Things to Do in Colorado


Colorado is synonymous with the Rocky Mountains, and the activities and beauty of the Rockies comes together at Rocky Mountain National Park.
More than 350 miles (563 km) of hiking trails wind through the park, with wildlife-spotting opportunities including elk, bighorn sheep and moose.
Alpine wildflowers fill the valleys in spring, and cross-country skiers hit the slopes here in winter. Cyclists follow Trail Ridge Road, while hikers can walk to lakes following the Bear Lake Trailhead, Fern Lake trail and easy walks to Calypso Cascades and Gem Lake.

Flowing through four states, the Arkansas River is the sixth longest river in the United States. Its source basin and Arkansas River Canyon can be found in Colorado, where it is a popular spot to go whitewater rafting. It runs past the Rocky Mountains and drops extensively as it flows through the valley, creating the conditions that are good for rafting and kayaking. Depending on the section of the river there is everything from Class IV and V rapids to gentler II and III sections that are ideal for beginners. Waters weave scenically in and through canyons and gorges surrounded by thick forest and snow-capped peaks.
Aside from boating and fishing, visitors to the Arkansas River often utilize the facilities and the beautiful backdrop for activities such as hiking, camping, mountain biking, birding, and rock climbing. There is also great fly fishing in this part of the river, particularly for trout.


Colorado Springs’ Garden of the Gods is not an average city park with duck ponds and walking paths. Instead, this urban park—which is also a designated National Landmark—boasts 1,367 acres of unique wilderness, Great Plains grassland and juniper woodlands.
The most iconic section of the park is the towering ridge of sandstone formations that reveal 300 million years of geological history. Famous red rock formations include the Balanced Rock, the Gateway Rock and the Three Graces, and among the crags and overhangs, visitors can spot petroglyphs from the Native American Ute tribe that once roamed these lands. The park came to be in 1909 after landowner Charles Perkins requested that his property be donated to the city upon his death. In line with his final wishes, the park remains free and open to the public.



Reminiscent of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., the Colorado State Capitol Building sitting high atop Denver is not just a 24 karat gold-domed meeting place for the Colorado General Assembly, but also an homage to the American governmental process, as well as a truly beautiful archeological wonder.
Built a mile high above sea level, as denoted by the markings inscribed upon its steps, the Colorado State Capital Building has incredible views of downtown Denver, and a history that tells of the days of the Gold Rush and the incredible use of the beautiful Colorado Rose Onyx used to build the interior of the capitol and the designs of dignitaries engraved therein. It is said that the entire known supply of this rare marble was exhausted in making of the Colorado State Capitol.
Tours will tell of early Colorado history, the Capitol construction, the origin of several stained glass windows, the Woman’s Gold Tapestry.

More Things to Do in Colorado

Lookout Mountain

Browns Canyon National Monument
The Browns Canyon National Monument is an area around the Arkansas River that's long been a popular recreational area. The nearly 22,000-acre area of the Arkansas River that is contained within the Browns Canyon National Monument is the United States' most popular place for whitewater rafting. It is also popular for its hiking and fishing opportunities. Prior to becoming a National Monument in 2015, the area had also been popular with hunters. With the designation, animals such as bighorn sheep, elk, and golden eagles are more protected.

Lower Downtown Denver (LoDo)

Denver 16th Street Mall
Denver’s 16th Street Mall is a beautiful tree-lined, pedestrian area at the heart of the city. This downtown promenade of red and gray granite is a bustling center, popular with locals and visitors alike thanks to an abundance of outdoor cafes, shops and restaurants among renovated historic buildings and modern glass skyscrapers.
The mall boasts more than 300 shops and more than 50 restaurants in a 16-block stretch of 16th Street. Some of the most popular spots include Niketown and Virgin Records’ Megastore, as well as the Hard Rock Cafe and Rock Bottom Brewery, where you can enjoy a hearty selection of draft craft beer. Along with great shopping and dining, the mall is also a hub for local street performers, with a delightful range folk and country singers performing amid dancers.


Denver Mint
Reach into your pocket or change drawer and pull out a handful of U.S. pennies. Look carefully at their fronts—chances are most will have a small letter “D” just below the date. This is the mint mark for the Denver Mint, one of only a handful of facilities that produces U.S. currency. This particular location is a byproduct of the days when Denver was a gold-mining hub. When gold was found in Colorado in 1858, hundreds of merchants, miners and settlers moved in to claim their stake. A year later, Denver was founded, and several years after that, in 1863, the government decided to develop a mint facility here. In addition to producing money people use every day, the Denver Mint also stamps out a variety of not-in-circulation commemorative coins.
The grand architecture of the massive Renaissance-style 1904 mint building itself is worth checking out. To go inside, visitors must sign up for one of the free tours, which includes historical exhibits, vaults and gold bars.


Molly Brown House Museum

Denver Art Museum (DAM)
The Denver Art Museum is recognized for its prized Native American collection, the country’s largest. Spanning the US and Canada, from prehistoric times to the present, the hugely varied collection ranges from basketry and beadwork to paintings and sculpture.
The art museum also has enviable Asian, European and US collections, and a comprehensive African gallery of paintings, sculptures and artifacts.
Iconic works by artists from the American west underscore Denver’s Rocky Mountains location and history, and the museum’s photography collection includes more than 7,000 images.
Along with the permanent collection, the museum hosts a varied calendar of temporary traveling exhibitions.

Denver Center for the Performing Arts

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Here’s a stat about Black Canyon of the Gunnison that likely will make you pause: the rocks found at the bottom of the canyon are nearly 2 billion years old, and date back to the Precambrian Era when Earth was first being formed. It’s walls rise over 2,000 feet from the Gunnison River below, and at many points the distance down is more than the distance across.
It’s a scenic, surreal, and special place on the North American continent, and one of America’s most underrated parks- considering the natural beauty. When visiting Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, drive the length of the South Rim Road and take in the cliff top viewpoints, many of which offer gulp-inducing, sheer, vertical drops. To test your strength on the canyon walls, follow one of the zigzagging trails that lead to the floor down below, and experience the sensation of looking straight up at the canyon rim back above.


Denver Museum of Nature & Science

Denver Civic Center Park
Things to do near Colorado
- Things to do in Denver
- Things to do in Breckenridge
- Things to do in Vail
- Things to do in Aspen
- Things to do in Colorado Springs
- Things to do in Fort Collins
- Things to do in Utah
- Things to do in New Mexico
- Things to do in Wyoming
- Things to do in Monument Valley
- Things to do in Albuquerque
- Things to do in Jackson Hole
- Things to do in Arizona
- Things to do in Nevada
- Things to do in Missouri