7 Outdoor Adventures Near Denver That Actually Get Your Heart Pumping

This article contains affiliate booking links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Denver has a hundred ways to spend a weekend outside. Most of them involve a crowded trailhead and a parking ticket. These seven experiences — from the churning rapids of the Royal Gorge to a private birding day inside Rocky Mountain National Park — are the ones worth planning around. Some are a short drive. A couple require a full-day commitment. All of them will remind you why you moved here.

On the Water

1. Milk Run Family Rafting Trip

Credit: Milk Run Family Rafting Trip

Experience 1 at Milk Run Family Rafting Trip.

---

2. Family Float Beginners Rafting Adventure

Credit: Family Float Beginners Rafting Adventure

Experience 5 at Family Float Beginners Rafting Adventure.

---

3. Half Day Roaring Fork Rafting

Credit: Half Day Roaring Fork Rafting

Experience 7 at Half Day Roaring Fork Rafting.

---

4. Half-Day Royal Gorge Whitewater Rafting Adventure Cañon City CO

Credit: Half

Experience 6 at Half-Day Royal Gorge Whitewater Rafting Adventure Cañon City CO.

Behind the Wheel and On the Trail

5. YOU Drive the Jeep! Guided 4x4 Tour in Idaho Springs (Denver)

Credit: Viator

Experience 2 at YOU Drive the Jeep! Guided 4x4 Tour in Idaho Springs (Denver).

---

6. Private Birding Hike in Rocky Mountain National Park

Credit: Viator

Experience 3 at Private Birding Hike in Rocky Mountain National Park.

7. Explore Denver by E-bike Guided Tour

Credit: Explore Denver by E

Experience 4 at Explore Denver by E-bike Guided Tour.

Summer conditions on most of these routes run May through August, and a few — the Jeep tour and the RMNP birding day especially — hit a different gear in early fall when the crowds thin out and the aspens turn. We update this list seasonally, so check back. In the meantime: which one of these are you actually going to do first?