Colorado mountain getaways from Denver
One of the best parts of living in the Denver metro is how quickly you can be in the mountains. Here are my favorite mountain towns, hikes and getaways, roughly in order of drive time from Denver. Times are typical driving times without traffic. On winter and summer weekends, I-70 traffic can add an hour or more, so leave early.
Under an hour
Evergreen (about 40 minutes): a foothills town with Evergreen Lake, walkable shops and easy trails. The lake is popular for ice skating in winter.
Idaho Springs (about 45 minutes): a historic mining town on I-70 with hot springs, local restaurants and access to St. Mary's Glacier and Mount Blue Sky.
Georgetown (about 1 hour): a Victorian main street, the Georgetown Loop Railroad and Guanella Pass, the starting point for Mount Bierstadt, one of the most popular first 14ers.
About 1.5 to 2 hours
Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park (about 1.5 hours): elk, alpine lakes like Bear Lake, and Trail Ridge Road in summer. Check the park website for timed-entry reservations in busy months.
Winter Park and Fraser (about 1.5 hours): over Berthoud Pass into Grand County, with Winter Park Resort for skiing and hundreds of miles of mountain bike trails in summer.
Summit County: Frisco, Dillon, Keystone and Breckenridge (about 1.5 to 2 hours): Lake Dillon, a paved bike path linking the towns, ski resorts, and Breckenridge's historic Main Street. Quandary Peak near Breckenridge is another well-known 14er.
Vail and Beaver Creek (about 2 hours): pedestrian villages, world-class skiing, and summer hikes like Booth Falls.
Leadville (about 2 hours): the highest incorporated city in the U.S., with a historic downtown and views of Colorado's two tallest peaks, Mount Elbert and Mount Massive.
About 2 to 2.5 hours
Grand Lake and the rest of Grand County (about 2 to 2.5 hours): Colorado's largest natural lake, the quieter west side of Rocky Mountain National Park, Lake Granby, and the hot springs at Hot Sulphur Springs.
Buena Vista (about 2 to 2.5 hours): rafting on the Arkansas River, the Collegiate Peaks, and Mount Princeton Hot Springs just down the road.
Worth the longer drive
Salida (about 2.5 to 3 hours): a lively historic downtown on the Arkansas River, great rafting and fishing, and Monarch Mountain for skiing.
Crested Butte (about 4 to 4.5 hours): a colorful old mining town known for summer wildflowers, mountain biking and Crested Butte Mountain Resort. Best as a long weekend.
Tips for mountain trips
Start early. Parking at popular trailheads fills up, and afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer.
Drink plenty of water and take it easy on day one. Many of these towns sit at 8,000 to 10,000 feet.
Check road conditions on COtrip.org before crossing mountain passes, especially from fall through spring.
Live closer to the mountains
If getting to the mountains matters to you, the west side of the metro puts you closest to I-70 and the canyons. Golden, Lakewood, Arvada and Wheat Ridge are all great places to start. See my Denver relocation guide, or the Golden, Lakewood and Arvada pages.
Dreaming of a mountain cabin or a second home? I can connect you with a trusted local agent in Summit County, the Vail Valley, Grand County or the Arkansas Valley. Use the form on this page, or call or text 303-885-1367.