145 Ways to Celebrate Colorado: Spring & Summer

Find the other half of the list and explore ways to celebrate Colorado’s birthday in fall and winter >>

Spring

• Walk in dinosaurs’ footsteps at Picketwire Canyonlands (La Junta) or Dinosaur National Monument, which offers several accessible trails, pathways, picnic sites, overlooks and exhibits (Dinosaur).
• Snap a pic of the beehive-shaped historical coke ovens near Redstone.
• Make sparkly springtime snow fly while wearing short sleeves at one of our 28 ski resorts, many of which have ski-school programs and offer adaptable lessons.
• Drive the Historic Hot Springs Loop, taking a dip in every pool along the way.
• Capture pink-hued sunsets from patios at The Source Hotel (Denver), Acreage by Stem Ciders (Lafayette) or Maya (Avon).
• View the soaring steeples of Shrine of the Stations of the Cross (San Luis) and explore the Mystic San Luis Valley.
• Spot bighorn sheep — our state mammal! — on Guanella Pass scenic byway (near Georgetown).
• Interact with living historians in period dress at Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site, a reconstructed 1840s fur-trading post (La Junta).
• Stand in four states at once at Four Corners National Monument (near Cortez).
• Make your way across the rushing Arkansas River on the Royal Gorge Bridge — one of the world’s highest suspension bridges (Cañon City).
• Feed a giraffe or meet a two-toed sloth at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (Colorado Springs).
• Hike past bluffs and across prairie grasses to the peaceful Pawnee Buttes (Keota).
• Drive the Trail of the Ancients scenic byway to take in Native American history and stunning vistas of sandstone canyons and sage-scented mesas.
• Sample rattlesnake and bison steaks at our oldest restaurant, The Buckhorn Exchange (Denver).
• Grab a bag of popcorn and check out filming locations across Colorado  — think Tarentino’s “The Hateful 8” (Telluride) and “Thelma and Louise” (near Gateway).
• Bag a thirteener, aka a 13,000-foot peak. We have more than 600 to choose from!
• Whip down the Palisade Plunge — 32 miles of downhill singletrack thrills — on a mountain bike (Palisade).
• Explore the African American ghost town of Dearfield — established as an entrepreneurial agricultural center and inspired by a movement led by Booker T. Washington.
• Tour Cliff Palace and other ancient Native American dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park (near Mancos).
• Look out for lions, tigers, bears — not to mention jaguars, wolves, coati mundi and more — at the Wild Animal Sanctuary (Keenesburg).
• Go food-hall hoppin’ at Mango House (Aurora), Rosetta Hall (Boulder) or The Exchange (Fort Collins).
• Reserve a permit and hike to Hanging Lake, a majestic National Natural Landmark known for trickling waterfalls and turquoise-blue waters (Glenwood Springs).
• Contemplate the flamboyant mating dance of Greater Prairie Chickens on an accessible viewing tour (Wray).
• Sip craft beers under a bluebird sky at The Elizabeth Brewing Company (Elizabeth), Hogshead Brewery (Denver) or Atrevida Beer Co. (Colorado Springs).
• Examine the stalagmite-like formations of Wheeler Geologic Area (near Creede).
• Traverse towering, red-walled canyons along Rim Rock Drive in Colorado National Monument, which offers ample sightseeing fun for all ability levels (Fruita).
• Get an Instagram-worthy shot of Cano’s Castle — a towering structure made of beer cans and scrap metal (Antonito).
• Stroll the short-and-sweet Trollstigen Trail where you’ll meet Isak Heartstone — a friendly troll and one of Colorado’s many mythical creatures (Breckenridge).
• Climb 2,000 feet of elevation in under 1 mile at Manitou Incline before refueling at one of the many local eateries in charming Manitou Springs.
• Savor pillowy frybread at Tocabe, one of the only Native American-owned restaurants in the country (Greenwood Village and Denver).
• Catch hefty trout in our many Gold Medal rivers and streams with the help of skilled local guides like Tumbling Trout (Lake George) or Damsels on the Fly (Winter Park).
• Get swept up in the excitement of the opening-ceremony exhibit at the new United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum (Colorado Springs).
• Take a free guided tour and watch coins being made at the Denver Mint.
• People-watch over cocktails in Denver’s historical Union Station.
• Soak up the colors of a magical sunset over rugged rock formations at Garden of the Gods Park (Colorado Springs).
• Find treasures and sweet deals at antique and thrift shops in Colorado.
• Celebrate Mexican culture and heritage with music, dancing, art and cuisine at the Denver Cinco de Mayo Festival.

Summer

• Ascend into fresh alpine air on the Estes Park Aerial Tramway.
• Spend a sunny day tubing in Clear Creek Canyon (near Golden).
• Visit Winks Panorama — one of the few mountain resorts open to Black Americans during the 1925–1965 segregation era in the Rocky Mountain West — to see where visionaries like Langston Hughes, Lena Horne, Count Basie and Duke Ellington stayed (Lincoln Hills).
• Admire the blooms at Betty Ford Alpine Gardens (Vail) or Chatfield Farms (Littleton)
• Go sand surfing or cruising in a special sand wheelchair at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve (near Alamosa).
• Cross the Continental Divide on Trail Ridge Road scenic byway in Rocky Mountain National Park.
• Hike part of the 500-mile-long Colorado Trail. Pick up Segment 1 in Waterton Canyon near Denver where the first 4 miles are a wide, well-packed natural surface with minimal elevation gain (about 40 feet per mile) and there’s even an accessible fishing pier.
• Marvel at ancient rock art on a twilight tour with the Ute Indian Museum (Montrose).
• Ride the newly revamped Broadmoor Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog Railway and snack on high-altitude doughnuts at the 14,115-foot summit of America’s Mountain (Manitou Springs).
• Stop and smell the roses at the Annual Flower Trial Garden (Fort Collins).
• Catch a show or run the steps at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre (Morrison).
• Ride an intricately painted antique horse on the Kit Carson County Carousel (Burlington).
• Savor juicy seasonal produce — from Palisade peaches and Olathe sweet corn to Pueblo chiles and Rocky Ford melons — at u-pick farms, roadside stands and farmers’ markets across the state.
• Ogle roaring cascades at Zapata Falls (Alamosa) or South Mineral Creek Falls (Durango).
• Book an athlete-guided tour and spot future medalists training at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center (Colorado Springs).
• Enjoy a week in the pastoral paradise of one of the state’s many dude ranches.
• Stargaze at nine internationally designated Dark Sky Parks.
• Don your classiest Stetson and mosey on over to rodeos across the state.
• Spice up your stay in a hostel, chalet, glamping tent or even a mermaid’s cottage.
• Escape the season and get a glimpse of snow in the Never Summer Wilderness.
• Truck on the highest paved road in North America — Mount Evans scenic byway — and wave “hello” to mountain goats as you go by.
• Fly high on a postcard-worthy hot-air balloon followed by a Champagne toast, a centuries-old ballooning tradition.
• Appreciate Native American culture and the diverse traditions and heritage of different tribal nations at a traditional powwow.
• Peep mountain plovers and burrowing owls on the Colorado Birding Trail.
• Check out the annual FIBArk Festival where kayakers, stand-up paddleboarders and rafters compete in the mighty Arkansas River (Salida).
• Strike it rich at mine tours in historic gold-rush towns around the state.
• Perfect your stand-up paddleboard balance on rippling Big Soda Lake (Lakewood) or Horseshoe Reservoir (Fort Collins). Don't forget your life vest!
• Looking for adaptive outdoors programs? Get ready to hike, bike, rock climb, fish, whitewater raft and more with numerous organizations across the state. Scope out summer events and classes from Telluride Adaptive Outdoors, Adaptive Sports Center (Crested Butte), National Sports Center for the Disabled (Denver and Winter Park), Adaptive Adventures (Lakewood) and Adaptive Sports Association (Durango).
• Camp out at sites in all of Colorado’s colorful landscapes, from deserts and mountains to prairies and forests.
• Canoe across the heavenly and aptly named Shadow Mountain Lake (Granby).
• Whoop it up while whitewater rafting on nearly 20 different rivers.
• Peer into the depths of cavernous Black Canyon of the Gunnison (near Montrose).
• Catch a flick at Tru Vu Drive-in (Delta) or 88 Drive-In Theater (Henderson).
• Visit one of Colorado’s 42 state parks — each spectacular in its own way.
• Take a boat tour on the glassy water at Curecanti National Recreation Area (near Gunnison).
• Rip down Copper Mountain’s Rocky Mountain Coaster, the Alpine Coaster at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park (Glenwood Springs) or the Mustang Mountain Coaster (Estes Park).
• Take an explosively colorful hike in Crested Butte, Colorado’s wildflower capital.

Want More? 

Check out these 11 quintessentially Coloradan summer festivals >>
Don't miss these five summer must-dos >>