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Roughly 20 miles southwest of Denver is the affluent community of Ken Caryl. If there are so many great small towns in Colorado to live in, how can you choose one? Best for: Fishing You’ll find Colorado’s largest body of water, Blue Mesa Reservoir, just outside the town of Gunnison, but it isn’t just lake fishing here — you can also drop a line in the Gunnison River or the Taylor River, among others. The city offers nearly 1, acres of parkland to explore, along with cultural venues and historical sites.
15 Impossibly Charming Small Towns Near Denver
This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through an affiliate link, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support. Also, we are living in strange and unsettling times so please make sure to check local guidelines before traveling to this destination, as I haven’t updated individual posts with current travel information because this changes so often. Got some time to spare on your Denver trip? Denver is more of a prairie city, flat and really hot in summer.
I put together a list of the absolute best mountain towns near Denver that I think you should visit — whether on a day trip or longer. If you have more time, do a Colorado Road Trip or venture to some of the beautiful Colorado mountain towns and hidden gems further from Denver. Colorado is an incredible state and there is so much to see here! Check out my interactive map to the best mountain towns near Denver.
Boulder is a gorgeous college town well, a city really in the foothills of the Rockies that somehow manages to be both hippie and well-heeled. Visiting Boulder is a popular day trip from Denver, but if you have the time, I highly recommend staying longer because there is so much to see and do here.
If you are a hiker or you want to give hiking a try , Boulder is an excellent place to do so because there are so many open-space parks and hiking trails that are literally within walking distance from town.
Boulder is one of the must-visit mountain towns near Denver in my opinion, and you may never want to leave. Where to Eat in Boulder: Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse offers delicious tea drinks and food from around the world, Pizzeria Locale has awesome Neopolitan-style pizza, Avanti is a food hall with a roof terrace and lots of delicious options including Korean fare, pupusas, pizza, and more. Where to Drink in Boulder: Boulder is home to so many great breweries. Lyons is known as a stopover town on the way to Rocky Mountain National Park from Denver, but it is a cool little town in its own right and definitely worth a visit.
There are a number of hiking and biking trails near town and you are only a minute drive from Rocky Mountain National Park so if you are staying a couple of nights, Lyons is a great base to explore the park from. Lyons is all about local pride, and the relaxed pace of life and friendly small-town charm is sure to win you over. This is definitely one of the mountain towns close to Denver that you should take the time to visit. For an affordable self-contained option, stay at this cozy one-bedroom carriage house.
Idaho Springs is one of my absolute favorite mountain towns near Denver because there is so much to do here and it is so accessible. You could easily spend a couple of hours just exploring downtown. If you are into white water rafting, then Idaho Springs is a great place to do that too, with Class III-V rapids and trips suitable for beginners through to experts.
There is also a small mining museum in town, the Underhill Museum. Idaho Springs is also home to the closest hot springs to Denver, Indian Hot Springs, which has a large pool in a greenhouse as well as geothermal caves and private pools. Idaho Springs has pretty much all the best of Colorado in one small town and I love it. It is definitely one of the must-visit mountain towns close to Denver.
For vacation rentals, stay at this mountain retreat cottage or the Arapaho Cliffs Log Cabin. The Vintage Moose is a great choice if dive bars are more your style. Colorful, restored historic buildings line the short but very pretty main street, Sixth Street. If you are interested in mining history you can take a tour of the historic Capital Prize Gold Mine, and take a trip on the Georgetown Loop Railroad on a steam locomotive that passes several old gold and silver mines.
Georgetown Lake is a great spot for water sports like SUP and kayaking, and it is stocked with brown trout you can fish here too make sure to get a permit. For vacation rentals, stay at The Cricket tiny house on Clear Creek, or in this super affordable and cozy one-bedroom condo.
This former gold mining town has a strong Western flair with historic brick buildings in town and lots of cowboy paraphernalia around the place. It is nestled in Clear Creek Valley, at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, and it is a gorgeous sight.
There are so many hiking and biking trails around Golden with many of them accessible from the middle of town — I wrote a post about the best hiking trails in Golden. For vacation rentals, stay at this historic carriage house or this charming studio in a historic home — both close to downtown Golden. Where to Eat in Golden: Start your day with a southern-style breakfast at Sassafras on their riverside patio.
Golden Mill is a new food hall with five food vendors that include sushi, chicken, and tacos as well as New Zealand ice cream and pour your own beer taps. Sherpa House is a cozy spot for excellent Himalayan food and it is also a cultural center. They usually have food trucks at the breweries most days. Miners Saloon is also a great place to grab a drink and Golden Moon Speak next door is a speakeasy and distillery that serves up handcrafted cocktails.
Evergreen started as a ranching community in the s and has been a popular summer escape for Denverites since the late 19th century. The historic downtown has a more rustic feel compared to the more polished look of Georgetown and Idaho Springs, and I really like it for that. Make sure to explore the compact main street with its antiques, consignment stores, and galleries.
The lake is the perfect place to walk — it is 1. There are a number of other hiking and biking trails nearby too, so Evergreen is a great base for adventure. For vacation rentals, stay at this cozy studio with mountain views, or this beautiful mountaintop one-bedroom apartment.
Where to Drink in Evergreen: Revival brews for local beer and elevated bar food, Lariat Lodge Brewing Company for inventive craft beer brewed onsite. Lovely Morrison is just up the road from Golden and is the closest town to the world-famous Red Rocks Amphitheater. Morrison started life as a railroad town in and has a gorgeous setting in Bear Creek Canyon. This cute town has a tiny but interesting main street, lined with gift shops, antique stores, galleries, and restaurants.
It is definitely worth stopping here to look around the shops and to grab something to eat from one of the excellent restaurants. Morrison is also on the Lariat Loop , a scenic byway that links Golden, Evergreen, and Morrison with lots of places of interest to see along the way. Morrison is only a short drive from the city making it one of the most accessible mountain towns close to Denver so you have no excuse not to visit!
For vacation rentals, this cozy two-bedroom apartment is a good option close to Morrison. Where to Eat in Morrison: The Cow Eatery for casual diner fare, The Fort Steakhouse is an adobe fort just outside of town that serves up steak and game.
Where to Drink in Morrison: Red Rocks Beer Garden for Colorado beers and pizza in a spacious garden, Roof Top Tavern for drinks on a sunny rooftop overlooking the town and surrounding mountains. Nederland, known affectionately as Ned for short, started life as a trading post during the s, before becoming a mining town. There are a number of hiking trails nearby — I highly recommend the Indian Peaks Wilderness, the Crater Lakes trail from Moffat Tunnel, and any of the hikes in Golden Gate Canyon State Park, especially in fall when the aspens are in their full golden glory.
Barker Meadow Reservoir is right by town and you can hike there, and fish from the shoreline. This byway is always a beautiful drive but it is spectacular in fall. This festival pays homage to a frozen dead guy who is being stored in a shed above Nederland, his family hoping to one day resurrect him.
The festival includes coffin racing, human foosball, and a costumed polar plunge among other crazy events. I think this event speaks volumes about the kind of quirky individuals that call this townhome, and why you should make sure to visit Ned. Stay at this peaceful two-bedroom retreat with panoramic views, this cozy dual-level apartment , or this studio suite with a hot tub and mountain views. Where to Eat in Nederland: Crosscut Pizzeria and Taphouse for the best pizza in town if not the whole of Colorado, Salto Coffee Works for coffee and tea drinks and cafe fare, Kathmandu Restaurant for very decent Nepalese and Indian dishes.
One of the smallest communities on this list of mountain towns near Denver, Silver Plume is right off I but it is pretty much a forgotten hamlet that you could almost call a ghost town — but not quite, because there are still people living here — around according to the last census. Silver Plume feels like a ghost town either way. It is super quiet, the short main street has a few historic buildings in different states of repair, with many of them now being private homes.
And that is about it. Like its neighbor Georgetown, Silver Plume is also a historic silver mining town, and it is a stop on the Georgetown Loop Railroad. Clear Creek runs right through town and there is one hike of note, the Mine Trail which offers awesome views over town and the Silver Plume Valley.
Stay at this cozy cottage or this beautiful mountain house with a view — both right in Silver Plume. Where to Eat in Silver Plume: The Bread Bar has a limited but delicious menu and handmade cocktails it is temporarily closed , Plume Coffee serves up excellent coffees and baked goods although they are mostly just open on weekends. Georgetown is only a few minutes drive away so you could grab food and drinks there if nothing is open in Silver Plume.
Central City may look like just another pretty historic mountain town, but there is something that sets it apart — behind those historic facades are casinos!
Gambling was legalized in Central City and Black Hawk in the s in a last-ditch attempt to save these dying former mining towns, and between them, they now have 24 casinos. The plan worked! These twin towns are easily accessible from Denver — there are even shuttles that run from Lakewood, on the light rail from central Denver.
The latest one comes back just after 2 am so if you want to party, Central City and Black Hawk are the best mountain towns near Denver for you! For vacation homes, this cozy home with deck and mountain views is a great pick. OK, so Fort Collins is not a mountain town like Denver, it is a city right beside the mountains , but I love it and it is only an hour north of Denver so I wanted to add it to the list.
This lively college town has a pedestrian-friendly downtown and is worth at least a couple of hours to explore, checking out the eclectic shops and boutiques.
If you love beer then you should definitely visit Fort Collins, because the best thing to do in Fort Collins is to visit at least a couple of the incredible breweries that make this city one of the best beer destinations in the world. Spend the afternoon doing some brewery hopping to best experience this exciting beer destination. Make sure to stop in at the Benson Sculpture Garden in Loveland on the way up which is free to enjoy, with interesting sculptures scattered through a green park with lakes.
For vacation rentals, this beautiful cottage and this cute one-bedroom unit are both in the Old Town are great choices. So there you have it, the best mountain towns near Denver to add to your Colorado Itinerary. I hope this gives you some inspiration to venture into the mountains from Denver — I think you will love what you find there. If you liked this — check out some of my other Colorado posts:.
So great to find someone with some original thoughts on this topic. This website is something that is needed on the internet, someone with a little originality! Thank you for this list.
I love mountains and nature. What a beautiful place to visit even now My mom went to high school in Blackhawk. I live in Florida now which is which is a different World. I believe that was a great place to be raised But love brought me to Florida.
– 10 Best Small Towns in Colorado
There are literally endless things to do in Buena Vista if you live here. What are the most charming towns near Denver for a getaway? Fort Collins. Skip to content The content of this website may contain affiliate links and we may be compensated at no cost to you! Best for: Water sports Chances are you’ve heard of Breckenridge — but have you heard of Frisco, the ski town’s chill, laid-back neighbor? The ski resort traverses six peaks, offering what feels like endless cruiser, tree, and bump skiing.
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