INFORMATION If you go

The Stanley Hotel is at 333 Wonderview Road in Estes Park, Colo., about 90 minutes outside Denver.
Rates range from $129 to $299 per night, depending on room size and season.
For more information, call (800) 976-1377 or visit www.stanleyhotel.com.
"The Colorado Guide" by Bruce Caughey and Dean Winstanley (Fulcrum, $24.95), now in its fifth edition, combines good advice with regional lore and storytelling to create a quirky but very readable package.
"Lonely Planet Guide to the Rocky Mountains" by Mason Florence, Andrew Dean Nystrom and Marisa Gierlich (Lonely Planet, $24.99) is the densest guidebook around. Lonely Planet takes you to the small towns and off roads, as well as the main points along the interstates.