35+ Things to do in Colorado

Iconic things to do in Colorado

Explore Rocky Mountain National Park

Colorado’s best-known national park is packed with alpine lakes, high peaks, wildlife and more than 300 miles of hiking trails. Highlights include scenic drives, subalpine forests, open tundra and classic stops like Bear Lake and Trail Ridge Road.

See the Maroon Bells

Easily one of Colorado’s most iconic mountain views, the Maroon Bells are best known for their twin peaks rising above Maroon Lake. It is one of the state’s most photographed scenes, especially in summer and early fall when the shuttle and scenic area are in full swing.

Visit Garden of the Gods

One of Colorado Springs’ signature sights, Garden of the Gods is known for towering red rock formations, easy walking trails and free public access. The park’s visitor area and paved paths make it one of the easiest big-view stops in the state.

Ride the Pikes Peak Cog Railway

A classic Colorado experience, the Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway carries visitors up America’s Mountain for huge summit views and a memorable high-altitude rail journey. The ride is a big part of the appeal, climbing well above treeline on the way to the top

See a show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre

One of the state’s most famous venues, Red Rocks Amphitheatre is set among towering sandstone monoliths with hiking trails and parkland around it. Even when there is no concert on, it is worth visiting for the scenery, visitor center and views over the Front Range.

Adventurous things to do in Colorado

Go whitewater rafting on the Arkansas River

One of Colorado’s classic adventure experiences, rafting on the Arkansas River ranges from family-friendly floats to more challenging trips through the Royal Gorge. It is one of the state’s best-known places for whitewater, especially around Cañon City.

Try sandboarding at Great Sand Dunes

Sandboarding at Great Sand Dunes is one of Colorado’s most unusual outdoor adventures, letting you ride and slide down the tallest dunes in North America. It is a big reason this national park feels so different from anywhere else in the state.

Hike Hanging Lake

Hanging Lake is one of Colorado’s most famous hikes, known for its turquoise water, steep canyon trail and the dramatic Spouting Rock waterfall above the lake. Because access is managed through a reservation system, it takes a little planning, but the payoff is one of the state’s standout short hikes.

Hike the Flatirons from Chautauqua

One of Boulder’s signature outdoor experiences, hiking from Chautauqua gives you direct access to trails beneath the Flatirons and some of the area’s best foothill views. It is a strong pick if you want a classic Boulder hike without venturing far from town.

Explore Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Black Canyon of the Gunnison is one of Colorado’s most dramatic national parks, with steep cliffs, narrow canyon walls and some of the oldest rock in North America. Scenic overlooks along the rim make it impressive even if you are not planning a long hike.

National park and nature things to do in Colorado

Tour Mesa Verde National Park

Mesa Verde is one of Colorado’s most important cultural sites, preserving extraordinary Ancestral Pueblo cliff dwellings, mesa-top sites and archaeological landscapes. It is one of the best places in the Southwest to see how entire communities once lived among the cliffs.

Drive Rim Rock Drive in Colorado National Monument

Rim Rock Drive is one of western Colorado’s best scenic routes, winding for 23 miles through sheer-walled red rock canyons, high desert and big plateau views. Overlooks along the drive make it easy to stop for photos and look for bighorn sheep or soaring eagles.

Explore Dinosaur National Monument

Dinosaur National Monument offers a very different side of Colorado, with fossil beds, rugged river canyons and a landscape shaped by the Green and Yampa rivers. It is a strong choice if you want geology, paleontology and wide-open scenery in one trip.

Visit Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

Home to the tallest dunes in North America, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is one of Colorado’s most unusual landscapes. The contrast between the giant sand field and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains is what makes it so memorable.

Visit Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument

Florissant Fossil Beds is a fascinating stop for petrified redwood stumps and one of the richest fossil deposits in the world. The monument’s trails and exhibits make it easy to understand just how different this landscape was in the late Eocene.

Scenic drives and train rides in Colorado

Drive Trail Ridge Road

Trail Ridge Road is one of Colorado’s most famous drives, crossing high through Rocky Mountain National Park and climbing above treeline for rare alpine scenery. It is often called the park’s highway to the sky, and the views are the reason why.

Drive the Million Dollar Highway

The Million Dollar Highway is one of Colorado’s most dramatic roads, with steep drop-offs, tight mountain curves and huge San Juan views between Ouray and Silverton. It is a scenic drive that feels more adventurous than a standard mountain route.

Road-trip the San Juan Skyway

The San Juan Skyway is one of the state’s essential scenic loops, linking standout mountain towns like Durango, Silverton, Telluride and Ouray. It is a great way to combine mountain passes, historic towns and some of Colorado’s best road-trip scenery in one route.

Ride the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad

One of Colorado’s most famous train journeys, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad pairs vintage rail cars with spectacular mountain scenery and a route shaped by the state’s mining past. It is one of those experiences where the journey matters just as much as the destination.

Take the Georgetown Loop Railroad

The Georgetown Loop Railroad is a classic narrow-gauge ride through the Rockies, known for mountain views, historic locomotives and the high Devil’s Gate Bridge. It also works well for families because you can pair the train with mine tours and gold-panning experiences.

Family-friendly things to do in Colorado

Visit the Denver Museum of Nature & Science

A great all-ages pick, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science combines dinosaur fossils, gems, space and science exhibits with a giant screen theater and planetarium. It is one of Colorado’s easiest family wins if you want a full indoor day.

Explore Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park

Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park is America’s only mountaintop theme park, pairing thrill rides with cave tours and sweeping views over Glenwood Springs. The gondola ride up the mountain adds to the experience before you even reach the park.

Spend the day at Glenwood Hot Springs

Glenwood Hot Springs is one of Colorado’s best-known mineral pool destinations and an easy family crowd-pleaser after a day of driving or hiking. The resort setting makes it feel more like a full outing than just a quick soak.

Visit Seven Falls

Seven Falls is a scenic Colorado Springs stop where a series of waterfalls tumbles through a 1,250-foot-walled box canyon between the Pillars of Hercules. Easy access, canyon views and extra trails make it more substantial than a quick waterfall photo stop.

Cross the Royal Gorge Bridge

Crossing the Royal Gorge Bridge is a memorable family stop, with huge canyon views and the thrill of standing on America’s highest suspension bridge. The wider park adds more to do as well, including a gondola, theater and family attractions.

City, culture and historic things to do in Colorado

Step inside Bent’s Old Fort

Bent’s Old Fort is a reconstructed adobe trading post on the Santa Fe Trail and one of Colorado’s most interesting historic sites. It gives visitors a much clearer picture of frontier trade, travel and daily life than a standard museum display

Explore Denver Union Station and LoDo

Denver Union Station and nearby LoDo combine one of the city’s landmark historic buildings with restaurants, bars, shops and one of Denver’s liveliest districts. It is a strong stop if you want a more urban side of Colorado between mountain outings.

Visit Denver Art Museum

The Denver Art Museum is one of the strongest museum stops in the state, known for major collections, bold architecture and a particularly strong showing of Indigenous arts of North America. It is a good cultural counterpoint to a trip focused mainly on scenery

Spend time on Pearl Street in Boulder

Pearl Street is Boulder’s best-known downtown stroll, with shops, restaurants, street performers and an easygoing pedestrian-friendly atmosphere. It is one of the simplest ways to enjoy the city without needing a full itinerary.

Stroll Breckenridge Main Street

Breckenridge Main Street is one of Colorado’s best-loved mountain-town centers, lined with historic buildings, local shops, restaurants and easy access to year-round events. It works just as well for a relaxed afternoon stroll as it does for shopping or dinner after outdoor activities.

Scenic and easygoing things to do in Colorado

Ride the Telluride gondola

The Telluride gondola is one of the easiest scenic experiences in the state, linking Telluride and Mountain Village with a free 12-minute ride above the valley. It also doubles as public transportation, which makes it feel like part attraction and part everyday local experience.

Relax at Strawberry Park Hot Springs

Strawberry Park Hot Springs is a classic Steamboat-area soak, known for stone-lined thermal pools in a forested setting that feels far more rustic than a typical resort spa. It is especially atmospheric in cooler weather, when the mountain surroundings really come into their own.

Soak at Ouray Hot Springs

Ouray Hot Springs is an easy way to slow down in one of Colorado’s prettiest mountain towns, with warm pools and big San Juan views built in. It pairs particularly well with time in Ouray’s historic center and surrounding mountain scenery.

Spend time in Aspen

Aspen is much more than a ski destination, with excellent restaurants, arts events and easy access to some of Colorado’s most famous scenery, including the Maroon Bells. It is a strong pick if you want mountain views with a more polished resort-town feel.

Visit Telluride

Telluride is a classic Colorado mountain-town escape, known for its dramatic box-canyon setting, outdoor access and strong festival culture. It feels more distinctive than many resort towns because the scenery is so immediate and the historic core still has plenty of character.

For alpine drives, higher-elevation hikes and mountain-road trips, conditions matter a lot in Colorado, especially around Trail Ridge Road, Hanging Lake and the San Juan routes.