DENVER, COLORADO

​https://youtu.be/r8uwifTL8QA

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I spent four fantastic days solo traveling in Denver at the end of May 2017 exploring the city and the beautiful parks / landscape to the south and northeast of the city.  I hope you enjoy some of my tips and recommendations!

Accommodation
I stayed at Hostel Fish right in the heart of downtown Denver.  The hostel was extremely clean, had lockers in the bedrooms, and had very courteous and helpful staff.  There was also a small little bar with comfy couches and free coffee that made it very easy to meet fellow travelers.  The hostel was located really close to Union Station and all of Denver's attractions; as an added bonus it was also close to a couple of car rental places.  While everything about the hostel was generally great, its tri-level bunk beds were a little too high and difficult to get in and out of.  To get to the hostel I took the train from the airport to Union Station and walked, since the train is a little slow, i took about an hour.  
https://hostelfish.com/ 

Things to do in Downtown Denver

1. Go on a free tour of the State Capitol Building and climb to the top of its dome!  Free public tours of the Capitol building are offered hourly from 10:00am - 3:00pm, Monday through Friday.  Not only do you get to learn about the state capital building, but you also get to hear about the history of the state of Colorado, if you only have time for one thing while in downtown Denver, I'd recommend you do this.  https://leg.colorado.gov/node/1024591/
2. Do a free walking tour of the city!  The walking tour with Denver Free Walking Tour was pretty informative and takes you from the Capitol to Coor's field.  While this wasn't one of the best free walking tours I have ever been on, I still found the tour informative and enjoyable.  Go on the tour and then grab a bite to eat afterward!  https://www.denverfreewalkingtours.com/free-tour 
3.  Check out Denver's Botanic Gardens.  While the plants at the Botanic Gardens were all very beautiful, the highlight to me was the impressive and magnificent modern buildings on the grounds. I was particularly impressed with the modern "Science Pyramid" and the Conservatory.  I'd recommend you take a Taxi / Uber to the Botanic Gardens because they are a bit far from downtown, and there is not much to see along the way if you do decide to walk.  
4. Elitch Gardens and  Confluence Park are right along the river and might be worth checking out if you've got some extra time.  Elitch Gardens is an amusement park and Confluence Park is a small area along the river that has nice views of the bridge and of the downtown area.  
5. Check out a Baseball Game at Coor's Field.  Coor's field is located right in the middle of Downtown, so if the Rockies are in town you should check out a game! 
6. Walk around downtown and check out Civic Center Park in front of the capital building and check out the Convention Center and its blue trees.  More generally, just walk around the downtown area, there are tons of shops, restaurants and breweries to check out.  

Seasonal Festivals and Activities

• ​Art District First Friday Art Walks - On the first Friday of each month on Santa Fe Avenue tons of art studios, shops and other vendors open up and provide access for free, sometimes with free food and drink!  This was one of my favorite experiences when I was in Denver.  Not only was it great to walk around and check out the all of the art on display, but I also got to make some art of my own at the library which had free painting supplies.  Check out the website for more info:           
  • https://www.denver.org/things-to-do/denver-arts-culture/denver-art-districts/
• Larimer Square Chalk Festival - Larimer Square, which is one of the oldest looking and feeling parts of Denver hosts a chalk art festival each summer, see the pictures above and check the website for more info
  • ​https://www.denver.org/things-to-do/denver-arts-culture/denver-art-districts/ 
• Civic Center Park Cornhole - There was a festival with food trucks and cornhole at Civic Center Park (May 30th or so), check it out while you are there.  
• Check out After-Hour Events at the Museums
  • https://www.denver.org/things-to-do/denver-arts-culture/after-hours-museums/
• Denver "Things-To-Do" - Check out this list to find any other events that may be going on during your trip:  
  • https://www.denver.org/things-to-do/ 

Things to do outside of Denver

• Red Rocks Amphitheater
  • ​This famous music venue is located just outside the city and is truly a beautiful site to behold.  There's no need to buy tickets or go see a show to visit this amazing venue because Red Rocks Park is open to the public from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset every day of the year. On concert days the Amphitheatre may close to the public after lunch for sound checks and other operational issues.  Check out their website for lists of shows and to check to make sure the park is open.  
    • ​http://redrocksonline.com/visitor-info/visitor-faq 
• Colorado Springs 
  • Garden of the Gods is a small natural wonder with massive monoliths of sandstone rock nestled in the Rocky Mountains.  Since the park itself is small and relatively flat, walking around the giant towers of stone is wonderfully easy going and quick.  I spent about an hour or so walking through the sandstone towers and taking pictures.  
    • https://www.gardenofgods.com/ 
    • Seven Falls is actually a privately owned waterfall and natural area, so you have to pay admission to get in.   Given that I was already in Colorado Springs I decided to check it out.  The waterfall itself is really pretty and the hike to the top of the stairs and around the forest was actually quite nice, although I would say there are not any "showstopper" type attractions other than the waterfall and the walk that leads up to it.  Check out the website for more information:
      • https://www.broadmoor.com/broadmoor-adventures/seven-falls/ 
  • Manitou Cliff Dwellings are another cool activity you can do in the Colorado Springs area.  Given that it was a bit rainy the day I went, I decided to check these out since the dwellings help shield you from the rain.  It was fun to walk through the dwellings and imagine how people might have lived in them; the accompanying museum was relatively small but provided some historcial background and insight into the dwellings.  Like Seven Falls, these seem to be privately owned and you had to pay a small fee to get inside.  Check out the website for more information:
    • http://www.cliffdwellingsmuseum.com/ 
  • Pikes Peak Cog Railway or Incline Hike - A friend of mine recommended that I check out / attempt the famed Incline Hike.  I had heard it was a pretty epic hike to the top of this mountain that is almost completely vertical, sounds like fun right? Cameron Chambers, the National Mountain Biking Champion, describes the hike as follows: "I can't think of any particular workout, route, or activity that forces you to push your boundaries quite like the Incline does."   The other alternative to get to the top of the mountain would have been to take the railway car to the top.  Given that it was rainy out I decided that neither was really a good idea, but it may be willing to check out on your trip.  
    • https://www.visitcos.com/things-to-do/outdoors/manitou-incline-near-colorado-springs-colorado/ 
    • https://www.cograilway.com/rates-times.asp
• Rocky Mountain National Park was by far one of the highlights of my trip, if not all of my travels.  It's a good idea to get to the park early, because parking is a bit limited.  No matter where you end up parking, there are a variety of shuttles that will take you to the trail-heads that you'd like to go to.  Tat being said, I would recommend you take any parking spot you can get, and then hop on a shuttle!
  • ​Bear Lake, Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, and Emerald Lake were by far some of the most absolutely beautiful areas I have ever seen in my life.  The Shuttle Bus will drop you off right at Bear Lake, which is just a short walk away from the shuttle stop.  Although I went in the summer, there was still tons of snow in the mountains and as a result hiking was pretty precarious because all of the snow and ice covered paths;  I actually wiped out twice!  The second time I wiped out so hard that my watch band actually broke, and I did not discover that my watch was missing until I was about 10 or more minutes farther down the path.  Fortunately some fellow hikers found my watch and put it on a stump for me!  Another secret tip is to keep an empty plastic water bottle in your back pack with the lid left slightly loose so that air can escape; this ended up acting as an air bag of sorts when I fell flat on my back!  Wipeouts aside, after checking out Bear Lake I would recommend you follow the signs all the way to Emerald Lake, passing by Nymph and Dream Lakes on the way.  The walk leading up to Emerald Lake was incredible (this is at the very end of my video) and the snow in the mountains made the scene even more majestic.  
• Boulder Colorado is a classic college town that is home to the University of Colorado Boulder.  It's actually very easy to get here from Downtown Denver, as the FlatIron Flyer Bus is an express bus that takes you from Denver's Union Station to downtown Boulder. 
  
  • http://www.rtd-denver.com/flatiron-flyer.shtml
    
    • ​Pearl Street - I was lucky to go to Boulder during the weekend while a festival was going on.  The main stretch through town on Pearl Street is filled with interesting shops, cafes and restaurants.  Because there was a festival going on, there were tons of vendors and street performers lining the streets and stationed all over the town.  
      • https://www.boulderdowntown.com/events 
        
    • Chautauqua Park & The Flat Irons - After exploring the downtown area a bit I decided to go and do the famed Flatiron Hikes in Chautauqua Park.  I decided to walk about 15 or so minutes through the city / residential neighborhoods to get to the park.  Once there I followed the signs to climb to the top of the first flatiron.  Now, pretty much everyone I talked to told me that the hike should take about 30 minutes or so; that was definitely not the case!  I hiked vertically on the trail for about 1 hour or so before realizing I was only about 1/2 of the way up the Flatiron!  Since I had to catch an afternoon flight back in Denver, I sadly had to head back down.  Regardless of how far you make it up, the views from the top and along the path are pretty nice, and they are full of people to talk to!  At first the path is pretty easy going, although it is a giant hill.  As the hike progresses and you get farther up the flatiron, the path tends to get a little more precarious, as the flat path transitions to climbing over large rocks; if you are afraid of heights, this part is relatively safe, but definitely a little scary.  
      • https://dayhikesneardenver.com/hike-the-first-second-flatirons-trail-boulder/ 
        

​Food
Denver has an abundance of delicious food and craft beer spots, so here are some of my most favorite spots! 

• Ice Cream Riot - Owned and operated by a Philadelphia Native, this Ice Cream shop is awesome and has some quirky flavors like goldfish crackers (actually pretty good!).  While its ice cream flavors are unique, this shop is really famous for its Pop-Tart Ice Cream Sandwiches.  While these are definitely a challenge to eat, they are truly delicious!  I can't believe nobody has thought of this before....
• Steuben's - This restaurant is nearby Ice Cream Riot and had some nice sandwiches and other food.  I thought this was a good place for lunch!  
• Sam's No. 3 - Located pretty much in the heart of downtown Denver, this restaurant is like your classic diner.  Prices were low, portions were big and the food was delicious!  
• Alamo Draft House - Have you ever wanted to drink a beer or eat some chicken wings at the movie theater?  If you answered yes to this questionm then this place is definitely for you!  You can continue to order food and drinks for the entirety of the movie which is very convenient.  The warm cookies were a nice end of day treat.  
• Denver Biscuit Company - This restaurant was featured on DDD, and is very deserving of this honor!  On the morning of my trip to Garden of the Gods, I stopped here to fill up before all my hikes.  The gravy loaded biscuit breakfast sandwich I had was one of the best I have ever had!  
• Ratio Beerworks - A hip brewery on he northeast of town is a unique spot to go because they've got a backroom that hosts free comedy! Make sure to check their website or Facebook page to see whether or not their is a show the night you are planning to go.  
• Avanti Food Beverage - While I did not make it here on my trip, Avanti Food and Beverage is a food hall of sorts that has tons of different food offerings.  I heard very good things!  
• Coor's Brewery - Sadly, I was also unable to go on the Coor's Brewery Tour, but the brewery is not that far outside of the city.  

In Boulder

• Half Fast Subs - A quintessential college classic, grab a quick sub for lunch and head over to Chautauqua Park!  

While I did not go to any of these restaurants, a good friend from Boulder recommended them!

• The Sink
• The Kitchen
• The West End Tavern 
• Rio Grande Mexican
• Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery

Shoutout and special thanks to Anna Damm for all of her amazing Colorado tips!  Thanks to my new friends Gillian, Jessica, AJ, Kelsea and the girl that gave me a spider-man lower back tattoo for my making my trip so much fun!  

PLACES VISITED