weekender.
Weekend trips from CU Denver
Hidden spots near Denver, day trips and weekend road trips from CU Denver 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 Denver →Local finds near campus
Red Rocks
A concert venue carved between 300-foot red rocks; free to walk when there's no show.
Boulder Flatirons
Tilted rock slabs above Boulder, with a classic hike from Chautauqua's meadow.
Boulder
Pearl Street's buskers and cafés under the Flatirons.
Day trips
Royal Gorge
Walk a suspension bridge 956 feet above the Arkansas River.
St. Mary's Glacier
A short steep hike to an alpine lake and a snowfield you can sled in July.
Rocky Mountain National Park
Alpine lakes, elk in the meadows and the highest paved road in the country.
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.
Weekend trips
Great Sand Dunes
The tallest dunes in North America under snowy peaks, with a beach creek in spring.
Rocky Mountain National Park
Alpine lakes, elk in the meadows and the highest paved road in the country.
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.
Maroon Bells & Aspen
Colorado's most photographed peaks over a lake (shuttle reservation), and Aspen's free gondola rides in summer.
Steamboat Springs
A ranching ski town with stone hot spring pools in the woods.
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.
Find my trips from CU Denver →