12 Amazing Day Trips In The Rockies That Are Worth The Drive

Denver, Colorado, is a perfect jumping-off point for exploring the Rocky Mountains. It has one of the biggest airports in the United States, making it easy to get to Denver by plane. From there, it is easy to use Denver as a sort of basecamp for various day trips out into the Rocky Mountains, with the city providing a more urban, cosmopolitan alternative to the natural wonders and smaller towns further into the mountains if a break is ever necessary.

Red Rocks

Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater is a natural, open-air, and National Historical Landmark, 15 miles or a 45-minute drive from Denver. Red Rocks is a famous concert venue where many musical greats have performed, including the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead, Stevie Nicks, and Florence + The Machine. The breath-taking geological auburn sandstone formation of the amphitheater and mountain views provide an unforgettable concert-going experience. The amphitheater's walls are taller than Niagara Falls and a whopping 280 million years old.

Red Rocks also doubles as a public park, which Denver owns. Visitors can go hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. Red Rocks Hikes takes groups on guided sunrise hikes, including a provided coffee and bagged lunch. There are even tickets available online to purchase Yoga on the Rocks. Participants need to bring a water bottle and a yoga mat. Inside the Visitor’s Center, Ship Rock Grille provides a place to grab food and drinks while exploring everything Red Rocks offers.

Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park

Estes Park is a north-central Colorado town in the Rocky Mountains' Front Range. It has an elevation of over 7500 feet, and it is famous for its place at the entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park. The town and park are about an hour-and-a-half-long drive from Denver, and it is more than worth the trip. Rocky Mountain National Park occupies 415 square miles and boasts 77 mountains over 12,000 feet tall, 147 lakes, and 355 miles of hiking trails. The park is extremely popular, drawing 4.5 million tourists every year. Visitors may even glimpse wildlife like elk, moose, and big-horned sheep within the park.

There is also plenty to do within the town of Estes Park. The city is charming and reminiscent of an alpine resort. There are restaurants and shops for people to enjoy. Notably, the city is home to the Stanley Hotel, the inspiration behind The Shining. Estes Park also offers various adventure wilderness activities, including whitewater rafting, nature tours, and mountain scenery on an aerial tramway.

Coors Brewery

In Golden, Colorado, only 29 miles and approximately a 25-minute drive from central Denver, is the Coors Brewery, the world’s largest single-site brewery. Tours become available for online reservation 25 days in advance on a first-come, first-served basis, and they sell out quickly, so the city of Golden recommends that visitors book as soon as possible. The 90-minute tour guides people through the Coors brewing facilities, tells the story of the history of Coors, and explains how Coors is made and packaged. On the tour, those who are at least 21 years of age can sample different Coors products. The brewery is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but is open every other night of the week, excluding major holidays and occasional significant events that the brewery hosts.

Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Though it is pretty long for a day trip, sitting at around 150 miles and a three-hour drive from Denver, Steamboat Springs is undoubtedly worth the time in the car. In some ways, it is a quintessential American ski town with its laid-back atmosphere, over 300 inches of snowfall on average annually, and famed powder days within the ski community. During the winter, skiing or snowboarding at the Steamboat Springs Ski Resort during a trip there is a must. However, there are plenty of worthwhile activities during the other seasons of the year. The historic hot springs of Steamboat, for instance, draw many visitors. Old Town Hot Springs in downtown Steamboat is very modern and easily accessible. Strawberry Park Hot Springs is further out into nature, on the outskirts of town, near the edge of the Yampa Valley, and provides a much more rustic environment.

Fairplay

Fairplay originated as a Gold Rush town, Fair Play, in 1859. In 1869, the town was renamed South Park City, and in 1874, the town became Fairplay, keeping the original name shortened to one word. Fairplay is approximately an hour and forty minutes from Denver. It is the trout-fishing capital of Colorado, part of a National Heritage Area, and home to South Park City, a museum with 44 historic buildings. This museum is, in essence, a preserved 19th-century mining town open for exploration, where visitors can learn about what life was like in Fairplay at the time of its establishment. The city also holds interesting historical events, including reenactments of fur trading fairs from the fur trapping era of the South Park region from 1820 to 1840 and the annual Burro Days, a celebration of the role of the burro in the mining history of Fairplay.

Wild Animal Sanctuary

In Keenesburg, Colorado, about an hour’s drive from Denver, is the Wild Animal Sanctuary, the oldest wildlife sanctuary in the United States, where large carnivorous predators can roam freely. Visitors can observe these amazing creatures, including lions, wolves, bears, and tigers, from the 1.5-mile “Mile Into the Wild” elevated walkway over the 789-acre area. Tours usually take around three to four hours, allowing visitors to try to glimpse some of the over 500 animals that live at the sanctuary, and the large Welcome Center provides lunch and shopping options for visitors. The Wild Animal Sanctuary, however, makes it very clear that it is not a zoo. Its mission is twofold: rescuing and taking care of animals and educating the public about the Captive Wildlife Crisis, a pattern of mismanagement and inhumane treatment of exotic animals in captivity. The sanctuary is quite large, so the animals may not always be easy to spot, and the sanctuary wants to ensure that it is attracting visitors who wish to become more educated and appreciate these animals outside of traditional activity, instead of visitors who are looking for more of a zoo-like experience.

Breckenridge, Colorado

Breckenridge in Summit County, an hour and a half’s drive from Denver, makes for a lovely day trip no matter the season. Summit County has some of the best skiing in the world, between Breckenridge’s ski resort and nearby ski towns like Beaver Creek and Vail. Still, Breckenridge is a charming, historic old gold mining town filled with colorful Victorian-style houses, which is enjoyable in any season. Breckenridge also offers various outdoor activities, appealing to lovers of mountain biking, fly fishing, horseback riding, hiking, snowmobiling, and so much more. Many restaurants and cafes are available for visitors interested in exploring the local food scene. For those who might be more interested in the history of Breckenridge, there are a variety of ghost tours, mining tours, and museums from which to choose. Country Boy Mine is a particularly popular underground mine tour, even offering visitors the opportunity to pan for gold in Eureka Creek.

Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods

Combining Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods into a single day trip from Denver is very popular. They are both near the city of Colorado Springs, and they both provide awe-inspiring natural scenery. Pikes Peak is about an hour and a half’s drive from Denver, accessible by Pikes Peak Highway, which takes drivers on a scenic route up onto the mountain, past a gateway, gift shops, places to take pictures, and, finally, the treeline. Pikes Peak, the inspiration for the phrase “America the Beautiful,” is one of the famed fourteeners, rising to 14,115 feet, and it is the highest summit in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. At the top of the mountain, there is much to explore on foot outside the car. It is just important to remember the altitude and the drop in temperature from what it is in Colorado Springs.

From Pikes Peak, it is only a twenty-minute drive to Garden of the Gods, a registered National Natural Landmark famous for its sandstone rock formations. At the park, visitors can go hiking, horseback riding, rock climbing, and more. The visitor center has educational exhibits, where visitors can learn about the geology, flora, and fauna of Garden of the Gods and the Ute people native to the region.

Colorado Springs

Though Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods are breathtaking natural formations of the Rocky Mountains, the town of Colorado Springs, adjacent to them, is also worth a visit. Nicknamed Olympic City, USA, because of its status as the home of the US Olympic Committee, it is just over an hour’s drive from Denver. Visitors can tour the US Olympic & Paralympic Center and learn about the history of Team USA at the US Olympic & Paralympic Museum. The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum presents various exhibitions about local history with free admission. The Money Museum presents another educational opportunity to visitors of Colorado Springs, especially for those coin collectors. It is the world’s largest museum dedicated to money, coins, and currency, and it explains history through the lens of money and currency. For foodies, Colorado Springs has plenty to offer. Colorado Springs has several award-winning food tours through Rocky Mountain Food Tours. Visitors can even go inside the US Air Force Academy just north of Colorado Springs, where some facilities are open to the public, including a visitor center and planetarium.

Dinosaur Ridge

Dinosaur Ridge in Golden, Colorado, is only a twenty-minute drive west of Denver, and it is an outdoor museum of paleontology, which experts now call the leading dinosaur tracksite in the United States. It is a National Natural Landmark, and it was the place where the first Stegosaurus fossil, a kind of dinosaur popular among dinosaur aficionados, was discovered. Parking at the Main Visitor Center is free, making the drive from Denver even easier. There are two trails on the mountain where people can explore alone or on guided tours. Dinosaur Ridge Trail is a paved part of West Alameda Parkway that is closed to regular traffic and open to pedestrians and bicyclists. There are signs marking geological and fossil sites along the path.

On the other hand, the Triceratops Trail is a gravel 1.5-mile trail primarily for hiking that leads people through old clay mining pits between tall sandstone walls. Many dinosaur tracks on the trail and different stops highlight geological, paleontological, and mining-related aspects of the walking route. Dinosaur Ridge recommends a guided or audio tour for this trail to maximize its educational impact.

Idaho Springs

Idaho Springs is another old Colorado mining town, and it is the location of the first gold discovery in the state, making it the starting point of the Colorado gold rush. Visitors can still tour the Argo Mill and Tunnel to see the old gold mill and what was once the world’s longest mining tunnel. Idaho Springs is only a forty-minute drive from central Denver, accessible via I-70. This small mountain town has many historic buildings with plaques along Miner Street, the central vein of the National Historic District, designating essential buildings. Restaurants and local breweries abound. True to the town’s name, the famed Indian Hot Springs are a popular relaxation destination.

Mount Blue Sky, another one of Colorado’s fourteeners, is next to Idaho Springs. The Mount Blue Sky Scenic and Historic Byway takes drivers to the summit of the mountain, which is the highest paved road in the Northern Hemisphere. The road is open from Memorial Day through Labor Day and requires a timed-entry reservation.

Castlewood Canyon State Park

Castlewood Canyon State Park near Franktown, Colorado, protects the Castlewood Canyon Dam, which burst in 1933, so a 15-foot-high wave of water swept through Denver. That proximity to Denver was not an advantage at the time, to say the least, but it makes for a relatively quick and easy day trip, being only a forty-five-minute drive from Denver. The ruins of the dam, as well as the old homestead, remain in the state park for hikers to see. Visitors can hike, picnic, rock climb, grill, and explore exhibits at the Visitor Center. Hikes range in difficulty from easy to moderate and in length from half a mile to four miles. Cherry Creek flows along the floor of the canyon. On the edge of the canyon is a natural amphitheater and the Bridge Canyon Overlook gazebo, both popular venues for outdoor weddings and other events. Castlewood Canyon State Park is also one of the best places for birding near Denver, so those interested in spotting some of the avian wildlife in the area would find a day trip to this state park well worth their while.

The Mile High City, with its position on the high rolling plains near the foothills of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, functions as a gate to the Rocky Mountains, making it a hub for day trips and expeditions up into the mountains. Its proximity to many smaller towns, breathtaking natural formations, panoramic views, and world-class outdoor adventure activities make Denver an excellent destination for those interested in exploring what the Rocky Mountains offer.