Denver! 4 Top Things to do Outside the City
I had such a blast in Denver, but one of the main reasons I wanted to stop here was The Garden of the Gods. It’s located South of Denver just outside Colorado Springs, about an hour away. I was so excited to visit after seeing pics of it! Little did I know I’d meet someone in a Denver bar who absolutely loves their City and state! So I got to tour a couple of other places with Greg from Denver!
Garden Of The Gods
Garden of the Gods is a gorgeous park found just outside Colorado Springs and was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1971. It’s renowned for the stunning red rock geological formations which contrast with the green shrubbery which surrounds it. To get there you can take a bus from Denver which drops you off in Colorado Springs then a taxi over. The buses run pretty regularly and I found it pretty easy to do.
Garden of the Gods is perfect for nature lovers, not only are the views of the park amazing, but you can see out to Pike’s Peak and the Rocky mountains. Take time to wander around the visitor centre, there is loads of cool info about the history of the park. Including all the animals you could see, info about the rocks and even dinosaurs that roamed the area. There is also info about the indiginous people who lived here.
From the visitor centre it’s about a 15 minute walk to the first rocks called the North and South Gateways. They are just amazing, huge pinnacles of red rock thrust out of the ground. There were some hawks flying overhead and the sun was shining, I was so happy and couldn’t wait to explore more!
There are several trails to take, I took a pic of the map and then followed the Bretag trail around the rocks, getting amazing views of the park. This linked with the Palmer trail, which takes you along a small ridge overlooking the rocks.
I passed some amazing rock formations, the layers and colours are insane. Then I started getting the views over towards Pikes Peak, the mountains were coloured blue by the haze, stunning. I kinda stumbled upon The Siamese Twins, two little pinnacles joined by rock, this was a great spot to stop for some snacks.
I followed the map back to the Scotsman trail, and up the Buckskin Charlie trail to do a full circle. The views were just changing constantly while huge rocks reared up before me. One named the Sleeping Giant and another called Grey rock, the only one not a vibrant shade of red.
I did a loop on the ridge trail to get some views from higher up. Then I followed the Ute trail back to the Gateways. I realised I hadn’t got up close and personal with these yet. So I followed the Gateway trail back to the rocks, marvelling at them from below.
Then I spotted a sign stating the park was given to Colorado springs council in 1909 and was to be forever free to the public. Alas I had to leave for the bus, I walked back towards the visitor centre, glancing back now and again to have one last look.
From the centre it was easy to book an uber with their wifi and head back into town. I would say the area I got the bus back from – Tejon park n ride was a little sketchy, so maybe get it from a different stop. Instead of aiting around there I went to the gas station nearby and picked up some snacks for the bus ride. Even the ride was nice, watching the sun set over the mountains. It felt like a really good day of nature and amazing views.
Steamboat Springs
Steamboat Springs is about a 3 hour drive from Denver. It’s a ski town so you have ski season through Winter, mud season either side of ski season and Summer. Steamboat was originally inhabited by the Utes who hunted their during Summer. Unfortunately the Utes were forcibly removed from the area in 1879, a terrible start to the formation of the town by James Crawford who arrived in 1874 with his family.
Steamboat is home to many natural hot springs, and this is where they got the name. Trappers thought the sound was a steamboat coming down the river, but it was actually the sound of the hot spring! We were staying in a cute lodge called the Ptarmigan. With a pool, jacuzzi and huge fire in the room, it was perfect!
Since there was no skiing, we decided to do a few hikes. First was a nice gentle one called Spring Creek trail. Taking us from the town up to a beautiful frozen lake. It was October and there was so much snow in the shaded areas, and none where the sun got it! It was great to get out and hike, so I was excited for the next stop.
We drove up to Fish Creek falls which was amazing, the falls were all frozen over. There’s the cutest bridge crossing Fish Creek and a chipmunk even popped up to say hello. The walk down from the carpark was a bit steep but manageable with good footwear.
We stopped here for a break and some delicious snacks. American snacks are just next level. Dinner was at a cute Mexican place called Taco Cabo with delicious quesadillas and jarritos. With a great view over the river.
That night we were headed to Strawberry Springs, these amazing natural hot springs that have been turned into these huge pools.There is a hot pool, a warm pool and a cool pool, it’s cash only and costs $20 each. Going at night was incredible, we had water and snacks and just sat there soaking for hours watching the brilliant show the stars gave us. I felt so relaxed and the surroundings were amazing, barely anyone else was there. After dark it’s also clothing optional if you want to live a little !
The next day I was woken up by a call to come outside, and right next to the hotel were two bears in the trees! It was incredible and I couldn’t believe my luck! I stood and watched them play aorund eating in the tree for ages, I was so happy! It would be hard to beat that start to a day, but off we went for another hike.
Today we were trying out Mad Creek trail, this was a great hike and manageable for anyone. The trail wuickly gets you up onto a ridge looking down into a deep gorge. I spent half my time looking for more bears or other animals but only saw a few eagles.
The path then opens up out of the woods and onto a huge plain with an old barn hosue that you can explore. We wandered on up to Mad Creek and it was partly frozen over. The views were amazing, what a great way to end the trip. It was a nice steady walk back down to the car park, where we obviously had to have more snacks.
We drove back into Steamboat and walked along the main street, it’s your typical outdoorsy place with lots of shops selling hiking/skiing gear and other knick knacks. The springs running into the river are interesting though, so we wandered along the bank of the river for a little while before turning back for food.
This evening we stopped at the Mountain tap brewery, ate some delicious pizza and washed it down with great beers which I completely forgot to take pics of.
That night we picked up some cool sounding beers and spent the evening chatting away in the hot tub, an amazing way to end the trip.
Red Rocks Park
Red Rocks is the premier concert venue in Colorado and maybe one of the best venues I’ve ever visited. It’s a short drive out from Denver and started out as a natural acoustics venue in 1906-1910. Now it’s hosted some of the biggest names in music ever. It was also once used by the Ute tribe with archaeological signs found here.
I visited in the day when there was no concert on, and then again for a $10 concert! By day it was amazing, it lives up to it’s red rocks name with huge formations towering above us. The museum was really interesting too, seeing all the great bands that have played there was amazing.
The views were incredible too, and returning at nigh for a concert was insane. The whole place was packed out and the sound was amazing. I was so happy that I got to see a show there, as it can be difficult to get tickets and expensive.
Just down the road from Red Rocks is the Dinosaur Ride Discovery Centre and a Dinosaur bone site! I love stuff like this so we had to stop off. We didn’t go into the centre but walked up the Dinosaur Ridge trailhead which was fab. There were some bones and footprints of dinosaurs, with info boards describing what you could see.
Evergreen and Golden
Just a short drive out West from Denver are two magical places up in the Rocky mountains. They’re perfect as a day trip and you could incorporate Red Rocks too. First stop was Evergreen, a picturesque town named after the trees that surround it. It’s well known for the beautiful lake, in Summer you can paddelboard and kayak, in Winter you can ice skate on it!
We had a lovely walk around the whole lake. The air was fresh and crisp and the sun was shining. Halfway aroudnd there’s a dam with a cool statue, and we even spotted deer! The lake was so still, it was truly magical. There’s a lakehouse at one end which is used as an events venue. What a gorgeous spot for a wedding or birthday.
Next up was the town of Golden, home of Coors beer, jolly ranchers and the National renewable energy lab! Nearby Lookout mountain is also where Buffalo Bill is buried! It’s so cool, the main road is a nod to it’s role as a gold rush town. The school of geology and mines is here as well as the Colorado railroad museum. Today we were just visiting the Golden MIll, one of the coolest breweries I’ve been to!
You swap your credit card for their swipe card and head to the taps. Now you can help yourself to as much or as little of all the beers they do! Such a cool concept and it meant you could try a bit of each one before deciding. I loved it, and the views over the iver and out towards the mountains was exceptional. The food was really good too but I forgot to take a pic!
I just got a taste of these mountain towns but I would go back in a heartbeat. The landscapes were amazing. You can take a light rail train to Golden from Denver if you don’t drive. For more fun things to do in Denver click HERE. (Coming soon) For more North Maerica content click HERE.
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