A Hiker's Guide to the Denver Area
Colorado is a hiker's paradise. You don't have to go far from the city of Denver to find great mountain views and diverse trails. This guide will help the outdoor lover explore the city and provides food and restaurant recommendations to refuel after the hike. This list doesn't include hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Day hikes in the Denver area
While I don't think any of these hikes would be too challenging for most hikers, keep in mind that the elevation will make them more difficult. We had already been in Colorado for 4 days before we got to Denver, so we had adjusted to the altitude by this point.
Mount Galbraith Loop
Golden, CO | 4 miles | moderate | 928 feet elevation | AllTrails
We liked this hike so much that it made our top 10 list of best hikes in 2020. We stayed in Golden and this hike is just a few minutes away from downtown Golden. The hike has jaw-dropping mountain views the entire time. It's hard to beat this hike in terms of how good the views are on a very moderate and accessible trail.
I recommend getting there early because the parking lot is small. We got there in time to see the sunrise over the first viewpoint and it was stunning. The small parking lot also meant that the crowds weren't too bad on the trail.
Fountain Valley Loop Trail, Roxborough State Park
Littleton, CO | 2.3 miles | easy | 324 feet elevation | AllTrails
Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs may be the more popular location to see red rocks in the area, but I preferred Roxborough State Park. There are definitely more formations at Garden of the Gods, but there are so many people there that it was hard for me to really enjoy it. Roxborough State Park was the exact opposite in terms of crowds. We only saw a couple of other people on the trail here.
The Fountain Valley Loop Trail is a great hike to see the red rock formations from several different viewpoints. It's a flat, paved trail that's an easy stroll. There's no shade, so it was very hot for us in the middle of the afternoon. Since it's a state park, there is a $10/car entrance fee.
First and Second Flatiron
Boulder, CO | 3.6 miles | moderate | 1,446 feet elevation | AllTrails
We were here during a September snow storm, so this hike didn't go as planned for us. There was still quite a bit of snow on the ground and we didn't come prepared to hike in the snow. My feet got wet and started getting numb, so we decided to turn around before we got to the end. I hate turning around before the end of a hike, but there wasn't going to be a view at the top because of the fog.
It's hard for me to speak to the views on this hike since we couldn't see much. The forest was beautiful covered in snow. As the elevation might suggest, this hike was on the more challenging side of moderate and was slippery with the snow.
Where to eat in the Denver area
I always look forward to our post-hike meals. Food always seems to taste just a little bit better after a hike. These were our favorite restaurants in the Denver area.
La Loma
Denver, Colorado | Yelp Review
We really enjoyed everywhere we ate in Denver, but La Loma tops the list. After hearing that green chili is a must try in Denver, I found many recommendations that said this was the best place for it. Since it's the only place we had it, I can't say if it's the best, but it was delicious. The chile relleno covered in green chili was my favorite. We loved this restaurant so much that it made our top 20 list of best restaurants in 2020.
Biker Jim's Gourmet Dogs
Denver, Colorado | Yelp Review
This was another restaurant on our top 20 list of best restaurants in 2020. We love finding loaded hot dog restaurants, but this was our first time finding a loaded sausage restaurant. My favorite part was the exotic meats that they serve. We tried ostrich, rattlesnake, and rabbit. The ostrich with the desert toppings was my favorite.
Denver Biscuit Co.
Denver, Colorado | Yelp Review
As the name suggests, this restaurant is known for all kinds of biscuits. The giant biscuit cinnamon roll was delicious and should be split between a large group of people. It was way too much for two people. My favorite thing was The Franklin biscuit sandwich. Fried chicken, bacon, and gravy on a biscuit is hard to beat.
Rincon Argentino
Boulder, Colorado | Yelp Review
These are some of the best empanadas I've ever had. With its unique creamy corn filling, the Choclo was my favorite, but all of the ones we tried were very good. This is probably a better place for a snack than a meal. The price point seems a little high for the size and I would have to spend quite a bit of money to actually eat enough for a meal here.
Voodoo Doughnut
Denver, Colorado | Yelp Review
Donuts are probably my favorite dessert so stopping at this well known donut shop was a must for me. The donuts did not disappoint—they made our top 15 list of best desserts in 2020. The Mango Tango and Key Lime Crush donuts were my favorites.
Doughnut Club
Denver, Colorado | Yelp Review
I wasn't kidding when I said I loved donuts, so I found another donut shop to try in Denver. These donuts are huge and they have all kinds of unique flavors. The Dip-a-Roo donut we got was their take on Dunkaroos and it was to die for.
High Point Creamery
Denver, Colorado | Yelp Review
Donuts may be my favorite dessert, but ice cream is Anthony's favorite dessert. By this point in our trip, Anthony was craving ice cream, so we stopped here since Extra Pack of Peanuts recommended it. Their flavors are incredibly unique and we got several pints to go. My favorites were Brown Sugar Cinnamon and Cornbread with Strawberry Jam.
