Editor’s note: While I’ve spent time in the amazing natural areas of Colorado, Denver is a city I’ve really only been through. Writer Sam Spector makes a nice case here for spending a long weekend – or more – in the metro area, and not just heading out to the mountains. For more of Sam’s writing, please click here to visit his index page.

In my home of Salt Lake City, there is a little bit of a rivalry with Denver. Both cities are the largest and the capitals of their state. Both cities are also adored by outdoors enthusiasts and are known for their close proximity to the mountains, with Salt Lake City being right on the Wasatch Front and Denver in the shadow of the Rockies. Denver is about twice the size of Salt Lake City, so it has more to offer in some regards, while Salt Lake City is a bit easier to navigate and is in closer proximity to the mountains. However, where Denver really shines is not the city itself but in what is nearby to it. I recently visited the Mile High City for a few days, and here are my recommendations on how to spend three days in the Denver area.

Firstly, the city of Denver itself does not seem to have a bunch of tourist attractions (perhaps locals would disagree with me) like cities like New York or San Francisco have. While the city does have nice parks and museums, it is largely what is just beyond the city limits that attracts visitors. I will give the city itself a shoutout for one place that I visited and that is Coors Field, the home of the Colorado Rockies. Coors Field was built in 1995 and was at the time (and remains today) one of the most beautiful stadiums in baseball and is in downtown Denver. Aside from being an aesthetically pleasing ballpark from the outside, the designers of Coors Field did a fantastic job of combining Colorado’s natural setting with the ballpark itself. If you go to The Rooftop, the highest part of the stadium along the first base side, you will be treated to views of the Rocky Mountains and gorgeous sunsets, as well as the Denver skyline. Just beyond centerfield, there is a tiny forest that has been created with tall trees that one would find in the Rockies, and even a little hiking path. The trees then extend into the bullpens. With Denver taking pride in being a mile above sea level, a row of purple chairs that goes around the stadium in the upper deck bleachers shows where you are 5280 feet above sea level. Finally, the stadium even embraces its local food culture, not only having a plethora of the stadium’s namesake Coors beers, but also even serving the local delicacy of Rocky Mountain oysters (if you do not know what they are, look it up; they’re not oysters), which was a bit too adventurous for me. If you are a baseball lover, definitely add Coors Field to your list of stadiums to visit.

There are numerous great suburbs to Denver right outside the city. The college town of Boulder offers visitors great outdoor activities, a university feel, and upscale restaurants; however, we opted to go to the even closer town of Golden. Golden is also a college town, being the home of the prestigious Colorado School of Mines; however, more famously, Golden is the home of the massive Coors Brewing Company, which boasts that it uses water from the local Rockies to make its beers. You can take tours at the brewery, exploring one of America’s most famous beers. I recommend going to the Golden Mill, which is a food hall, where with the scan of a card they give you, you can pour your own drinks and get a variety of foods from the vendors there (it does add up quickly and is overpriced, but it is fun). These types of food halls seem to be rather popular in the Denver area, and each large suburb and Denver itself have them. On the upstairs patio, you will get a great view of the sprawling campus of the brewery, and at night it is completely lit up. The Golden Mill is also right next to Clear Creek, a whitewater river that goes through the heart of the town, offering a river walk and also in certain areas the most famous kayaking and rafting in the state.

There is a quaint center of town with restaurants and stores to visit, and on the main street is an antique archway sign that reads “Howdy Folks! Welcome to Golden, Where the West Lives”. Golden was, back in the day, a gold mining town, and its history truly speaks to the days of the old wild west, with the town being home today to a museum and the grave of Buffalo Bill Cody.

Only about an hour northwest of Golden and an hour and a half northwest of Denver is Rocky Mountain National Park. Due to its fame and proximity to a large city, this park is visited by many tourists and suffers from overtourism, leading to people needing to get timed entry passes in advance for certain peak times to enter the park as a whole, as well as for popular trails. As I had my three little kids with me and needed stroller accessibility, I did not get to take full advantage of the great hiking the park has to offer. However, I did get to do a few short, stroller accessible trails such as Lily Lake, Alluvial Fan, and Hidden Valley. This park is home to beautiful views of the peaks, thick forests, wildflowers, streams, and fauna like deer, elk, moose, bears, and bighorn sheep. The park is beautiful, and like other national parks in America, it is easy to see why it has rightfully earned this designation. Just outside the park are two great tourist towns with shops, family-friendly activities and great restaurants: Lyons, which is smaller and quieter, and the very busy and packed Estes Park.

On my final day in Denver, I drove an hour and a half south to the second largest city in Colardo, Colorado Springs, which is home to half a million residents. Colorado Springs is at the foot of the inspiration for America, The Beautiful: Pikes Peak. The town has a downtown but also an old town that has a street of shops and restaurants to explore. The Arkansas River runs right through the city and, like Golden, offers kayaking and whitewater rafting. Just outside the town is Manitou Springs, a town similar to Estes Park, that is geared towards tourists with a prominent main street full of great restaurants, microbreweries, and shops. Kids and kids at heart will love the 1950s arcade that still has antique rides and arcades that you can play for only a quarter.

The main attraction of Colorado Springs is the Garden of the Gods Park, which like Rocky Mountain National Park does have lots of tourism, but fortunately offers a nearby overflow lot if you cannot find parking. The park is a protected geological treasure of jagged rocks that protrude dramatically into the sky with Pikes Peak and other mountains in the background. Look for the most famous rock formations of the Kissing Camels, which looks like two camels kissing with a window showing Pikes Peak between them, Siamese Twins, Steamboat Rock, and Balance Rock. There are numerous hiking trails of varying degrees of length and difficulty for people to explore. Garden of the Gods is, much like my article on Goblin Valley in Utah, a geological wonder that will leave a lasting impression.

I did each of these activities I mentioned for a day at a time: one day for Denver and the surrounding area, one day for Colorado Springs and Garden of the Gods, and one day for Rocky Mountain National Park. However, that is just scratching the surface of each one. I think that a real worthwhile three day trip would be spending three days at each of these destinations. Though I still am partial to my home of Salt Lake City, having Denver a short hour flight away is a wonderful treat to have a lovely long weekend. And given that it has one of the country’s busiest airports and is fairly centrally located, it is accessible to nearly everyone in America too!

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