Explore Colorado
Colorado's lowest point, on the Arikaree River, is 3,315 feet above sea level, while Interstate 70 crosses the Continental Divide through a tunnel at an average elevation of 11,112 feet. The tunnel's approach grades run six and seven percent, and snowfall in the area averages 315 inches a year.
Around 151 breweries sit near the stops we cover in Colorado. 56 of them are brewpubs with a kitchen, which off the motorway is often the useful part. The kitchen figure is a floor: the source lists some full restaurants as production sites.
Brewpub locations from Open Brewery DB (MIT)
Around 65 public campgrounds sit near the stops we cover in Colorado. 43 of them take reservations; the rest are first-come. Public campgrounds run by federal agencies. State-park and private campgrounds are not included.
Historic Sites and Attractions
3 in Colorado, by town.
- Hours
- Parks are open daily: Urban parks: 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. source
- Admission
- No city page found that states whether entry is free.
- Season
- No season stated; the rules page says parks are open daily.
A historic city park in south Denver with Smith Lake, a lily pond, flowerbeds and a boathouse finished in 1913; the park is on the national and Colorado historic registers.
- No standalone city page for the park; official_url is the city's boathouse page (a rental venue page) and the address is the boathouse's
- Hours are the citywide urban-park rule
- City lists repair projects in the park (City Ditch, pedestrian bridges); check for work-zone closures
Run by Denver Parks and Recreation (City and County of Denver)
- Hours
- Rocky Mountain National Park is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, weather permitting. source
- Admission
- Private Vehicle $30.00 1-Day Vehicle Entrance Pass. This pass is valid for one private vehicle to enter RMNP for one day only. All passengers inside the vehicle are covered. source
- Season
- Bear Lake Road is open year-round. In the winter and spring, be prepared for snow and ice on the road. Traction control may go into effect at any time. source
A 9.2-mile paved road in Rocky Mountain National Park that climbs to the Bear Lake trailhead at 9,475 feet, passing Moraine Park, where the park points to elk viewing in spring and fall, and Sprague Lake, whose loop trail is wheelchair and stroller accessible.
- Timed Entry + Bear Lake Road reservation required to enter the corridor 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the summer season (2026: May 22 to Oct 18), per nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/timed-entry-permit-system.htm
- Park entrance fee required 24 hours a day; non-US residents 16 and over pay an extra $100 per person unless holding an annual or America the Beautiful pass (fees page)
- Snow and ice in winter and spring; traction control may apply
- Far from Denver: Estes Park area
Run by National Park Service, Rocky Mountain National Park
- Hours
- Rocky Mountain National Park is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, weather permitting. source
- Admission
- Private Vehicle $30.00 1-Day Vehicle Entrance Pass. This pass is valid for one private vehicle to enter RMNP for one day only. All passengers inside the vehicle are covered. source
- Season
- Trail Ridge Road is a seasonal road that is closed to through travel from mid-October to late May. source
A 48-mile park highway between Estes Park and Grand Lake with 11 miles above treeline; the park service says pikas, marmots, ptarmigans and bighorn sheep are commonly seen on the tundra and suggests allowing at least half a day for the drive.
- Seasonal: closed to through travel mid-October to late May. The NPS road-status page (last updated Oct 6, 2026) still said open to through travel when fetched on 2026-11-03; status has likely changed since. NPS status line 970-586-1222
- Timed Entry reservation required 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in summer (2026: May 22 to Oct 12)
- Park entrance fee required; non-US residents 16 and over pay an extra $100 per person unless holding an annual or America the Beautiful pass
- Far from Denver: Estes Park to Grand Lake
- NPS pages use superlatives (highest continuous paved road in the United States, thrilling views, spectacular)
Run by National Park Service, Rocky Mountain National Park
This is a list of what is near you, not a recommendation of any of it. Opening times and prices here are quoted from each operator’s own page on the date we read it, and both change without notice. Where this list says an operator does not publish their hours or their price, that is what we found on their page — 1 state no price. A blank is not “free” and not “always open”, so ring ahead where it matters. Every name above links to that page.
Roadside oddities in Colorado
Sasquatch OutpostQuirky museumBailey
- Cost to see it
- We did not find a price published
- When you can see it
- Only while it is open, and we did not find its hours published
- Nearest road
- US-285
Bigfoot museum
Read on the page we checked
UFO WatchtowerRoadside attraction / tourist stopHooper
- Cost to see it
- We did not find a price published
- When you can see it
- Only while it is open, and we did not find its hours published
- Nearest road
- CO-17
Skywatching deck and gift shop
Read on the page we checked
Bishop CastleOdd building / architectureRye
- Cost to see it
- Free
- When you can see it
- We did not find opening times published
- Nearest road
- CO-165
One man's stone-and-iron castle with a dragon
- Fine for most children, but look it over before you let them loose
Read on the page we checked
These are things you can go and look at, not a recommendation of any of them. Oddities move, get sold and quietly disappear more than anything else we list, so check anything you are driving a long way for. Where this list says we did not find a price or opening times published, that is exactly what we mean. A blank is not “free” and not “always open”. Some sit on private land and can only be seen from the road — please do not go onto anyone’s property. Every entry links the page we read it off.
