If you are stressed out and crave change, it may be time to gas up the car and hit the road for a good, old-fashioned road trip in Colorado! However, if you are under a time constraint, you may think such a trip is out of the question. Never fear, as your friends at Only in Colorado have curated the best day trip in CO just for you:

Google Maps
The link to the original interactive map can be found here.
1. Lookout Mountain (Golden)
Lookout Mountain, Colorado 80401, USA
Flickr/katie wheeler
With a name like Lookout Mountain, you have to assume that it is THE place to watch a sunrise... and you would be correct! Towering more than 7,300 feet above Golden, there is no better place along the Front Range to enjoy the sunrise (or sunset or just Colorado's everyday beauty).
2. Denver Biscuit Company (Denver)
TripAdvisor/chalgirl1981

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Denver Biscuit Company, 141 S Broadway, Denver, CO 80209, USA
Denver Biscuit Company, 4275 Tennyson St, Denver, CO 80212, USA
TripAdvisor/mikea168
After waking up early, you will want to refuel with coffee and a mouthwatering breakfast from the Denver Biscuit Company. Whether you opt for something savory (a la the Cordon Bleu Biscuit Sandwich) or sweet (Strawberry Shortcake, anyone?), you are in for a hearty and downright delicious meal. Enjoy!
3. Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Refuge (Commerce City)
Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, 6550 Gateway Rd, Commerce City, CO 80022, USA
Flickr/Michael Levine-Clark
If you're out road-tripping anyway, there is no better place to drive around than the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Refuge, AKA one of the Denver area's most surprising attractions. Located in Commerce City, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal is a FREE refuge home to everything from bison and deer to eagles and hawks, coyotes, and prairie dogs.

Check out this delightful video for more information about this amazing place to visit for free in Colorado:
4. Fort Morgan
Fort Morgan, CO 80701, USA
Flickr/Kent Kanouse
Do you need to kill a little time between now and sunset? You have come to the right place! While Fort Morgan is small (with a population of less than 12,000), it packs a punch with its charming downtown area, complete with shopping, parks, and restaurants.

Learn more about this small town in Colorado straight from the folks who live here:
5. Pawnee National Grassland (Ault)
Pawnee National Grassland, 115 North 2nd Ave, Ault, CO 80610, USA
Flickr/Bryce Bradford
You have waited all day for this moment: sunset! If you have never seen the sunset from Eastern Colorado, you have yet to enjoy this quiet and magical time of day fully. Oh, and this place doubles as one of the best places to go birdwatching in Colorado. Good night, Colorado!

For even more epic road trips around Colorado, check out the ultimate Colorado waterfalls road trip! This state is beyond amazing, and we think you’ll be blown away by the incredible beauty of it all. What stops would you add to the best day trip in CO? Let us know.

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Best Day Trip in Colorado

Tori Jane | February 04, 2023
  1. What are some of the best day trips in CO? 

Colorado is quite literally famous for just how incredibly beautiful it is. It’s a place where you could probably plan a day trip every day for the rest of your life and still never run out of options. Some of our favorite ideas for day trips in Colorado are ones like:  

  • Visit any one of the beautiful small towns in Colorado like Aspen or Breckenridge 
  • Visit any of our amazing Colorado state parks, where each one is even more splendid than the last 
  • Check out some of the amazing hot springs in Colorado, many of which are also resorts 

 

Learn about some of the best day trips in CO you can possibly do!   

  1. Where are the best places to see a sunrise in CO? 

If you’re a fan of watching the sun come up, you’re in luck: Colorado is filled head-to-toe with amazing places for doing exactly that. Some of the best places to see a sunrise in Colorado are places including:  

  • Boulder's Chautauqua Park – this makes for an excellent early-morning sunrise hike — if you’re up to it! 
  • City Park in Denver – this one’s great if you’re a fan of city skylines 
  • The Garden of the Gods – another A+ candidate for a stunning sunrise hike 
  • Great Sand Dunes National Park – excellent for sunrises and sunsets 

 

Learn more about some excellent places to witness the sunrise in Colorado.   

  1. What are some of the most scenic places in CO?

Okay, so, Colorado is so amazing that we think just about all of it is ridiculously scenic. Some places are famous for their beauty, though, making them quite possibly the most scenic places in CO. Some of these amazing locations are locations such as:  

  • Rocky Mountain National Park – we're fairly certain this might be one of the most beautiful National Parks in the world 
  • Garden of the Gods – it's literally so beautiful that it’s the home of the gods, come on now 
  • Simla – if you’re a fan of rolling green hills for as far as the eye can see, beautiful plains, and picturesque farmland, Simla is where you want to be 
  • Estes Park – this is a vacation destination year-round for a reason (or 50) 

 

Learn more about some of the most amazingly scenic places in CO. 

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