📍 Only the Best 10 in Denver, CO

Red Rocks Park, Trading Post Trail. Massive red sandstone monoliths tower on either side of the trail here, the same rock formations that back the amphitheater below where bands have played since the 1940s — a 1.4-mile loop that costs nothing and takes you right past the stage without needing a concert ticket. No entrance fee, and it's genuinely one of the most photographed hikes in the state.

Day trip to Rocky Mountain National Park from Denver. Trail Ridge Road climbs above 12,000 feet inside the park, the highest continuous paved highway in the country, and it's genuinely possible to see elk grazing roadside within the first ten minutes of entering. Thirty dollars for a day pass, about 90 minutes from Denver, and the park's own timed-entry reservation system runs during peak summer months, so check before driving up.