The Colorado Front Range, encompassing cities all the way from Pueblo to Fort Collins, including Boulder and Denver, is home to over 85 percent of the state’s population. If you’re visiting, or you live in this area, you’ll have easy access to a long list of fantastic day trips, including these.
Red Feather Lakes
The Red Feather Lakes area offers a year-round playground. Renowned for its magnificent scenery, diverse wildlife, scenic hiking trails and activities on the water, this lesser-known gem can be reached in less than two hours (110 miles) from Denver. Nearby Beaver Meadows Stables & Resort offers horseback riding, sleigh rides, fishing and more, while the Cache La Poudre River, the first designated Wild and Scenic River in the state, is considered the area’s best spot for whitewater rafting and kayaking.
Tranquil Red Feather Lakes is also ideal for relaxing in the sun with a good book, and it boasts a unique attraction too. The Shambhala Mountain Center is a Buddhist retreat that hosts meditation sessions, educational programs and contemplative conferences, as well as being home to the largest stupa in North America. It’s open to visitors of any faith, and its dramatic 108-foot temple-like structure represents the aspiration for peace, harmony and equanimity for all.
Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park
Estes Park sits adjacent to Rocky Mountain National Park and is just 63 miles northwest of Denver. The town itself offers a wide variety of attractions and activities, including art galleries and interesting shops – those into arts and crafts will appreciate the several places where you can purchase authentic Native American artifacts as well as pellets and blankets. The Family Amusement Park is a popular spot for families. It features a big slide, drive go-karts, play miniature golf or even bungee jump. The famous Stanley Hotel is also located here, a historic landmark for which author Stephen King based his novel, “The Shining.” In or out of the park, the area is home to all types of wildlife, like elk and bighorn sheep, and you’ll have access to miles and miles of trails for scenic hikes and a myriad of fantastic fly-fishing rivers.
Cripple Creek
Located just west of Pikes Peak, Cripple Creek is about a two-hour drive from Denver, and offers a fun destination for those who want to test their luck at the casinos, or get a taste of history and the Old West. In its heyday at the turn of the 20th century, it was a booming city with a population of over 55,000, and the fourth largest city in the state. Today, this mountain town that sits at an elevation of nearly 9,500 feet, and is home to just a little more than 1,000 residents. It may be small, but as such a popular spot with tourists, it packs a ton of things to do. Catch a melodrama at the historic Butte Theater, descend 1,000 feet underground in an original 1890s gold mine, and explore fascinating museums like the Old Homestead House, once the most famous brothel in town which still features many of the original furnishings. You can also take a ride on the Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad or simply take a walk around town to see check out the historic buildings, old mining homes and grand Victorians.
Idaho Springs
This gateway into the Rockies is a popular stop on the way to the mountains, but it also makes for an ideal day trip from Denver, just a 40-minute drive away. Check out its mining heritage by taking a strong on Main Street to view the well-preserved buildings, and enjoy immersing yourself in the therapeutic mineral pools at Indian Hot Springs, a vintage resort on the south edge of town. It features a day spa, a palm-lined main pool at 90 degrees, 11 private indoor baths at 106 degrees, and his and her geothermal cave baths that are up to 112 degrees and swimsuits are optional. Before heading back home, you’ll want to stop by the original Beau Jo’s, famous for making Colorado’s very best pizza.
Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs
Garden of the Gods is just a little over an hour’s drive from Denver, and was named the No. 1 park in the U.S. by TripAdvisor recently, which noted, “Beautiful and majestic. One of the best city parks in the entire country. You can hike, ride horses, picnic or just relax and watch the rock climbers.” Designated a National Natural Landmark and is considered a geological treasure, the park is made up of impressive sandstone formations. Here, the grasslands of the Great Plains meet pinon-juniper woodlands that are so characteristic of the Southwest, merging with the mountain forests of Pikes Peak. Free for visitors, an entire day can be spent on the hiking and biking trails. The Garden of the Gods Visitor & Nature Center for maps and additional information about the park.
Royal Gorge Bridge and Park, Canon City
Located 127 miles south of Denver, the Royal Gorge Bridge is a quarter-mile bridge that was built in 1929. Spanning nearly 1,000-feet high over the Arkansas River, it’s America’s highest suspension bridge. It’s also one of the state’s most popular attractions, and while it’s surely spectacular, if you have even a small fear of heights, walking across it and staring so far down will literally leave you gasping for air. Those who thrive off adrenaline-fueled experiences can take things up a notch by booking the Royal Rush Skycoaster. After a 50-mile-per-hour free fall, the coaster hangs riders over the canyon’s rim with only the river below. Other attractions here include an aerial gondola, that gently whisks passengers from one side of the canyon to another, and a zip line that flies riders above the Arkansas River.
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
Located 108 miles southwest of Denver, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument offers a fascinating look at a well-preserved, ancient ecosystem that existed 35 million years ago, including a unique display of fossils preserved from prehistoric Colorado. The deposits are considered to be some of the richest and most diverse on the planet, with fossils of about 1,700 different species of trees, insects, fish, plants, and other animals. At the visitor center some of the best-preserved small fossils can be viewed in display cases. The mountain habitat also serves as the home to a host of wildlife living today, including mountain lions, several types of birds of prey, deer and coyotes. There are 14 miles of trails that wind through the park, with the Petrified Forest Walk, a highlight. The one-mile trail passes massive, petrified Redwood stumps, an historic excavation site and a geologic timeline exhibit. Hornbeck Homestead is open for public tours and includes an 1878 log house that’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places as an example of an early homestead.
Georgetown
Georgetown is a picturesque Victorian village located less than an hour’s drive west of Denver. It’s set in a gorgeous mountain valley and houses 200 restored buildings that date from the 1870s. The main street is fun to explore with its many eateries and shops, and a number of the historic homes have been converted into antique stores. One of the highlights here is to ride Georgetown Loop Railroad. The old-time steam locomotive chugs its way up the canyon to Silver Plume, passing the remains of a number of gold and silver mines. With open cars, passengers get unobstructed views of the jaw-dropping Rockies. Christmastime brings many visitors too, when every December the town is transformed into an old-fashioned holiday scene from days gone by, complete with horse-drawn wagons and roasted chestnuts.
Eldorado Canyon State Park, Eldorado Springs
Eldorado Canyon State Park is just 27 miles from Denver and offers a host of activities. Although best known for rock climbing, with its stunning golden walls providing over 500 technical climbing routes, it also offers hiking trails with panoramic vistas, streamside picnic tables and bird watching, all encompassed in a beautiful canyon. Visitors can also enjoy mountain biking, horseback riding and fishing. History buffs will appreciate the ruins of the 1908 Crags Hotel, which can be found up Rattlesnake Gulch Trail.
Golden
This Western town just 17 miles from Denver was the state’s first capital city. It’s home to museums, Western stores and a mix of outdoor cafes and eateries that line a main street which still features false-front buildings, plankboard sidewalks and covered walkways. There are also more than a few stores that sell things like carvings of buffalo and other iconic animals from the West. The Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum celebrates the city’s mining history with several mining artifacts, and there are also displays of fossils, gemstones, and even meteorites. Kayakers come for the award-winning kayak course that runs right through the middle of town, while beer lovers come to tour the headquarters of four breweries, and get a sample of their wares.
