rock mesas and deep canyons. Camp overnight and hit Fruita for extraordinary desert singletrack or Palisade for a day-long wine-tasting meander through the vineyards. Head south to the enchanted San Juan Mountains.
Climb back into the high country and dead-end in historic Telluride, in a stunning box canyon surrounded by steep peaks. Here you can take in a festival, ride the free gondola and soak in the chic mountain vibe. Head out through scenic ranch country, hit-ting the hot springs outside Ridgway. If you’re here in middle to late summer, consider a two-day backpacking trip in the nearby San Juan high country. Explore funky Ouray and link to Silverton via the wild Million Dollar Hwy, a sinuous and steep journey through three mountain passes. If you need a break from being behind the wheel, drop into good-vibe Durango via the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.
Detour to Mesa Verde National Park to explore stunning cliff dwellings. Camp here or enjoy a B&B in nearby Mancos. On your way east, take a soak in Pagosa Springs. Take Hwy 160 east to the Great Sand Dunes National Park on your way to Salida and the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness for world-class white-water rafting and hiking with grizzled mountain goats.
Take Hwy 24 west to Colorado Springs, where you can indulge with a night at the Broadmoor.
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COLORADO
NEW MEXICO
UTAH
ARIZONA
ColoradoNational
Monument
Great Sand DunesNational Park
Mesa VerdeNational Park
Palisade
Ridgway
OurayTelluride
Silverton
PagosaSprings
Vail
Salida
Durango
Boulder
ColoradoSprings
Fruita
Durango & SilvertonNarrow Gauge Railroad
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PLAN YO
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Fuel up with a great diner breakfast in Denver before jumping on 1-70 to begin this summer high-country trip. Veer off for Breckenridge, soaking up the Victorian ambience, stargazing from a hot tub and summiting your first 14er. Continue south to Leadville, a good lunch stop, then scoot south on Hwy 82 towards Twin Lakes. From here, climb to the heavens (with panoramas of the Continental Divide) on curvy Independence Pass, which plumbs you right into idyllic Aspen.
In Aspen, spend two nights hiking in the Maroon Bells Wilderness, cycling to Ashcroft and eating at the Pine Creek Cookhouse. Continue to nearby but remote Crested Butte via the summer-only Keb-ler Pass. The wildflower capital of Colo-rado, charming CB also boasts outstanding hiking, festivals and singletrack trails.
Next stop is the Arkansas River, the delight of anglers and rafters. Enjoy the cute Western ambience of Buena Vista and Salida. Take in the picturesque ghost town of St Elmo and soak in the healing waters of Mt Princeton Hot Springs. Me-ander back to Denver via the mountain route of Hwy 285.
1 WEEK Rocky Mountain
HighVacationing skiers and boarders should take advantage of resort alliances. Vail has a five-mountain alliance that’s hard to beat. Shuttle here from Denver, spending at least two days exploring the mother of all North American resorts. The vast back-bowl ter-rain is where you’ll find the experts, unless they’re at the terrain parks. Nearby Beaver Creek rings even more exclusive. Spend your next three days in Summit County. Base yourself in Breckenridge, which has plenty of beginner runs alongside some killer chutes and tree runs. Summit County’s free public transportation can zip you to family-friendly Keystone, with ice skating and night skiing. Your lift ticket also serves funky Arapahoe Basin if you fancy a whiff of ‘the Beach.’
Or hit the locals’ faves. The Rocky Mountain Super Pass Plus covers Winter Park, Copper Mountain and Steamboat Springs. Start with two to three days at Steamboat, a real Western town with gorgeous glades and deep powder. Move on to Winter Park, hitting the Mary Jane’s moguls. Zip out to I-70 and the easy charm of Copper Mountain before heading back to Denver.
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COLORADO
Breckenridge
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Carolyn McCarthyCoordinating Author, Boulder & Around, Mesa Verde & Southwest Colorado Carolyn fell for the Rockies as an undergraduate at Colorado College, where she hiked, skied, camped and paddled while reading the classics. For this title she sampled mountain distilleries, dodged a wildfire and heard even more Old West ghost stories. Carolyn has contributed to more than 20 Lonely Planet titles, specializing in the American West and Latin America, and has written for Na-
tional Geographic, Outside, Lonely Planet Magazine and other publications. Carolyn also wrote the Plan Your Trip, Understand and Survival Guide chapters for this guidebook.
Greg Benchwick Denver & Around, Rocky Mountain National Park & Northern Colorado A Colorado native, Greg’s been all over the Centennial State. He taught skiing in Vail, walked through fire pits in campsites across the state and attended journal-ism school in Boulder. He calls Denver’s Highlands home.
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Christopher Pitts Vail, Aspen & Central Colorado, Southeast Colorado & the San Luis ValleyChris first drove west on a family road trip across the country and instantly fell in love with Colorado’s star-studded nights. After four years at Colorado College, he decided to move up to Boulder for grad school – but only after mastering Chinese first. Fifteen years, several continents and two kids later, he finally made it to the end of what is normally a 90-minute drive. He currently divides his time
between writing, dad-dom and exploring Colorado’s wilder corners.Vail, Aspen & Central Colorado, Southeast Colorado & the San Luis Chris first drove west on a family road trip across the country and instantly fell in love with Colorado’s star-studded nights. After four years at Colorado College, he decided to move up to Boulder for grad school – but only after mastering Chinese first. Fifteen years, several continents and two kids later, he finally made it to the end of what is normally a 90-minute drive. He currently divides his time between writing, dad-dom and exploring Colorado’s wilder corners. Vail, Aspen & Central Colorado, Southeast Colorado & the San Luis Chris first drove west on a family road trip across the country and instantly fell in love with Colorado’s star-studded nights. After four years at Colorado College, he decided to move up to Boulder for grad school – but only after mastering Chinese first. Fifteen years, several continents and two kids later, he finally made it to the end of what is normally a 90-minute drive. He currently divides his time between writing, dad-dom and exploring Colorado’s wilder corners.
OUR STORYA beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies. Lonely Planet was born.
Today, Lonely Planet has offices in Melbourne, London and Oakland, with more than 600 staff and writers. We share Tony’s belief that ‘a great guidebook should do three things: inform, educate and amuse’.
OUR WRITERS
Although the authors and Lonely Planet have taken all reason-able care in preparing this book, we make no warranty about the accuracy or completeness of its content and, to the maxi-mum extent permitted, disclaim all liability arising from its use.
Published by Lonely Planet Publications Pty LtdABN 36 005 607 9832nd edition – May 2014ISBN 978 1 74220 559 5© Lonely Planet 2014 Photographs © as indicated 201410 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1Printed in ChinaAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, except brief extracts for the purpose of review, and no part of this publication may be sold or hired, without the written permission of the publisher. Lonely Planet and the Lonely Planet logo are trademarks of Lonely Planet and are registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Lonely Planet does not allow its name or logo to be appropriated by commercial establishments, such as retailers, restaurants or hotels. Please let us know of any misuses: lonelyplanet.com/ip.
Read more about Christopher at: lonelyplanet.com/members/christopherpitts
Read more about Greg at: lonelyplanet.com/members/gbenchwick
©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
© Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd. To make it easier for you to use, access to this chapter is not digitally restricted. In return, we think it’s fair to ask you to use it for personal, non-commercial purposes only. In other words, please don’t upload this chapter to a peer-to-peer site, mass email it to everyone you know, or resell it. See the terms and conditions on our site for a longer way of saying the above - ‘Do the right thing with our content.’
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