DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado has many tourist attractions, whether it be for those interested in history, nature junkies or for beer aficionados.

In a high-inflation economy, tourists and Coloradans might prefer to explore the more affordable attractions the Centennial State has to offer.

Luckily, FOX31 has looked into reviews and what some surveys claim to be the best, and worst, cheap tourist attractions in the state.

Worst tourist trap: Four Corners Monument

The Four Corners Monument is located at the farthest southwestern corner of Colorado. It’s where the state lines of Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado meet, and is the only place in the country where a person can be in four states at once.

This was named the worst waste-of-money attraction in Colorado by GO Banking Rates.

This geographical attraction is in a rural area where services are limited. According to the website, the nearest market and gas station is about 30 miles away. Because of this, the park recommends visitors have plenty of gas.

There is no electricity or water at this location, so the park recommends visitors bring their own water supply.

  • A view of the metal disc representing the State Line Survey marker showing the exact meeting point of the US states of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah at the Four Corners Monument, taken on May 15, 2015. The Four Corners is the only location in the US where the boundaries of four states - Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah - meet at a right angle.
    A tourist lies in four states simultaneously by positioning herself over the metal disc representing the State Line Survey marker showing the exact meeting point of the US States of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah at the Four Corners Monument, taken on May 15, 2015. The Four Corners is the only location in the US where the boundaries of four states – Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah – meet at a right angle. (MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images)
  • A view of the metal disc representing the State Line Survey marker showing the exact meeting point of the US states of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah at the Four Corners Monument, taken on May 15, 2015. The Four Corners is the only location in the US where the boundaries of four states - Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah - meet at a right angle.
    A view of the metal disc representing the State Line Survey marker showing the exact meeting point of the US states of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah at the Four Corners Monument, taken on May 15, 2015. The Four Corners is the only location in the US where the boundaries of four states – Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah – meet at a right angle. (MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images)

Is the Four Corners Monument in the wrong spot?

In addition to the inconvenient location being a turnoff for tourists, the monument doesn’t mark the exact spot where the four corners were meant to meet.

In 2009, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Geodetic Survey released a report that clarified that the monument is about 1,800 feet off the mark.

This is because the state boundaries were established using Washington Meridian and longitudinal lines in the 1860s. It was the latest and most accurate method at the time, but technology and methods have evolved. In 1912, the U.S. adopted the Greenwich Meridian as its standard longitude reference.

“There is, however, uncertainty in precisely quantifying the relationship between the intended and actual monument locations due to changes, since 1875, in some technical details of the geodetic reference systems utilized,” the report reads.

Despite discrepancies, the NOAA said that because the established monument has been accepted by the parties involved, “the location of the physical monument is the ultimate authority in delineating a boundary,” making the monument the legal quadripoint of the four states.

Entry to the park is $8 per person.

Best cheap tourist attraction: Mesa Verde cliff dwellings

In Mesa Verde National Park in Montezuma County lies the ruins of Ancestral Puebloans’ homes, the Mesa Verde cliff dwellings.

This ancient attraction was named the best cheap tourist attraction in Colorado by Cheapism.

The Ancestral Puebloans reportedly lived on the mesa tops for some 600 years before they began building their homes into the natural cliff alcoves sometime during the late 1190s, according to the National Park Service.

  • In Mesa Verde National Park in Montezuma County, Colorado, lies the ruins of Ancestral Pueblo people's homes, the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings.
    In Mesa Verde National Park in Montezuma County lies the ruins of Ancestral Pueblo people’s homes, the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings. (National Park Service)
  • In Mesa Verde National Park in Montezuma County, Colorado, lies the ruins of Ancestral Pueblo people's homes, the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings.
    In Mesa Verde National Park in Montezuma County lies the ruins of Ancestral Pueblo people’s homes, the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings. (National Park Service)
  • In Mesa Verde National Park in Montezuma County, Colorado, lies the ruins of Ancestral Pueblo people's homes, the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings.
    In Mesa Verde National Park in Montezuma County lies the ruins of Ancestral Pueblo people’s homes, the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings. (National Park Service)
  • In Mesa Verde National Park in Montezuma County, Colorado, lies the ruins of Ancestral Pueblo people's homes, the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings.
    In Mesa Verde National Park in Montezuma County lies the ruins of Ancestral Pueblo people’s homes, the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings. (National Park Service)
  • In Mesa Verde National Park in Montezuma County, Colorado, lies the ruins of Ancestral Pueblo people's homes, the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings.
    In Mesa Verde National Park in Montezuma County lies the ruins of Ancestral Pueblo people’s homes, the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings. (Cade Valcarce via National Park Service)
  • In Mesa Verde National Park in Montezuma County, Colorado, lies the ruins of Ancestral Pueblo people's homes, the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings.
    In Mesa Verde National Park in Montezuma County lies the ruins of Ancestral Pueblo people’s homes, the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings. (National Park Service)
  • In Mesa Verde National Park in Montezuma County, Colorado, lies the ruins of Ancestral Pueblo people's homes, the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings.
    In Mesa Verde National Park in Montezuma County lies the ruins of Ancestral Pueblo people’s homes, the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings. (National Park Service)
  • In Mesa Verde National Park in Montezuma County, Colorado, lies the ruins of Ancestral Pueblo people's homes, the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings.
    In Mesa Verde National Park in Montezuma County lies the ruins of Ancestral Pueblo people’s homes, the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings. (Cade Valcarce via National Park Service)

They continued farming on the mesa tops while living in the cliff dwellings before most everyone in the population had migrated south by the end of the 1200s.

The Mesa Verde cliff dwellings are some of the most notable and best preserved in North America, according to the NPS. Some of the dwellings are large enough to serve as a village of 150 or more people.

Tourists can guide themselves through the cliff dwellings and mesa top sites, or take a guided tour of the ruins.

Entry to the park is $20 per vehicle or $15 per person from Nov. 1 to April 30, and bumps up to $30 per vehicle or $15 per person from May 1 through Oct. 31.