Day Trips from Denver, Colorado

Denver can be a great place to visit or even live. But it is a big city, and life in the city can get crazy sometimes. Fortunately there are a lot of great things to do just outside of Denver - and many can be done in just a day. Here are my suggestions for five trips, based on almost 28 years living in this area.

Boulder
You may not think of this as "getting out of the city," since Boulder is a city in its own right. But it's a lot smaller than Denver and has a charm - and an attitude - all its own. Depending on when you go you'll find a lot of different activities; the Boulder Convention and Visitors Bureau is a good source of information. But Boulder's just a fun place to drive around and sightsee, and my favorite choice for that is the Pearl Street Mall, an area of Pearl Street several blocks long that's only for foot traffic. There are a lot of opportunities for shopping and dining on the Mall, but it's also a great place to just sit and people-watch. If you really do want a taste of nature, go west on one of the main east-west streets (my favorite is Baseline Road), and within minutes you'll be in the forest - and the foothills.

Boulder's easy to reach via the Boulder Turnpike (route 36), which you can access from Interstate 25 north of Denver. Depending on your starting point, it'll take from 15 minutes to an hour to reach Boulder.

Trail Ridge Road
Further up the highway from Boulder is Estes Park, a small town and tourist attraction that is the main "gateway" to Rocky Mountain National Park. And the main road through the park is Trail Ridge Road. It's a beautiful drive, especially in the early fall (mid- to late September) when the aspen leaves are turning gold.

Trail Ridge is described as the "highest continuous motorway in the United States." More than eight miles of it is above 11,000 feet, with the highest point being just above 12,000 feet. If you're visiting from a lower elevation and haven't been here long, keep in mind that the air is very thin up there. This altitude has another effect; Trail Ridge is closed from early October through late May (the actual dates depend on the weather). There's just too much snow there to keep the road open.

You can certainly go all the way up there, then turn around and come back, but it's much more fun to keep on going, through the park and down the west side. You'll pass through small mountain towns like Grand Lake (which does indeed have a large body of water), Granby, and Winter Park. Then you get to go up again over Berthoud Pass, which is almost as high as Trail Ridge - slightly above 11,000 feet - before coming down to connect with Interstate 70. Head east and it won't be long before you see the Denver skyline.

This is a long drive and makes for a very full day (I've done it this way). But it also has the potential to be an extended trip if you decide to stay in any of the places you pass through. You can stay in motels and other accommodations in the towns or camp in Rocky Mountain National Park. The park is open year-round, even if Trail Ridge Road isn't.

Colorado Springs
"The Springs" is in the opposite direction from Boulder - south - and farther, but still only slightly more than an hour's drive. There's a lot to see and do there, including the Cave of the Winds, the Garden of the Gods (think "rock garden," but on a very large scale), and Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. But to me if you're in Colorado you should enjoy the mountains, and in the Springs that means Pikes Peak. It does have a road, but it's steep and not completely paved, so if you're not in a vehicle that can handle those conditions you might want to think about riding the cog railway instead. The railway leaves from nearby Manitou Springs and offers some incredible views; you can get a taste of those on the front page of the web site. There's an added advantage to taking the railway; the road, like many at that altitude (14,000 feet at the top), isn't open in the winter, but the railway now is. There's a video on the website of the plowing process.

Colorado Springs is easy to reach on I-25 south. But if you're driving in winter weather, be careful. There are parts of that highway that can be treacherous when it's snowing or icy. As a matter of fact, if you're driving anywhere in Colorado in winter it's always a good idea to check the road conditions first. Even if you have a vehicle that can handle snow, it won't do you any good if the road is closed.

The Casino Towns
Black Hawk and Central City are old mining towns that have had casinos since the gambling law was passed in 1991. If you have a bit of extra money and would like to spend it in the mountains check out one of these towns. If you'd like to gamble but are on a budget you can relax a little; the stakes are limited to $5 maximum bets. And if you don't want to gamble, you can still check out the other activities; these areas have an interesting history, and the mountain scenery is beautiful.

The Renaissance Festival
I had to include this, because it's really my favorite day trip (and has nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that a friend of mine is the queen this year). It has a permanent location, which is nice because the buildings have a solid feel to them. There are booths to visit (and spend money at), demonstrations of "old-fashioned" crafts like weaving, glassblowing, and blacksmithing, and live performances of music, comedy, and of course jousting. There are also entertainers dressed in the style of Tudor England who perform throughout the festival area (including the "royal court" of Henry VIII, which is where my friend comes in). And last but not least, there's food - lots and lots of it, including some that's not so modern, like turkey legs, steak on a stake, and roasted corn.

The Renaissance Festival is held weekends in June and July in Larkspur, which is about a 40-minute drive south of Denver on I-25. It's great fun, and has been for a long time - 2007 is its 31st year.

There's a lot more to do in and around Denver, but these five suggestions should get you started. Check them out, and give yourself a chance to enjoy some of the variety of activities Colorado has to offer.