WE WILL BE UPDATING THIS POST SOON! [Ray and Maddie June 2023]
We've been living in Denver for about 2 years now. When visitors come out or someone we know will be in town that needs recommendations, we've developed a list that ensures you'll have a good time. Now anyone can just grab our recommendations straight from here!
Denver has so much to offer for a weekend trip, and if you're in Colorado for a full week the options are endless. There is so much to do outside, and it's versatile. It could be 60 and sunny for a good hike or hanging out on a brewery patio, while in the mountains it's 20 and dumping snow for great skiing/snowboarding. It has a little bit of everything for everyone.
Here's some of what we recommend!
Restaurants/Bars
El Five-Highlands
You should eat and drink in this neighborhood if you want to go out
Avanti (rooftop)-Highlands
Mizu Izakaya-Highlands
Williams & Graham-Highlands
Speakeasy
Little Man Ice Cream-Highlands
Uncle Ramen-Multiple locations
The place to get Ramen in Denver. They have a couple locations now. Sukiya mentioned below is solid too
Pony Up-LoDo
Lots of restaurants and bars in this area, union station, the Rockies stadium, and more. You could walk to the highlands from LODO
Union Station-LoDo
You can take a train from here to the airport for $10. Coffee shop, bar, shops
El Taco de Mexico-Near Downtown, South
Hole in the wall near downtown. Pork and Green Chile burrito smothered with green chile salsa/onions. Green chile is big out here, coming up from New Mexico
Westbound & Down-Idaho Springs 45 min from Denver
Phenomenal burgers. Great small mountain town vibe. Near Mt. Evans
Lariat Lodge-Evergreen
Close to Denver lunch/dinner, a little into the mountain. Nice patio, good food at a good price!
New Terrain Brewery-Golden
Has food trucks
Blue Moon Brewery-RiNo
Cool place, great beers, little out of the way but near downtown
Side note-there are a ton of breweries in Denver/Colorado. If you want something more local, they're around, like New Terrain mentioned above
The Source Hotel (Rooftop)-RiNo
This is a modern hotel with a New Belgium in the building. Along with this, there is a rooftop bar that has panoramic mountain views. Great place to see the sunset
Voodoo Donuts-Broadway
Denver Biscuit Co-Broadway
Sukiya Ramen-Broadway
Lowry Beer Garden-Lowry
Nice outdoor tables and great food
We Have In-N-Out Now!
Denver Central Market on Larimer Downtown/RiNo
lots of restaurants and stores around
Areas to Visit
Boulder
Pearl Street-strip of local shops, bars and restaurants. Street performers
Hikes all around
University of Colorado Boulder Campus
Surrounded by open space and mountains
Golden
Western feel and easy mountain access
A little more touristy, Coors brewery
Strip of restaurants and bars
Good hiking
A River that runs along the town (you can kayak/tube), and it runs into the Coors brewery (Clear Creek)
Morrison
Red Rocks-must go to a concert there
Strip of restaurants/shops
Hiking everywhere (Mt Falcon, Matthews-Winters, Dinosaur Ridge, Mt. Morrison)
Castle Pines
Great outlet mall
Great views
Lots of food options
Halfway in between Denver and Colorado Springs
Hikes
Mt Falcon
Looks West to the mountains, or East out to Denver Metro and Red Rocks. Good range of hike difficulty levels
Panaroma Point
Beautiful view and cool hangout area at the top. Close to Denver, not too difficult
Dinosaur Ridge
Cool hike near Red Rocks and the Morrison valley. Parks and hikes occupy a large portion of that valley
North Table Top
A steep half-mile and then a flat top where you can get a good look at the front range, and a cool view of Downtown Denver. It's near Golden and not too far from Boulder
Greenbriar Connector Trail in Boulder
Easy hike looking at the Flatirons
St Mary's Glacier/Alice
Busy, but challenging hikes that end in alpine lakes and insane mountain views
Sapphire Point Overlook
Look over Lake Dillon at Breckenridge and the Tenmile Range. Beautiful
Lookout Mountain
Easy access from Golden and Denver. You can drive to the top, hiking is optional. Buffalo Bill's gravesite and museum is up there. You can get mountain views including the Flatirons to the north, and then a great Denver city view from above (we suggest going right before sunset)
Mt. Evans
The road is only open part of the year (so be sure to check before going). It's a fourteener you can basically drive to the top of, but tons of hikes are around too (ex: Echo Lake). Get hydrated before and bring a portable O2 tank
Download AllTrails
This is how we find hikes and track them
Mountain Excursions
Rocky Mountain National Park-Estes Park (1.5 hours from Denver)
EPIC. Get there early, it gets busy
The annual pass is $80. Worth it if you're going to 3+ National Parks per year, it's usually in the $25-$40 range to get into a National Park per visit
Garden of the Gods-Colorado Springs (1.5 hours from Denver)
Walk around the cool red rocks and explore nearby areas like Manitou Springs. Check out the Manitou Incline. You could make a loop from Denver down I-25 South, then drive around Pike's Peak through the mountain, and back up to Denver. It's a beautiful drive
Palisade/Grand Junction/Moab (4.5 hours from Denver)
Where the desert meets mountains, there is a beautiful valley where famous Palisade peaches are grown, and there are a bunch of wineries. Great camping nearby in Rabbit Valley. You can get a dirtbike or dune buggy and cruise around, or head a little further to Moab
National Sand Dunes (4 hours from Denver)
Massive sand dunes in the middle of Colorado with the snowcapped Rockies in the backdrop. A site to see. Hike or sandboard!
Ouray (6 hours from Denver)
Known as the Switzerland of America. Ouray is nestled in between dramatic mountain walls and peaks nearby. This is a classic, small mountain town. If you're down here, you have to go to Telluride too, about an hour away (6.5 hours from Denver)
Drive into Buena Vista/ Twin Lakes/Aspen (2.5-3.5 hours from Denver)
You'll drive through some mountains into a valley surrounded by peaks. From there you'll descend into Buena Vista, seeing the massive mountains behind it. Really cool views, then you can head into the mountains for hiking, including nearby Twin Lakes. Last time we were there we saw an eagle perch up on a branch from probably 20 feet away, and had a beach all to ourselves to drink and snack in the fall weather
Salida (3 hours from Denver
If you're heading to the dunes, Ouray, or Crested Butte, Salida is a good place to stop. 285 North/South and 50 East/West meet there. We stayed there with some friends to break up a trip to the dunes and found great local food, and stayed in an awesome modernized western motel.
Skiing/Snowboarding
Leave early or expect bad traffic on weekends
Weather can change rapidly, and so can travel time
We have the Epic Pass and haven't been to any Ikon resort except for A-Basin, which is why the below only discusses Epic Pass/Vail Resorts. We've heard great things and look forward to visiting the other resorts!
Vail (2 hours from Denver)
Lionshead village has a good parking garage close to Eagle Bahn Gondola/Born Free
Great back bowls and a variety of terrain. Vail is massive. Be sure to go all the way back to Blue Sky Basin. The groomers are phenomenal too
When you're done on the slopes, grab a beer and a mountainous batch of nachos at Garfinkels
Keystone (1.5 hours from Denver)
Free Parking at River Run Village (Get there early or it will fill up and you'll have to shuttle in from further lots)
River Run Village is a cool little town-Pizza on the Run and Kickapoo Tavern are solid picks for post-mountain food
Keystone has good mountains that go straight back a few peaks, has bowls and tough terrain, while also having long greens and being family-friendly
Breckenridge (1.5 hours from Denver)
One of the most touristy resorts. Busy and longer lines
The town is a lot of fun. Great restaurants and bars
Great variety of terrain, countless runs
Telluride (6.5 hours from Denver)
Such a cool little town with everything you want. Phenomenal ski resort. Epic views. One road in and out.
Go to Brown Dog Pizza
Take a Southwest flight into nearby Montrose from Denver (if the drive is too much)
General Tips
Get hydrated and stay hydrated. The altitude is no joke, you don't want to get altitude sickness. Liquid IV is helpful.
Bring lotion and chapstick, it's super dry here
If you're renting a car, get a 4WD/AWD car if you're going to the mountains. It's dangerous, and you can get fined if you get stuck/cause traffic if your vehicle is underprepared. Mountain pass driving is intense!
Get a portable oxygen can (or 2)
Bring boots
Bring layers and options for all types of weather