Six hours free in Denver and I want to see and hike in the Rocky Mountains. Any recommendations?
I'm going to a friend's wedding in Denver in the fall. I'm going to arrive the night before, but will have about 6 hours in the morning (maybe more if I wake up a little earlier) to see mountains and perhaps do some hiking. The wedding is at 1:30 PM (Saturday) so I have to be back by about noon to clean up, etc. Any recommendations of where to go in that short time? I don't want to get stuck in a lot of traffic. I like mountains and now live in a flat state (Michigan).
Anonymous2006-08-20T04:28:43Z
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Move quickly - 6 hours isn't that much time to get out of the city, up into hiking country, and back again..
Roxborough State Park. This is where you want to go! Only 45 minutes south of Denver and has spectacular scenery and great hiking trails: http://parks.state.co.us/?parkID=94&action=park
Remember, you don't want to spend too much time on the road, and you don't want to totally wear yourself out before the wedding. Also, keep in mind that if you're coming from sea level, the higher altitude will affect you, especially on your first day here. You must drink a lot of water to counter the dehydration that is common here... we're a high state and a very dry state! On the flip side, you'll get drunk easier at the reception!
I am from Michigan too. Near Stanton. From Denver I would go north-west to the college town of Boulder. Just outside Boulder city limits to the west there are many many beautiful trails, waterfalls and ghost towns.
Boulder is only about 45 min to an hour from Denver and is 4 lane.
Resist all urges to spend six hours mountain climbing! You're IN the mountains, Pike's Peak is too steep & much grimmer than a nice relaxing brunch in the restaurant district atop a Denver skyline!