weekender.
Weekend trips from CU Boulder
Hidden spots near Boulder, day trips and weekend road trips from CU Boulder in November, scored 1–10 on price, timing and what's happening, with gas, park fees, a campsite or room and food included.
Plan your own trip from CU Boulder →Local finds near campus
Boulder Flatirons
Tilted rock slabs above Boulder, with a classic hike from Chautauqua's meadow.
Denver
RiNo's murals and food halls, a free mile-high step at the Capitol and a show at Red Rocks.
St. Mary's Glacier
A short steep hike to an alpine lake and a snowfield you can sled in July.
Day trips
Royal Gorge
Walk a suspension bridge 956 feet above the Arkansas River.
Rocky Mountain National Park
Alpine lakes, elk in the meadows and the highest paved road in the country.
Horsetooth Reservoir
Fort Collins' lake in the foothills: cliff swimming coves and the Horsetooth Rock hike.
Breckenridge
A Victorian mining town at the foot of a ski mountain, with a giant wooden troll in the woods.
Steamboat Springs
A ranching ski town with stone hot spring pools in the woods.
Buena Vista & the Arkansas River
Riverside hot springs under the Collegiate Peaks, and Colorado's busiest whitewater.
Weekend trips
Great Sand Dunes
The tallest dunes in North America under snowy peaks, with a beach creek in spring.
Breckenridge
A Victorian mining town at the foot of a ski mountain, with a giant wooden troll in the woods.
Buena Vista & the Arkansas River
Riverside hot springs under the Collegiate Peaks, and Colorado's busiest whitewater.
Steamboat Springs
A ranching ski town with stone hot spring pools in the woods.
Maroon Bells & Aspen
Colorado's most photographed peaks over a lake (shuttle reservation), and Aspen's free gondola rides in summer.
Glenwood Springs
The world's largest hot springs pool, and Hanging Lake's turquoise water up a canyon (permit).
Long weekends
Great Sand Dunes
The tallest dunes in North America under snowy peaks, with a beach creek in spring.
Dinosaur National Monument
A rock wall with 1,500 dinosaur bones still in it, plus petroglyphs and river canyons.
Arches & Moab
Over 2,000 stone arches (Delicate Arch at sunset), with Moab's mountain biking and jeep trails.
Mesa Verde
Whole villages built into cliff alcoves 800 years ago; climb ladders into them on ranger tours.
Canyonlands
Mesa Arch framing the sunrise over a maze of canyons the Colorado River carved.
Goblin Valley
A valley of thousands of mushroom-shaped goblins you can wander among freely (Galaxy Quest's alien planet).
Personalize it
Set your budget, how many friends are coming, your car (or no car: train and bus), and what you're into (hiking, beaches, camping, stargazing, food and more), and Weekender re-ranks every trip for you, with a day-by-day plan, directions and campsites.
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