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Tourists flock to Colorado all year long to schuss our powdery slopes, cruise our unparalleled bike trails, and climb our formidable fourteeners. In other words: We live where people vacation. So why would we boastful owners of a 303 area code want to go anywhere else?
The problem is, we live where a lot of people vacation, so we’re forced to share our precious Centennial State with the masses—especially in the summer. But rather than hike to Hanging Lake in a conga line or fight for parking on a Saturday at Chatfield Reservoir, why not consider trying your favorite Colorado activities in a new place? We’ve rounded up six travel destinations for Denverites who want to live the mile-high lifestyle while enjoying a change of scenery. None will force you too far from your comfort zone, but all will expand your horizons (literally and figuratively).
Jump Ahead:
- Best for cyclists: Madison, Wisconsin
- Best for water lovers: Marquette, Michigan
- Best for fashionistas: Scottsdale, Arizona
- Best for history nerds: Moab and Escalante, Utah
- Best for foodies: Omaha, Nebraska
- Best for aspiring cowboys and cowgirls: Cheyenne, Wyoming
Madison, Wisconsin
Best for: Cyclists
If you’re among the cohort of Coloradans who prefer two wheels to four, find your people in Denver’s sister-from-another-mister city, Madison. Home to the University of Wisconsin’s largest campus, Madison boasts more than 200 miles of bike-friendly paths that wind through a lively downtown flanked by two glacial lakes. Navigate through the city—and perhaps over to a 16-acre botanic garden with the only Thai pavilion on the continent—using the city’s Low-Stress Bike Route Finder.
Those looking for more direction (and swag) can follow one of the free itineraries from Madison By Bike, which can be downloaded to your phone. Each of the four routes has a different vibe (think lakeshore views or parks and patios); ranges from two to 8.2 miles; and includes a collection of on-theme stops where riders can grab a bite, sip a pint, or snag a deal—and earn points toward a free water bottle or cross-body belt bag. If you didn’t bring your own set of wheels, don’t worry: Your Madison By Bike code gets you half off single-ride passes with Madison BCycle. For longer-term or higher-end rentals, swing by Budget Bicycle Center, which also showcases the world’s largest collection of wooden-wheel bicycles in its nearby cycling museum.
Where to stay: You can’t visit the Badger State’s capital city without experiencing its Capitol building. Be sure to take a free tour (offered daily), but also book a few nights at the Park Hotel. From your room on the ninth floor, you can practically reach out and shake hands with the three-ton statue atop the Capitol building’s dome, the largest by volume in North America.
Marquette, Michigan
Best for: Water lovers
Colorado has its fair share of H₂Opportunities—well, for a landlocked state. It does not, however, offer more than 80 miles of accessible shoreline on the largest freshwater lake in the world. For that, you should visit Marquette County, a water lover’s paradise on the southeastern rim of Lake Superior.
In Marquette, you can splash in the big lake from multiple beaches, including McCarty’s Cove, a sandy stretch within walking distance of downtown and within sight of the bright red Marquette Harbor Lighthouse, the town’s oldest significant structure. Kayakers and stand-up paddleboarders also put in from this beach, though you may find flatter water at Lake Independence in Big Bay, a small town northwest of Marquette.
Those angling for a good time have plenty of options, from casting a line (with a guide and charter boat, if desired) for Chinook and coho salmon in Lake Superior to fly-fishing in miles of trout-filled streams. Or maybe change tacks and try your hand at sailing. U.P. Sailing Company offers two- and three-day courses on basic keelboat skills and yachting as well as multihour and multiday sailing trips.
Where to stay: The Landmark Inn comes by its name honestly. A pillar of luxury in downtown Marquette since it opened in 1930, the 66-key boutique property has hosted the likes of Amelia Earhart, Abbott and Costello, and more recently the Rolling Stones, who gathered in the hotel’s Northland Pub in 2002. Book a lakeview room for Superior vistas.
Scottsdale, Arizona
Best for: Fashionistas
In the winter, Aspen is the place for fashion-forward Coloradans to see and be seen. But in the summer, you’ll want to hop a two-hour flight to Arizona and strut the streets of Scottsdale like a runway. Located just east of Phoenix and home to the Southwest’s largest one-stop shopping destination, Scottsdale is a hot spot for high fashion. Browse a mixture of luxury brands—including Cartier Diamond Salon—and upscale staples at the Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall.
Shoppers who prefer an old-meets-new aesthetic can head to Old Town Scottsdale. Here, you’ll find collections of Fendi bags and Yves Saint Laurent pumps circa 1970 to 1990 at Vintage By Misty, a renowned boutique that draws celebrity stylists and has earned recognition from the likes of British Vogue and GQ. Less than a mile away, you’ll find the Indigenous-owned and -operated Native Art Market. Their indoor location offers Kingman turquoise drop earrings, sandcast pendants, and much more from 400-plus silversmiths, stone carvers, painters, and potters largely of Diné (Navajo) descent.
Where to stay: Temps are high in Arizona come summer. So, when choosing where to rest your head (and your shopping bags), make sure your hub has a pool. Bonus if your hotel offers a summer special. The retro-era but newly redone Hotel Valley Ho and dressed-to-the-nines (and with a back nine nearby) Fairmont Scottsdale Princess have both. Choose the former for midcentury flair, easy access to the shops in Old Town Scottsdale, and an assortment of summer deals and discounts. Opt for the Fairmont, located next to TPC Scottsdale, if you want to enjoy a desert botanical facial at the on-site spa, splash in six different pools, and receive up to 30 percent off your stay.
Moab and Escalante, Utah
Best For: History nerds
Though a Colorado prep school teacher and his hiking companion discovered the first Tyrannosaurus rex fossil in Golden, it’s Utah that claims one of the most complete records of prehistoric life of any geographic area on the planet. See a sampling on this multiday, 1,200-mile road trip from Denver.
After taking I-70 west across the Utah border to Moab, you’ll be within striking distance of your first stop: Utahraptor State Park. A relatively new addition to the state’s park system (it first welcomed guests in 2021), Utahraptor houses plenty of ancient history, including the Dalton Wells site, where a team of paleontologists unearthed the 20-foot-long, five-foot-tall carnivore that gives the park its name.
If you want to hit up some hoodoos, don’t make a beeline for Bryce Canyon National Park like everyone else. Instead, visit Goblin Valley State Park, where you can admire a similar Mars-like landscape covered in hoodoos—without the hordes of people. These remnants of geologic history are on display for campers, mountain bikers, and disc golf aficionados, who can toss to 20 holes scattered around sand dunes and interesting rock formations. Rent discs for $1 each if you forget your own.
Next, steer your Subaru toward Escalante Petrified Forest State Park, where countless mustard-, crimson-, and lilac-hued rocks are actually preserved trees (likely conifers) dating back to around 190 million years ago. Rest a few days in Escalante and return via the northern route to see the roughly 1,500 different dino bones from Stegosaurus, Allosaurus, and their brethren on display in the Quarry Exhibit Hall, an indoor viewing area located on the Utah side of Dinosaur National Monument.
Where to stay: A 20-acre outdoor glamping destination located within the borders of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Ofland Escalante makes a worthy midpoint to rest for a few days during your time travels. Stay in a vintage Airstream, retrofitted with air conditioning and a skylight, and cuddle up in a restored 1961 AMC Rambler or 1963 Ford F100 to watch a flick on the drive-in theater screen (Jurassic Park, perhaps?).
Omaha, Nebraska
Best for: Foodies
In Omaha, it’s easy to pick which dish to try first on your culinary adventure. It’s just that with more than 25 different steak houses scattered around town, it’s difficult to know where to start. Standouts include Johnny’s Cafe, a family-owned operation since it opened as an eight-seat saloon in 1922 (try the Omaha Strip Steak, the owner’s favorite), and the Drover, which is known for bathing its filets in a whiskey-based marinade. For a steak flight (available in summer only), order up at the Committee Chophouse.
If you need a break from all that beef, follow in Guy Fieri’s footsteps and try the homemade cheese wheel pasta at WD Cravings. Veggie-lovers should visit Gather’s Old Market Omaha location, where each sprig of peppery arugula and sweet basil is harvested minutes before it hits your plate, thanks to the on-site hydroponic vertical urban farm.
Spend the afternoon whetting your whistle with a Vanilla Bean Blonde Ale from Infusion Brewing Co., one of the rotating Fruity Kettle sours from Monolithic Brewing, or a pour from one of the other 20-plus craft breweries around town. Top off the trip with a farm-to-cone treat at Coneflower Creamery, where everything from the butter brickle ice cream (a toffee-esque flavor that originates in Omaha) to the sprinkles are made in-house.
Where to stay: In 1925, Reuben Kulakofsky stacked corned beef, sauerkraut, and Thousand Island dressing on slices of rye to appease late-night poker players gambling at Omaha’s Blackstone Hotel. The lodge has since become the newly transformed (to the tune of $75 million) Kimpton Cottonwood Hotel, but guests can still try the original Blackstone Reuben in the hotel’s Orleans Room restaurant.
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Best for: Aspiring cowboys and cowgirls
For a new take on Western lore, hightail it to Cheyenne for Frontier Days (July 18 to 27). Now in its 129th year, the world’s largest outdoor rodeo and Western celebration includes Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association events where the real deals ride broncos, rope steer, and (try to) tame bulls—all in the hopes of earning their share of more than $1 million in cash and prizes. When the sun sets, the stars (think: Luke Bryan, Brooks & Dunn, and other top country-western singers) come out.
If you can’t make it for the main event, plan your trip around the smaller, but still rowdy, Hell on Wheels Rodeo series, held on select Friday nights from June 6 to September 5. Fill your belly with slow-cooked brisket, beans, and cobbler from the award-winning 3 Lazy R Chuck Wagon, and then settle in for a familiar brand of cowboy fun.
When you’re not watching the dust fly, take time to mosey through Cheyenne. Try on a new pair of boots from one of many Western boutiques; learn more about Sacagawea and Annie Oakley at the Cowgirls of the West Museum; and look for the First United Methodist Church, a red stone structure close to the spot where Wild Bill Hickok said “I do” to circus performer Agnes Lake Thatcher. (The presiding minister noted in his prayer book that he “didn’t think they meant it.”)
Where to stay: Experience the Victorian West—and perhaps sleep in the same room where Buffalo Bill once snored—with a stay at the Nagle Warren Mansion, a historical home turned 12-room bed and breakfast that’s looked after by a two-star Michelin chef and innkeeper.
