Flying into Cortez Municipal Airport in Cortez keeps the region at your fingertips, with ancient cliff dwellings, red rock canyons, and the Four Corners just a short drive away. Cortez is a ranching town in the southwest corner of Colorado, surrounded by more archaeological sites than any other part of the country. The mood is easygoing and Western, with the Sleeping Ute Mountain on the horizon and Mesa Verde rising right behind town.

What to do around Cortez: - Tour the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park, about 15 minutes from town - Explore Canyons of the Ancients National Monument and its visitor center and museum in Dolores - Take a guided trip into Ute Mountain Tribal Park with a Ute guide - Drive to Hovenweep National Monument for stone towers on a canyon rim - Stand in four states at once at the Four Corners Monument - Visit the Cortez Cultural Center for Native dance and exhibits in summer - Taste wine in McElmo Canyon, where orchards and vineyards fill a red rock valley - Ride the Galloping Goose railcar in Dolores on select days

Mancos, 20 minutes east of Cortez, is a small arts town, and Dolores and the McPhee Reservoir are 15 minutes north. Durango and its narrow gauge railroad are about an hour east, and Telluride is under two hours through some of the best mountain scenery in Colorado. Order a Navajo taco with green chile, and watch for the Sleeping Ute Mountain to change color at sunset. In Cortez, the past is always just over the next ridge.