Colorado is understood for its mountain landscapes, breathtaking vistas and craft brews, and you’ll take pleasure in all these issues and extra totally free.
From scenic drives and ghost cities to world-class hikes, off-grid tenting and even a pageant celebrating a lifeless man on ice, Colorado has a dizzying array of sights and actions that don’t price a dime.
1. Hike round Pink Rocks Amphitheatre
World-renowned for its pure acoustics and beautiful magnificence, Pink Rocks Park and Amphitheatre is an outside theater constructed between towering 400ft-high purple sandstone rocks. Summer season nights deliver big-name bands and sold-out crowds, however the amphitheater and surrounding space are open and free to go to throughout the day.
Discover the venue, take a look at the panoramic views after which hit the numerous miles of trails by the encircling meadows and memorable namesake purple rock formations.
2. Drive the Million Greenback Freeway
Deep within the San Juan Mountains, the Million Greenback Freeway is certainly one of Colorado’s most mind-blowing scenic drives. Stretching between the cities of Ouray and Silverton, tight hairpin turns minimize by the Uncompahgre Gorge, the place steep mountainsides loom massive and shut and the valley beneath dotted with fir bushes and wildflowers.
Planning Tip: Drive with warning. The highway is formidable, even in good climate – and the shortage of guardrails doesn’t assist. Reap the benefits of pullouts. The Pink Mountain Go (11,018ft) is a favourite for its 360-degree views.
3. Climb Colorado’s 14ers
Colorado is residence to greater than 50 peaks larger than 14,000ft (therefore the title “14ers”), every a present of breathtaking views from the highest of the world. Whereas climbing at altitude isn’t any joke, the number of 14ers within the state supply entry to all ranges of hikers.
Whether or not you determine to hike the brief 3-mile path to Quandary Peak close to Breckenridge, deal with a multi-day path to Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain Nationwide Park or make a run at Mt Elbert – the tallest of all of them – all of them ship large.
4. Study Native tradition at Hovenweep Nationwide Monument
Historical tradition, pure magnificence and the creativeness interweave at Hovenweep Nationwide Monument, an archaeological website on a vibrant desert panorama spanning the Colorado–Utah border. The positioning encompasses six Ancestral Puebloan villages, which have been inhabited from 500 to 1300 CE.
In the present day, a number of dwellings, ceremonial kivas and sandstone towers stay, perched on canyon rims. Roads and trails lead guests by the location, showcasing the exceptional masonry and design, a memorable testomony to the ability and artfulness of its long-ago inhabitants.
5. Go to Backyard of the Gods
Backyard of the Gods is a spectacular showcase of purple sandstone rock with a mountain backdrop of Pikes Peak. Discover the park’s intricate community of trails (some paved, most not) previous mammoth boulders, jutting fins and exquisitely skinny pinnacles. Carry a picnic and watch rock climbers check their nerves on towering partitions.
A customer middle has hands-on displays plus educated rangers who supply useful ideas and maps. Guided excursions of the park are provided for a small price.
Planning Tip: Come on a weekday to keep away from the crowds.
6. Get inventive at Anderson Ranch Artwork Heart
Anderson Ranch Art Center is a buzzing, magical place, and it is an inventive and cultural hub for the area situated on a five-acre historic ranch exterior of Aspen. Guests can observe internationally famend artists at work, wander by the sculpture gardens and benefit from the works within the up to date artwork gallery.
Planning Tip: Free cultural occasions – lectures, salons, workshops – are provided all year long too.
7. Go dispersed tenting
Dispersed tenting – tenting on federal lands, away from established campgrounds – is a one-of-a-kind strategy to expertise Colorado’s outdoor. Dispersed tenting takes you deep into Colorado’s nationwide forests and Bureau of Land Administration (BLM) lands to benefit from the nice outdoor with no crowds and no charges.
With nearly 23 million acres of public land in Colorado, you may discover loads of choices from mountain peaks and aspen forests to excessive desert mesas and river valleys.
Planning Tip: Most dispersed tenting areas are accessible by filth roads. Cease at ranger stations for maps and search for tent symbols alongside the way in which.
8. Get spooked in St Elmo ghost city
St Elmo is Colorado’s finest preserved ghost city, an deserted mining settlement tucked into the bottom of the Collegiate Peaks. Listed on the Nationwide Register of Historic Locations, greater than 40 buildings stay, most relationship to the Eighties when the city was at its peak.
Wandering previous the saloon and billiards corridor, courthouse and jail, guests get a captivating peek into Colorado’s previous, when gold and silver dominated these hills. Search for the small placards on every constructing for details about its historical past.
Planning Tip: It is fashionable on summer season weekends, however a well-maintained filth highway takes guests to St Elmo year-round.
9. Gown up for Frozen Useless Man Days
Frozen Dead Guy Days is a fabulously quirky and macabre pageant that pulls greater than 25,000 folks to Nederland every spring. The three-day occasion celebrates Grandpa Bredo Morstoel, a Norwegian transplant who’s cryogenically frozen in an area Tuff Shed awaiting his large thaw (severely). A hearse parade and coffin races, polar plunging and frozen turkey bowling make this a pageant to recollect.
Planning Tip: Costumes are inspired – the weirder the higher.
10. Tour Nice Divide Brewing Firm
Colorado takes its beer severely, treating craft brewing like a excessive artwork. Among the many state’s many masters, Nice Divide Brewing Firm constantly stands out. The brewery has garnered numerous awards for its exquisitely daring and balanced beers, together with 18 medals on the Nice American Beer Competition.
Planning Tip: Free family-friendly excursions of its downtown Denver brewhouse are provided day by day, first come first served (12 and over solely). It is a worthwhile cease for a behind-the-scenes peek at how its masterpieces are made.
