Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
At the end of the month, tens of thousands of people will meet in Denver’s Civic Center Park for the second-annual Outside Festival. Put on by Outside, the weekend is one part music festival, with headliners Khruangbin and Lord Huron, one part film outdoor film festival, and one part summit with speakers ranging from yoga teachers to outdoor industry luminaries to Alex Honnold. (Also on the schedule: Us. Head to Ultimate Basecamp and catch Tales from the Trails with Backpacker Editor-in-Chief Adam Roy and ex-Editor-in-Chief Jon Dorn at 5:40 pm on Saturday).
If sitting in on talks with outdoor leaders and celebrities gets you hankering to hit the trails yourself, you’re in luck: It’s a short commute to several trail networks in Denver and beyond. You don’t need a car to hike, either. Starting from Civic Center Park, you can access the following Denver-area trails via public transit.
North Table Mountain Outer Rim Loop
Plains and foothills plant species coexist on this lava-formed peak in Golden, Colorado. Hike clockwise to avoid starting off with a steep incline. If you’ve got lots of time, spur trails can take you to the top of either Lichen Peak or North Table Mountain—from there, you’ve got panoramic views of the Golden Valley below. There isn’t much shade in this area, so pack sunscreen and lots of water and keep on eye on the temperature. Also, keep your eyes peeled for rattlesnakes and western poison ivy along this trail.
The total travel time from Civic Center Park to the trailhead should be about 1 hour 30 minutes. (Exact routes for all of these hikes depend on time and day.)
Denver Orbital Trail Segment 1: Downtown Golden, Lookout Mountain, and Apex Park
The Denver Orbital Trail is a new 28-part footpath that connects existing singletrack and multi-use trails to form a giant circle around metro Denver. There’s much to explore in the first section alone: You can hike it all the way through for fitness (which, with that much vert won’t be very hard) or take the full day to enjoy the trailside attractions. You can stop into the Buffalo Bill Museum at the summit of Lookout Mountain, where there’s also a restaurant. There’s a public library along the DOT as well, if you’re looking for a restroom stop or snack break in air conditioning. End the hike with a 2-mile descent into the meadows of Apex Park.
The total travel time from Civic Center Park to the trailhead should be about 1 hour 17 minutes. Note: This is a point-to-point trail, and public transportation is walking distance from the Segment 1 terminus.
First and Second Flatiron Loop
Tackling the Flatirons is a Colorado hiker’s rite of passage. These slabs of sandstone on Boulder’s foothills are perhaps the city’s most famous landmark and a popular checklist item for local hikers and rock climbers. There are five numbered Flatirons, and the first and second are the most common to hike. This loop trail starts low in the fields and ponderosa pine forests below the Flatirons and climbs steeply, ending at a spot just behind the (technical) summit of the First.
The total travel time from Civic Center Park to the trailhead should be about 1 hour, 30 minutes.
Barker Meadow Trail
Want to venture a bit farther from the city? This Nederland trail above 8,000 feet of elevation gives you a sample of higher-altitude hiking in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains. Trace the shoreline of the Barker Reservoir, and keep your eyes peeled for wildflowers. They could start budding now and reach peak bloom later in the summer.
The total travel time from Civic Center Park to the trailhead should be about 2 hours.
Bergen Peak Trail
Elk Meadow Park in Evergreen, Colorado, has 14.7 miles of trail. Hike most of them on this switchbacking trail up to the 9,701-foot-tall Bergen Peak. On clear days, you can see downtown Denver from the summit. That’s not the only view worth mentioning. Elk Meadow Park is the only place in the Jefferson County Open Space system where you can see herds of elk roaming the wild.
The total travel time from Civic Center Park to the trailhead should be about 1 hour, 6 minutes. Exact routes depend on time and day. Note: Sections of this trail could be closed due to construction and maintenance, which can continue through spring 2025. Follow the pink flags that reroute hikers on the trail, and check here for updates.
Cherry Creek Trail
It’s no wilderness trek, but this paved multi-use trail is the best way to get a few miles in without straying from Denver’s city limits, and you can take it all the way to a state park. Start your trek in Confluence Park, which is the site of an 1858 search for gold that eventually led to Denver’s founding. The Cherry Creek Trail is extremely customizable, with entrance and exit points along the path and junctions to other footpaths in the area. Along the trail, stop and rest at viewpoints of the historic creek or the Four Mile Historic Park. This 12-acre park is home to Denver’s oldest standing structure, the Four Mile House, which was once a stopping point for travelers along the Cherokee Trail.
The total travel time from Civic Center Park to the trailhead should be about 24 minutes. (You can also pick up the Cherry Creek Trail straight from Civic Center Park by walking five blocks west to Speer Boulevard.)
Note: This section of the trail is an out-and-back from the South Platte River to the Cherry Creek State Park. However, you have the option to really test your trail legs on the 9 Creeks Loop Trail. This 42-mile loop circumnavigates metro Denver and combines parts of portions of the Sand Creek Greenway, the High Line Canal Trail, the Cherry Creek Trail, and the Platte River Trail.
From 2025