Outdoor Activities in Denver

The Mile High City and the nearby Rocky Mountains are filled with outdoor recreation thrills for the whole family. Here are just a few of your options.

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Go Kayaking in Confluence Park

Ride the man-made kayak chutes in Confluence Park, just minutes from downtown. Confluence Kayaks, Denver's ultimate paddling shop, offers kayaking adventures on the whitewater chutes, including lessons, rentals, retail sales, pro outfitting and more.

Take a Bike Ride on 85 Miles of Paths

With 85 miles of bike trails and 300 days of sunshine, Denver is a cycling paradise.

Walk the Mile High Trail in City Park

This trail in beautiful City Park follows a full five-kilometer (3.1-mile) route and tracks along the city's 5280 contour line — so you're exercising at exactly a mile high!

Shred at Denver Skatepark

Boasting 60,000 square feet of skateable concrete terrain, Denver Skatepark challenges boarders, bladers and bikers of all levels. Bring your own gear, as rentals are not available.

Set Sail in a Pedal Boat on Washington Park's Smith Lake

Sail across scenic Smith Lake in Washington Park by renting an easy-to-use pedal boat. The calm waters make for a great family outing.

Swim With Sharks at Downtown Aquarium

There are more than 15,000 fish, mammals and plants at the Downtown Aquarium — and you can do more than gaze at them through the glass. Pet stingrays as they glide past you in the touch tank, or dive in and snorkel or scuba alongside giant groupers, Moray eels, guitar fish, sand tiger sharks and green sea turtles.

A child pointing at a shark at the Downtown Aquarium in Denver, Colorado

Downtown Aquarium has immersive adventures — literally. You can dive with the sharks or pet a stingray.

A network of trails wind in and around the slanting rock formations at Red Rocks.

Explore Natural Wonders at Denver Botanic Gardens

See what's blooming at Denver Botanic Gardens, a 24-acre oasis in the middle of the city. Relax in the Japanese Garden, climb through the Rock Alpine Garden and explore the Mordecai Children's Garden. And don't miss the Gardens' Chatfield location, a picturesque nature preserve among the grasslands, ponds and cottonwood banks of Deer Creek. Facilities include nature trails, a wildlife observation area, a historic farm, a 19th-century one-room schoolhouse, working beehives and picnic areas. The Deer Creek Discovery children's play area includes a whimsical tree house and a water feature.

Visit an Asian Village Populated by Elephants at Denver Zoo

The Denver Zoo's phenomenal Toyota Elephant Passage offers you the chance to get up close and personal with some amazing animals, all in an extremely cool setting designed to look like a rustic Asian village.

Hike and Bike at Red Rocks Park

Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre is known the world over for its summer concert series, but during the day, it's a gorgeous hiking and biking destination. The Trading Post Trail is 1.4 miles long and winds through spectacular rock formations, valleys and a natural meadow. Some of the terrain is rough, so hiking boots/shoes are recommended. Also, hikers should be prepared for adverse weather conditions, as the weather can change very quickly. If mountain biking is your pleasure, the Red Rocks Trail, which starts at the Lower North Lot, is just the ticket. The trail splits, with one segment going north to connect to Jefferson County's Matthews/Winters Park and the other heading east to connect to the Dakota Ridge Trail.

Look for Bald Eagles at a National Wildlife Refuge

Just 10 minutes from Downtown Denver, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge is a massive revegetation effort to restore the land to native shortgrass prairie habitat. More than 330 species of wildlife, including bison, deer, burrowing owls and endangered black-footed ferrets, live here seasonally or year-round. Outdoor activities include birdwatching (majestic bald eagles are regular visitors), fishing, hiking and viewing the amazing bison herd.

Take a Hot-Air Balloon Ride

You've never really seen the Rocky Mountains until you've seen them from a hot air balloon. Enjoy spectacular views of the majestic Rockies as you float high above the Front Range. There are several options, including Fair Winds Hot Air Balloon Flights & Rides in Boulder and Adventures Out West in Colorado Springs.

Soar Above the Front Range

Go for a ride in a glider with Mile High Gliding in Boulder and experience the thrill of getting towed aloft by a powered airplane, then releasing from the tow rope and hearing only wind noise. The pilot will give you an aerial tour of the area.

Cross the Continental Divide at Rocky Mountain National Park

Located 71 miles (114 km) northwest of Denver, Rocky Mountain National Park features 415 square miles (1,075 sq km) of scenic beauty, including Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous highway in the world, which crosses the Continental Divide at over two miles above sea level. The park has two information centers, hundreds of miles of hiking trails, tranquil lakes, waterfalls, wildlife and horseback riding. Estes Park is a resort town on the edge of the park with restaurants and shops and the historic (and possibly haunted!) Stanley Hotel.

Drive Up 14,000-Foot Mount Blue Sky and Visit Echo Lake

Mount Blue Sky has the highest paved auto road in North America, snaking its way to the 14,260-foot (4,346 m) summit. Please note: online reservations are now required for timed slots. The road is open only from the Friday before Memorial Day through the first weekend in October, and frequently has snow on it, even in August. (The road closes at Summit Lake after Labor Day, preventing you from reaching the top.) The view from the top takes in the entire Front Range. The summit is 60 miles (97 km) from Downtown Denver. On your way up the mountain, be sure to stop at M. Walter Pesman Trail (maintained by Denver Botanic Gardens) for a wildflower hike; you won't see anything like the rare flowers and 1,500-year-old bristlecone pine trees anywhere else in the world. The trail winds through subalpine and alpine areas where wildflowers and animals of the fragile tundra live. Volunteer guides from Denver Botanic Gardens offer interpretive hikes that follow the trail throughout the summer (email info @botanicgardens.org for registration).

See Large Carnivores at The Wild Animal Sanctuary

Lions and tigers and bears — oh my! Visit The Wild Animal Sanctuary, a 720-acre rescue and educational facility located just 30 miles outside of Denver, where more than 350 animals rescued from dire situations now roam free. It's one of the only places in America where you can see lions, wolves and other large carnivores living in natural habitats, and you get to view it all from the "Mile Into the Wild" elevated walkway.

Go Whitewater Rafting Just 30 Minutes From Denver

Brave the rapids! Clear Creek Rafting Co. and Raft Masters offer rafting along beautiful Clear Creek in Idaho Springs (just 30 minutes from Denver) and the Arkansas River at the Royal Gorge (near Colorado Springs). Colorado Adventure Center also offers whitewater rafting trips on Clear Creek and the Colorado River for all experience levels all summer long. It's the adventure of a lifetime for a great price.

Take a Thrilling Zip Line Tour and More

Something of a playground on steroids, The Edge Ziplines & Adventures has tons of thrilling ways to soar along on 1.5 miles of zip line at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour, climb a 42-foot climbing wall and return via "adrenaline jumping stations" or a "kamikaze zip" straight to the ground, or take obstacle-course activities to new heights with the EPIC Sky Trek challenge course. Or zoom above Clear Creek in Idaho Springs on a canopy zip-line tour with Colorado Adventure Center. You'll reach heights of up to 65 feet and get stunning views of the canyon as you fly along nearly a mile of zip line. This is the definition of high adventure! But what if you want to experience it all in one place? Lawson Adventure Park & Resort offers a do-it-all package where you can zip line, traverse granite cliffs (thanks to Colorado's only private via ferrata), roll down the mountain inside a giant ball and finish your adventures by rafting on Clear Creek. You can also spend a night in either cabins or yurts and do it again the following day.