The Best 4-Day Itinerary to Denver Colorado

Imagine this… stunning mountain scenery, gourmet food in a dim-lit room, cozy hotel rooms, wildlife sightings, hikes to frozen waterfalls, and warm hot chocolate on a cold snowy night. Sound like the trip you’re looking for? Keep reading!

My husband & I got married on December 15 (I know, so close to Christmas!), and like to go on some type of trip to celebrate it. I let my husband decide this time and asked him if he was in the mood for a warm, beachy trip or a snowy, wintery getaway… and he chose winter, so here we are! I think there’s beauty in all types of trips, whether to a city or the country, on a beach or in the snow. Mix it up!

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A 4-DAY ITINERARY TO DENVER, COLORADO

Now that I’ve got you hooked on imagery, let’s create your trip. I will list pricing of our trip for those that are curious- we did decide to be budget friendly on this trip.

Flight

We flew Southwest from PHX-DEN nonstop, $45 one-way in December, $180 total

RENTAL CAR

We used Dollar rental car, through KAYAK, $25 per day, about $125 total (be aware of toll fees in Denver). We got a sedan without 4WD, but it worked perfectly for us.

HOTEL

We split our trip into two locations, so we had two separate hotels. We stayed in Hyatt Place Denver Downtown & Discovery Lodge Estes Park. See below for more hotel info!

WHAT TO BRING

DAY 1 (DOWNTOWN DENVER COLORADO)

For Day 1, we planned on checking into the hotel, getting some good food, and embracing the wintery city vibes. We arrived around 11 am to the airport. After getting our rental car, we headed to the highly regarded TORCHY’S TACOS. I highly recommend the breakfast burrito.

CHRISTKINDL MARKET

As we were driving around downtown exploring, we noticed The Denver Christkindl Market in Downtown Denver Colorado. It was sure popular, we waited in line for 1 hour in the cold to get in. We got a beautiful German ornament to bring home, some warm hot cocoa, and a delicious German pretzel that was well worth the wait.

LARIMER SQUARE

Once our hot pretzel warmed us up, we stopped by Larimer Square, a historic block in Downtown Denver, Colorado full of shops, restaurants, and overhanging lights. When we went, there was live music, dining in igloos, and free hot cocoa. How would you like to spend your evening here?

After a chilly afternoon downtown, we checked into our hotel, Hyatt Place Denver Downtown. We booked two nights for about $180. This hotel doesn’t have parking on-site, but we parked in a garage across the street for cheap (overnight).

For dinner, we walked from our hotel in snowfall to 5280 Burger Bar. We went on this trip during the COVID-19 pandemic, so dine-in wasn’t an option, but we had a lot of fun bringing it back to our hotel room.

DAY 2 (COLORADO SPRINGS)

GARDEN OF THE GODS

For Day 2, we took a trip down south to Colorado Springs for some outdoor adventuring- Garden of the Gods Park + Pikes Peak. GARDEN OF THE GODS was our first spot. It is about an hour and 15 minutes south of Downtown Denver, Colorado. Admission is FREE + the park is open 8 am-7 pm daily. Things to do at the park include walking, biking, driving, shopping, and eating at the shops in the park.

We didn’t go with specific plans, we just enjoyed walking around the park as we pleased. This park is dog friendly (although we were visiting from out of state) and kid-friendly. I do highly recommend eating at the Garden of the Gods Market Cafe– there was plenty of options. I had warm tomato soup and grilled cheese, which was very satisfying on a cold day. They also have Starbucks & Ice Cream inside.

PIKES PEAK

Up next is Pikes Peak- America’s Mountain, only a short 20-minute drive from Garden of the Gods. It costs $15 an adult to get in, and it’s a 19-mile drive to the summit that takes 2-3 hours round trip with numerous stops along the way. FYI- the National Parks pass does not work here. It’s open 7 30am- 8pm (last entry at 6 pm). It had just snowed the day prior to our visit, so we could only drive up a few miles, but we still loved it.

After a fun outdoorsy day, we headed back to Denver to grab a quick dinner, visit a Colorado REI, and stop by the BEST ICE CREAM SHOP you’ll ever visit- Little Man Ice Cream. I mean it. It’s cute, festive, and the ice cream is to die for, so it deserves it’s own place on this blog.

DAY 3 (ESTES PARK & RMNP)

But wait, there’s more fun to be had! On Day 3, we packed up our stuff (after watching a good sunrise out of our hotel window), and headed up north towards Rocky Mountain National Park.

RMNP is about 1.5 hrs away from Denver. There are different bases to the park- we chose Estes Park. We stayed at Discovery Lodge for only $65 per night (healthcare worker discount), and loved how cozy the hotel room was. 

We checked in, grabbed something to eat, and headed right to the park, which is just a short 15-20 minute drive.

To get to the trailhead, we came into the park through Fall River Visitor Center. From here, drive about 2 miles and turn right onto Endovalley Road. There are multiple small parking lots, the closest being Alluvian Fan. In the winter, the hike can become a bit longer due to snow closures. During warmer seasons, you can drive all the way through Old Fall River Road. The beauty of this waterfall should give you reason enough to do this hike.

PS- I used our Bluetooth Tripod to take the photo of us above!

After our snowy hike, we visited some of the shops downtown, grabbed a nice hot cocoa and some candy for the hotel room. We did stop in Estes Park Mountain Shop to get rentals for our adventure tomorrow….

DAY 4 (MORE ESTES PARK & RMNP)

So what’s the big adventure?? Snowshoeing (or microspikes) at sunrise! We picked our gear up late in the evening from Estes Park Mountain Shop for a 1-day rental- only $18 combined!! They were so friendly and informative about our rental. We headed out early and were the only ones in the trailhead parking lot besides the plow and the park rangers, haha.

This hike takes you past Bear Lake, Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, and Lake Haiyaha. I definitely recommend some type of snow equipment to hike this in the winter- whether snowshoes, spikes, or cross country skiis. It was very peaceful, quiet, beautiful, and also freezing cold. Please be careful if you choose to walk on the lakes.

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We did intend on hiking Alberta Falls afterward, but we were so tired and cold that we decided to head up. After cleaning up and resting at our hotel, we decided to get massages for our anniversary. We chose Hands Down Best in Town Therapeutic Massage in Estes Park and loved it (fun fact- this was my husbands first massage). To finish off our anniversary + our trip, we took Mama Rose’s Italian food back to the hotel room for dinner.

I hope I’ve convinced you on why Colorado is the best winter destination! It really has the best of both words from the city to the mountains.

SUMMARY

• It’s cold here in the winter- pack layers!
• We were able to keep this trip under $1000 for 4 nights, 5 days
• A perfect blend of city vibes & mountain towns
• If you’re hiking in the winter, make sure you have insulation for your water, microspikes, and hiking socks.

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