On July 31, I worked a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Even the views from the airport are stunning. I decided that when I had days off the next week I wanted to come back to Wyoming and maybe see Yellowstone National park. I brought the idea up to my brother, Will, who asked if he could come along. “Of course you can!” I said, and we started planning. However, Wyoming is rather expensive so 24 hours out, we changed up the plan and decided to go to Denver, Colorado instead. Here’s how you can throw together a last minute trip to Denver.
Why Denver?
We knew we wanted to spend time outside and go hiking. It was also important to have a larger airport with multiple flights a day. Both Will and I were flying on standby so we needed to have the security of more than one flight a day in case we got bumped. I also wanted to make sure the airport was fairly close to things we wanted to see. We only had 3 days so I did not want to waste too much time in the car. And of course, we wanted it to be budget friendly!
Flights
This is the biggest expense for most people and I realize that our situation is not applicable to the normal person most of the time. I fly for free and Will ended up using a standby pass of mine where the price is the same no matter when you book the ticket. It cost $260 round trip for my brother to fly from Columbia, SC to Denver, CO with a connection in Dallas. Because we flew out on a Monday and back on a Wednesday, there were plenty of open seats on the flights so we did not have to worry about making it on the plane. For those of you that don’t have connections to the aviation industry I do have a couple tips.
- Use a private window or incognito mode when looking for flights. I don’t understand all the data behind it but it works.
- Check Google Flights. Here you can easily compare all the carriers on the route you’re traveling and get the best rate.
- Download Hopper. This is an amazing app that can find great last minute deals but really shines when you have a trip planned a few months in the future. You can set up what route you will be taking and it will notify you when there’s a price drop. One time I saw a round trip flight Dallas-Paris for $450!
Where to Stay
The biggest reason we decided not to go to Wyoming was the accommodations. The supply is less than the demand leaving even the Motel 6 at $150/night! We thought about roughing it by renting a mini van and sleeping in it but I prefer to have a shower and a real bed. HotelTonight really does provide fantastic last minute deals, I booked our room the night before we got to Denver. We stayed at Home2 Suites by Hilton in downtown. The room had a nice set up with a kitchenette. After taxes, fees, and a promo code, the room cost $197 for two nights. (Pssttt! You can use my Promo Code ECORBETT26 for $25 off your next booking with HotelTonight!)
I loved our room but if I had to do it all over again I think I would have looked to stay in Boulder rather than Denver. Staying in Boulder would have put us closer to the trials we hiked.
How to Get Around
Denver is a city where having your own transportation is a must. There is decent public transit it seemed within the city but to get out to the parks, you will need a car. Once again I have to shout out my job/company. Working in the aviation industry gets me discounts to other forms of transportation too! Through my company website I booked an economy car with Avis. We didn’t need anything big or sporty as we were not going to be doing major off-roading or sleeping in it. For the 3 days with the young driver fee (not quite 25 yet) it was $92.35. Plus I think the gentleman at the counter upgraded us a little bit and we cruised around in a Mitsubishi Outlander.
Where to Park
What about parking? It would have cost $47 a night to park at our hotel. A cost I wanted to avoid if possible. I downloaded the SpotHero App and it was a lifesaver. Using the app I found a garage just a block away from our hotel that only cost $15.50 to park in overnight. There were no in-out privileges at this particular garage but that wasn’t an issue for us. I prepaid for the parking and scanned a QR code upon entering and exiting the garage. I worked like a charm and couldn’t have been easier!
What to Do
After a long travel day Monday, we decided to just chill out when we got to our hotel. We had supper at The Yardhouse, where we both had burgers that were tasty and filling. We went to Target to buy supplies that we would pack for lunch the next day. And we finished the evening by watching Spider-Man; Homecoming on TV.
Tuesday was our big day. After checking out a few articles like “10 Short Hikes in Colorado to Make You Sweat This Summer”, “10 Best Hikes When Visiting Colorado”, and AllTrails, we knew we wanted to do Royal Arch Trail and Roxborough State Park.
Royal Arch Trail
We slept in a bit, getting up at 8:30am, packed our lunches and headed out the door. Royal Arch trail is located in Chautauqua Park, in Boulder. It was about 45 minutes to drive there from our hotel. The drive is lovely once we got out of downtown Denver. Seeing the mountains getting closer and closer was exciting.
I have to be honest with y’all. I really enjoy hiking, or the idea of hiking rather… This hike was HARD. Just shy of 4 miles out-and-back with a 1,500 foot change in elevation. It was very steep in some places. Will and I took several breaks and drank plenty of water. I make myself feel better about the whole ordeal by remembering that the area is ALREADY a mile above sea level and that I am just not used to that elevation.
Buffalo Bill Museum and Gravesite
After hiking Royal Arch we headed back to the car to eat our picnic lunch and get on the road to Roxborough State Park. It’s an hour south of Chautauqua. While on the highway we saw a sign for Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave Site. We were intrigued and followed the signs off the highway and up the side of Lookout Mountain.
Will already knew a good bit about Buffalo Bill so he told me a little about the man who paved the way for the modern day rodeo while I drove. The museum had a $5 admission fee per person that was so worth it. I learned a lot about not only Buffalo Bill but the westward expansion of the United States. And there were several stunning artifacts. The costumes were my favorite. We then paid our respects at his gravesite and headed back down the mountain to get back on track.
Roxborough State Park
We get back in the car and drive down Lookout Mountain. In less than an hour we are pulling up to Roxborough State Park. The entrance fee is $9, they accept cash or card, and there is a self serve kiosk. I wanted to visit Roxborough because I read it was like “Garden of the Gods” but in Denver instead of Colorado Springs. It did not dissapoint. Beautiful red rock formations surrounded by green foliage make for a stunning landscape. This was an easy trail that I would think of more as a nature walk than a hike.
Wednesday was go home day, and with how standby flying works it is better to be on a earlier flight in case it is full and you get rolled over to the next one. We woke up, packed our bags and headed to the airport.
What I Want to do Next Time
Because of COVID-19, Rocky Mountain National Park is operating with limited capacity. Because of this, and the last minute nature of our trip, I could not secure a ticket to get into the park. If you want to go to Denver, make sure to get a reservation for Rocky Mountain in advance. I have heard wonderful things about Trail Ridge Road and would love to do that next time I’m in Denver!
And that’s how we threw together a trip to Denver, CO in about 24 hours! I would say it was successful. Have you ever planned a last minute vacation? I would love to hear about it!
Thank you so much for reading, it means so much to me.
Until next time, Stay Fab! Xoxo,
