This is the REAL Rockies, the wild, uncivilized kind. One-third of Rocky Mountain National Park lies above treeline, and the environment passes from lush low valleys filled with wildflowers through soaring mountains and peaks up to bleak, treeless tundra."America's Switzerland" has attracted admirers ever since pioneers started moving west in the 19th century. Today's visitors come to hike, climb, scope out the wildlife, and of course, fish.

A victim of its own popularity, angling in the park suffered when officials began supplementing the native greenback and Colorado River cutthroat with other trout species and moving them to unpopulated waterways. Today the focus is on restoring the original conditions. Don't expect much success at higher elevations—the places to head are the Big Thompson River, the Fall River, and the Roaring River, all rugged locales that might require some serious hiking to reach. The payoff is the chance to challenge some wily brown, brook, rainbow, and cutthroat trout.

Move on to Biscayne, Florida