THP Members in Colorado - Denver area

[Student of Spice]

Hey, I am going to be in Denver next week and am just curious how your weather is right now? What are the temps during the day versus night? What time is your sun setting? I will have some free time (6hours) and want to see the mountains so am planning a hike....any suggestions for a trail? I was thinking driving to Boulder. Is there any spectacular must see places or must eat at places you can suggest? Thanks guys!

 

[dubG]

Hey, I am going to be in Denver next week and am just curious how your weather is right now? What are the temps during the day versus night? What time is your sun setting? I will have some free time (6hours) and want to see the mountains so am planning a hike....any suggestions for a trail? I was thinking driving to Boulder. Is there any spectacular must see places or must eat at places you can suggest? Thanks guys!

I'm about an hour north of Denver.  Up until about 3-5 days ago we were in the 70s/80s for highs and 40s/50s for lows but the past few days have been rainy and cool (60s high, 30s low).  The temps look to be staying in that area on the forecast.  This rain down here has brought snow to the mountains so keep that in mind for any hiking you plan on doing.  We haven't seen a frost down here yet but that'll probably change before the end of the month.  The sun is setting by around 6pm.
 
The drive to Rocky Mountain National Park is worth it.  Lots of hiking opportunity there too.  Estes park, the town just outside of the park is also worth visiting.  Pikes Peak is in the opposite direction but is also worth a visit.  You can drive up to the 14k+ft peak as long is weather is OK.
 
If you give me more of an idea of what kind of hike you want to do (amount of mileage, elevation gain, whether you want to encounter snow or not, etc) I can offer up some suggestions but I've only lived here a year and a half so I'm not an expert.
 
If you are a beer guy, there are tons of microbreweries in and around Denver to try.

 

[Pariah]

If you want to stay close to the metro area, Red Rocks has some trails and a nice view of the metro area.

 

[Student of Spice]

I'm about an hour north of Denver.  Up until about 3-5 days ago we were in the 70s/80s for highs and 40s/50s for lows but the past few days have been rainy and cool (60s high, 30s low).  The temps look to be staying in that area on the forecast.  This rain down here has brought snow to the mountains so keep that in mind for any hiking you plan on doing.  We haven't seen a frost down here yet but that'll probably change before the end of the month.  The sun is setting by around 6pm.
 
The drive to Rocky Mountain National Park is worth it.  Lots of hiking opportunity there too.  Estes park, the town just outside of the park is also worth visiting.  Pikes Peak is in the opposite direction but is also worth a visit.  You can drive up to the 14k+ft peak as long is weather is OK.
 
If you give me more of an idea of what kind of hike you want to do (amount of mileage, elevation gain, whether you want to encounter snow or not, etc) I can offer up some suggestions but I've only lived here a year and a half so I'm not an expert.
 
If you are a beer guy, there are tons of microbreweries in and around Denver to try.

I hope the weather holds out, my plan is for a monday hike after I touchdown. I will be in my rental by noon if plans come together and would like to be starting to hike by 1300 until sundown. I have no skills so it would need to be a beginners trail but I would love to get some nice views of mountains and geology. Elevation is a concern as my activity level will have to be at an easy pace because i'm currently about 80 feet above sea level so I am anticipating alot of heavy breathing lol. Maybe Pikes peak would be worth a look.

If you want to stay close to the metro area, Red Rocks has some trails and a nice view of the metro area.

 
How far away from Denver is the Red Rocks? Does it have good mountain views?

 

[Burns and McCoy]

Red rocks is not that far from Denver. It is worth the trip. Won't give you breathing problems because of the altitude. Either way just drink a lot of water. Rocky Mountain National Park is amazing right now. Elk roaming the streets in Estes Park daily right now.