From Denver to Breckenridge: A Long Weekend in Colorado, 3-Day Itinerary

Colorado is a bounty of unique experiences for adventurers. But it also has a mellow, laid-back side that's great for people of all ages. My research into taking a trip to Colorado may have started with looking for cheap airplane tickets one weekend, but what really convinced me was all of the options for exploring outside Denver--a verifiable playground for nature and scenery enthusiasts!  

​​The Mountains Are Calling And I Must Go

Before you start reading about our three-day itinerary, let me just say that winter, spring, summer, or fall, it really doesn't matter what time of year you go--the sights to see in Colorado are simply spectacular! Honestly, we may have experienced at least three out of the four seasons in our three days there!

So while this itinerary may be more geared for fall, you could easily do this quick trip in spring or summer as well. The winter itinerary may be a little trickier since Breckenridge is a ski-town and covered in snow for most of the season, making hotels skyrocket in price, and most of the roads and hiking trails would be covered in 6 feet of snow anyway. 

So even though this was a fall trip--spoiler alert--we really didn't get to see much of the fabulous autumn leaves in October. We were pelted with a snowstorm on our last day there, and most of the leaves had been swept from the trees by then in the mountains anyway. So if you're planning a trip to see some rich aspen yellows, plan for late September or early October.
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But it honestly didn't matter to me--I was so overjoyed with getting to see those incredible mountain views, the fresh blanket of snow only added to the jaw-dropping scenery!

Three-Day Itinerary: Colorado

I. Fly into Denver, Colorado
II. Colorado Springs, Colorado
   a. Garden of the Gods
   b. The Manitou Incline
   c. Pike's Peak
   d. Cheyenne Canyon
III. Breckenridge, Colorado
   a. Hoosier Pass Loop Trail
   b. Blue Lakes Trail
   c. The Breckenridge Troll
IV. Back to Denver (Golden, Colorado)

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​I. Fly into Denver, Colorado

We opted for a late-night flight into Colorado. Keep in mind when flying into Denver that the airport is a good 30 minutes outside the city. 

We decided to skip the city of Denver altogether for our three days here. Instead, we grabbed our rental care late at night and drove directly from Denver International Airport to our Airbnb in Colorado Springs, which took about 2 hours. I'm sure Denver has a lot of cool things to see, but to each their own! We were more excited about getting out into the mountains ASAP. 

If you're interested in checking out the city of Denver, I recommend adding a day or two to the following itinerary, or skipping the last part in Golden, Colorado and seeing main Denver instead!

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II. Day 1 - Colorado Springs, Colorado

Can I just say that Colorado Springs is really a great place for families to explore together? I mean, it was pretty fabulous to visit, just the two of us. But I can imagine having some kids or older adults in tow throughout the whole time here! There is a lot to see and do, and accessible to people of all ages and abilities. 

Overall, I really enjoyed my time in Colorado Springs for its friendly and peaceful vibe! I could see myself going back one day and seeing a few of the places I missed. Plus it's a great starting point before venturing up into the Rocky Mountains. 

A. Garden of the Gods

Garden of the Gods is a spectacular place. It's a privately-funded state park filled with unique rock formations that seem to have been carefully placed there by the Gods, hence its name, Garden of the Gods! It's hard to imagine that plate tectonics, weathering, and erosion are responsible for these unique formations! I highly recommend this park if you visit Colorado Springs. In fact, this was one of the reasons I decided to check out Colorado Springs in the first place.

Start your day off with breakfast at Suzie's Cafe, and then head to Garden of the Gods. We chose an Airbnb in downtown Colorado Springs, which meant the park was a 15-20 minute drive, but if you decide to stay in Old Colorado City, it's even closer!

I cannot stress this enough, GET THERE EARLY! You'll have a better opportunity for pictures without other tourists, kids, etc. Also, the angle of the sunlight is much better on the rocks when it isn't straight above you, so earlier, or later, in the day is ideal. The park is FREE, which is a plus! It's a bit smaller than I expected--most of the park can be seen in about 3 hours.

After spending a few hours exploring the main trails, don't forget to visit the Siamese Twins and Balanced Rock!

​B. The Manitou Incline

​When you're finished, grab lunch at the Trading Post in the park, or head into town to have lunch in Manitou Springs! It's a cute town with plenty of shops and cafes and a small, pedestrian only path.

There are a couple of quick options to explore after Garden of the Gods. We opted to check out the Manitou Incline nearby, a famous trail that climbs 2,000 feet in 0.8 miles! It's an intense hike and people from all over the country come here for the challenge. It's 2,744 steps--we hiked about 270 steps, or about 1/10 of the way, before turning around. We mostly just went to see the steps and take pictures since it's a straight line and it looks pretty neat! If you're feeling up to the challenge, try it out! Otherwise, you could just stay in town and shop for a little after lunch, or even check out the Manitou Cave Dwellings nearby, which we didn't have time for but wish we had!

Or, you could just skip straight to the next item on the list!

​C. Pikes Peak

Pikes Peak was the second reason we decided to spend some time in Colorado Springs! I was ready to check out my first major peak, and my first 14'er, in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado!

The mountain is also known for it's awesome switchback curves going up. It's a breathtaking drive! In fact, Pikes Peak is also known for its dangerous, uphill racing. You should most definitely set aside a few hours to drive up and admire the views along the way. About halfway up you can already see the white line of peaks in the horizon that is the Rocky Mountains and continental divide! It's not something I can put into words or pictures, you just have to see if for yourself!

It cost us $30 per car to enter the highway to the top (it's not free!), and took us about two and a half hours. You could easily spend more time stopping and admiring the view, but unfortunately we got altitude sickness! It was also bitter cold, which we weren't prepared for. I would also take into consideration that during the winter, the top most part of the highway may be closed, past 12,000, or even 11,000 feet. The views are still spectacular though!

​(Also, take note that the famous Pikes Peak Cog Railway train that runs to the peak was closed for repairs at the time we went, and is not expected to reopen until 2021!)

D. Cheyenne Canyon

If you have some daylight left, head to Cheyenne Canyon. We took a sunset drive along Gold Camp Road, as recommended to us by our Airbnb hosts. If you put "Helen Hunt Falls" into the GPS, it will take you to the canyon. It's just a nice place for a drive, with two tunnels, some cool rock formations, and waterfalls. And the view above Colorado Springs is beautiful! It's the perfect place to watch the sunset!

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This ended our day in Colorado Springs. At night, there are plenty of options for a bite and a drink, and we opted for a super trendy and kitschy place called Ivywild Elementary. It was recommended to me by my dear friend Hilary at @imalongwayfromhome!

It's an old elementary school that was converted into a bar/restaurant/music venue! It's actually several bars and restaurants, and what they've done is kept the original decor and each bar is located in a different part of the former school, like a classroom or the cafeteria! It's so cute! One of the bars, for example, is called "The Principal's Office"! But my favorite was the whiskey bar The Axe and the Oak downstairs in the old kindergarten classroom! 

III. Day 2 - Breckenridge, Colorado

You can already see we did quite a lot on just our first two nights, one day, in Colorado! And the next morning was no exception, as we were up and hitting the road around 8am, heading to Breckenridge. It's a two-hour drive, but of course we stopped along the way. The first hour and a half is mostly flat, and you don't start climbing up into the mountains until you reach Alma, Colorado. Which, by the way, is said to be the inspiration for the town in South Park! (You can stop and take pictures with the billboard of South Park and cutouts of the characters!)

A. Hiking Hoosier Pass Loop

Our first stop was a small hiking trail known as Hoosier Pass Loop. I was excited to get a little bit of hiking into our trip! We didn't plan for much hiking, since we weren't sure what the weather would be like, and we didn't want to put strain on our bodies in the high altitude. Whether you are a dedicated hiker ready to climb a 14'er, or even if you aren't a big hiker but just want to get outdoors for a bit, there are lots of options in this region. 

Hoosier Pass is a 2.8-mile loop rated moderate that climbs the ridge of a mountain and gives you spectacular views of a crystal blue lake on one side, and the Rocky Mountains on the other.

Unfortunately, by October the trail was covered in snow. So we only hiked half of it, since the other half was being used as a snowboarding trail. Still, with our winter boots, the small hike to the views above the lake was beautiful. In the summer and fall it is probably spectacular!

B. Blue Lakes Trail

On our second trail outside Breckenridge, believe it or not, there was absolutely NO hiking involved for a view like this on the highway en route to Breckenridge!

Well, let me clarify. This trail is only accessible by car in the summer and fall. In winter and spring the dirt road is not plowed when the snow starts collecting. So when we went in October, there wasn't enough snow here yet and we were able to experience the amazing views above this gorgeous lake without breaking a sweat! You can opt to hike even move once you reach the parking lot--there are trails leading up around the lake for even nicer views.

Just put in Blue Lakes Trailhead in Google Maps and it will tell you where to turn. The road is small and narrow, so go slow in case you need to navigate around another car. Drive all the way to the end and there will be two large parking areas where you can walk around. Also, there weren't any when we were there, but we have heard there are frequent visits by herds of mountain goats!
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C. The Breckenridge Troll

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NOTE: As of December, 2019, they have removed the Breckenridge Troll from the Wellington area due to massive crowds in the residential neighborhood! And as of February, 2019, it was voted that it will be rebuilt in May, in an undisclosed location. I will update this blog when the new location is determined! - February, 2019

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For some fun pictures and a unique experience, make sure you pay a visit to the Breckenridge Troll, an art installation by Thomas Dambo, located a the end of a wooded, 1-mile long path through the woods outside the Wellington neighborhood in Breckenridge.

The troll is part of an art installation by Dambo in which he creates large, fantastic trolls in unique poses, using only recycled and reclaimed trash material! The troll in Breckenridge was built in August 2018 and named Isak Heartstone.

The walk is a very easy, 1-mile loop into the woods behind the Wellington neighborhood in the eastern side of Breckenridge. Type in Breckenridge Equestrian Center in Google Maps and keep going. Park in one of the few parking spots (there are signs EVERYWHERE saying no parking). The residents of the Wellington neighborhood are not too happy about having hundreds of tourists flock their small neighborhood each week, so another option is to take the free, public bus from the city center of Breckenridge so you don't have to wait around for parking spots or fill up their neighborhood with your cars!

The troll has become VERY POPULAR, so go early, and avoid going on a Saturday like we did, when dozens of kids were running around the rocks and climbing all over the troll, and we had to wait 25 minutes to get a picture without ten children in it! I can imagine it must be a much nicer experience early morning on a weekday without so many others around.

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After that, we spent the evening walking around downtown Breckenridge and *attempting* to grab a drink and dinner. I say attempting because there were SO many places closed by 5pm in October! I'm assuming because it was off-season, there were only two restaurants open in the entire town past 8pm. Obviously going to a ski-resort town like Breckenridge in the off-season means better prices for hotels, but it also means restaurants and shops are open for shorter hours, if they are open at all that day. This didn't bother us though! I splurged and found a room with a fireplace, so I was excited to just go back and enjoy a warm fire, especially since it was forecast to snow the next day! ...
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IV. Day 3 - Back to Denver

...And snow it did!!

There are numerous options for you to explore on your last day in the Denver region of Colorado. It depends on several things: the weather, the time of your flight out of Denver, and how much driving you want to do.

For us, unfortunately, our last day we were hit by a minor snowstorm, and our two hour drive into Denver from Breckenridge turned into a five-hour stress-fest. LESSON LEARNED: don't hit the Colorado mountains in October without snow chains or snow tires! The drive over the mountains to get back to Denver took way longer than anticipated. We ended up stopping in Golden, at the base of the Rocky Mountains just outside Denver, to grab a hot lunch and recover ourselves before heading back to the airport.

Golden, an old mining town in the region, is known for its charming and family-friendly sidewalks and streets. It's a picturesque little town to stop and grab a bite on your way from Breckenridge to Denver, and maybe stay and explore some of the old mining tunnels and museums that popped up during the Gold Rush era.

But there are numerous options in the area, weather permitting, to check out that last day there. Another option we considered was to check out the Red Rocks Amphitheater and hiking trails just outside the city. Unfortunately for us, they were having an event that day and the theater was closed to sightseers, so check before you go.

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The Perfect Place for a Long Weekend

Overall, the spectacular rock formations in Garden of the Gods, seeing the view from my first 14'er on top of Pikes Peak, and hiking a little of the sky-scraping mountains outside Breckenridge were my favorite highlights of our long weekend in Colorado. Total driving time was about 8 hours over three days (even with the snow), but it flew by with all the stops we had planned, and the incredible scenery along the way.

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​If you only have three days to spend, and find some cheap tickets from your city to Denver, there are numerous places to visit, all within just a few hours' drive! We were most excited to get into the wilderness and woods as much as possible. So this is just one sample itinerary, and I can totally see us going back to this region one day to see the other sights in the area! Some ideas include heading south to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Royal Gorge Canyon, or north to Boulder and Rocky Mountain National Park, just to name a few!