Never have I ever hiked out west or traveled solo. The most I’ve ever done was fly from Chicago to Michigan by myself (and that’s not saying much). I’ve been eager to get out to Colorado for years, but have yet to make the trip.
After accepting a new job and deciding to take a week off in between, I ventured out of the midwest for the week to go sightseeing. I started looking at flights, places to stay and must-see hiking trails in Colorado. 24 hours later, I had a plane ticket and a confirmed bed at a hostel in the mountains. (This is where my parents started to freak out).
I felt more comfortable coming out here since an old friend of mine from high school recently moved out to Denver. I knew if anything went wrong, she’d be a phone call away. And I got to catch up with her, crash on her couch for a night and explore Downtown Denver together!
But the remainder of my trip, I was completely on my own. I stayed in a hostel room with numerous other men and women, which is something I’d never done before. I went to dinner and drinks on my own. And I even met some interesting people from around the world along the way!
This was definitely a trip of a lifetime, and I’m so happy I bit the bullet and decided to go.
Travel smart
You’ll want to travel with a backpack or pack one in your luggage to have on hikes. I packed my North Face Jester backpack for the trails, but next time I may bring along a sidebag from Sherpani (they have a cute downtown shop in Boulder, too)!
You can not forget to pack (or purchase once you get there) higher SPF sunscreen, water bottles (bring multiple for each hike) and high protein snacks. Every time I left to go on a hike, I brought about 80oz of water, protein bars and trail mix. And don’t forget the first aid kit! I packed some alcohol wipes and bandaids.
Don’t put yourself in unsafe situations. Always bring along maps and portable phone chargers so you are never completely lost or stranded. The cell phone service can be spotty in the mountains, so that’s why it helps to have a backup map on hand as a worst-case scenario.
Just be smart. I always let my parents and boyfriend back home know which trails I was on, just in case I went missing or got lost.
When flying solo…
Get ready to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Accept that fact that you are alone and embrace it. Go to breweries, restaurants, shops, and trails, taking in the sights and sounds. It’s nice to sit and have a beer while being able to hear your own thoughts. You’ll even notice more people around you are there alone too. It’s way less weird than you would think, and you may even enjoy it like I did!
Be open to meeting people at your hotel or hostel, happy hour or on the trails. While on the Royal Arch trail, I met a group that I traveled up the mountain with. Not only was it nice to have the company, but it was also reassuring knowing I wasn’t completely alone, in case anything had happened.
One night I went and grabbed happy hour drinks and apps on the roof of Rio Grande. Since I was by myself, I sat at a communal picnic table, eventually sitting next to a group of investment bankers that were in town on business. Some were from Texas, some were from Oklahoma, and it was nice to hear about their time in Colorado, travel recommendations for their states, and about their industry.
PS anytime you tell someone where you are from, they almost always respond with a crazy weekend they had out in Chicago. It’s how most of my conversations started with strangers along the trip.
Spend your morning’s hiking
The key to hiking on the popular trails is to get there early. Wake up, eat breakfast and head out to the mountains to beat the crowds. Both mornings I hiked, I was up and out by 8 am and done hiking a few hours later. Nothing like being held up by slow people trailing in front of you.
If it’s going to be a hot day, you’ll also want to beat the heat. The sun is already super hot and the air is dry, so being out in the peak of the day only makes it worse. Luckily, many of the hikes have lots of shade and spots to sit and rest whenever you need it.
Where to rest your head
I highly recommend staying at the Boulder Adventure Lodge. I stayed in their youth hostel rooms, but they also have a variety of hotels rooms, cabins, and suites. Here, you are halfway up Canyon Drive, so you are practically within the mountain during your stay. The property has spaces for camping, an adorable lodge, pool, and hot tub, and is surrounded by rivers, trees, mountain views and trails.
The lodge has access to the Fourmile Creek and the Boulder Creek Paths, which can be biked (bikes were available to rent) or walked, leading into downtown Boulder or up to the canyon. The views will take your breath away.
How to get around town
If you are planning on staying local to Denver and Boulder, it’s not necessary to rent a car. I took Uber or Lyft most places, or took the cities public transportation buses to get me between cities. It was really easy and convenient to get around.
For those of you wanting to go to the Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado Springs or just have a little more flexibility, renting a car would probably be a smart option. I’ll definitely be planning another trip out there to tackle the surrounding areas I couldn’t get to easily without a car.
Choosing the best hikes
I don’t think you could go wrong with any of the hikes in Boulder. Everywhere I went, I was blown away by the mountain views. I knew I had two full days to hike, so I chose two advanced hikes I wanted to do and went from there.
On day one I hiked the Royal Arch Trail from Chautauqua Park, which was a tough one. This 3.5 mile trip gets you up to an elevation of 1,400 feet. All in all, it took me about 2.5 to 3 hours including stopping, constant sightseeing and photo ops. Once I got back to the bottom, my legs were a little shaky. I’d say I did pretty good for my first big hike!
Day two called for multiple hikes since it was my last day in Colorado. First up was the Canyon Loop, which was directly behind the Adventure Lodge. I hiked up there right after breakfast, getting done before 10:30am. This hike was more flat, but the path to get up there was super steep. The loop was 3.3 miles, plus the 0.5 mile or so to get up to the loop and 0.5 mile to get back down. It was tougher than I expected it to be, but still pretty low key.
I ventured out to the highest peak I’d get to during my trip that afternoon to the Green Mountain Summit Loop. At the peak, this trail is the third tallest mountain in Boulder, reaching an elevation of about 2,800 feet. From the top, you get a full 360-degree breathtaking view of Boulder and Denver. Absolutely beautiful!
Something to sink your teeth into
Ahh, now onto some of the best parts of vacation — dining out! I don’t eat out that often during my daily life, so going on vacation and eating at numerous restaurants is a real treat.
While in Denver, my friend and I went to Denver Central Market for fresh salads and smoothies at Green Seed. I love when you stumble across a healthy smoothie bar, where you can watch them throw fresh ingredients into the blender, rather than premade, sugary mixes. The rest of the market had a variety of options, like a coffee shop, pizza, pasta, sandwiches, and a little dessert bar. I grabbed a little chocolate treat from Temper Chocolates and Confections before we left, YUM!
For dinner in Denver, we sat on the roof at Avanti, which is a collective eatery with five different food vendors to choose from. I was torn between a make-your-own poke bowl from QuickFish or an arepa from Quiero Arepas. Ultimately, I went with a spicy salmon poke bowl. We were able to stare out to the downtown Denver skyline while we enjoyed our dinner. Highly recommend this place for groups of people since there is something for everyone!
During my first afternoon in Boulder, I went to Oskar Blues Brewery, where I devoured an amazing salmon salad and a cherry tart sour beer. If you are drinking in Colorado for the first time, beware. One beer feels like two, two feels like four, etc. One 9% beer hit me pretty hard, especially before I finished my salad.
After I had a bigger lunch, I went to happy hour at Rio before heading back to my hostel for the night. A glass of wine, chips, salsa and a side of dipping veggies, all for less than $10. #Winning
For my final night, I grabbed a quick bite at Eureka! before catching a bus from Boulder to Denver. My Uber driver recommended this place to me since I was wanting a bomb salad. After reading through the menu, I went with a veggie beet burger made with red beets and kidney beans, house pickles, tomato, red onion, arugula and a lemon vinaigrette. This was honestly an amazing burger. I got a side of sweet potato fries, cause DUH! The service here was awesome and I was in and out in about a half hour – pretty good for a sit-down restaurant!
Would I go back?
Hell yes! I hope to go back to Colorado soon, maybe in the winter next time to snowboard on the mountains. Overall, it was a pretty inexpensive trip, especially for being so spur of the moment. If you are an outdoors lover, beer drinker or foodie, Denver and Boulder should be put on your travel list!