Colorado
A Day in Denver
Most flights to Alaska from Toronto at least, are NOT direct. Your 3 main options for layovers are Seattle, Vancouver, and Colorado. Knowing that we HAD to take a layover we decided to strategically pick one that allows time to experience the place and not just the airport
So Here is how to spend 10 hours in Colorado:
I recommend booking a vehicle ahead of time as it’s usually cheaper. We booked with Thrifty Cars, a short 5 min shuttle from the airport. Prices range from about $50-70 for the day.
There are a couple of options for spending a day in Colorado…you could head to Boulder and explore the town, take a quick trip to the closest entrance of the Rockies, OR if you’re like us and want a change of scenery I recommend Garden of the Gods.
Garden of the Gods is a National Park in Colorado Springs, about an hour from the Denver International Airport. It was a really beautiful drive through Desert and Green hill tops, unlike the snowy mountain caps we’d experienced prior to in Alaska.
Disclaimer: Garden of the Gods is beautiful year round, but keep in mind we were there in May before summer had really begun and it was already 30 degrees Celsius. So pack accordingly.
The park is a perfect place for a short day hike. They are hardly backcountry trails though. It’s popular for tourists and the trails are all paved walkways (ie. Family friendly). Running shoes are acceptable, just be careful if you wish to climb in the rockier areas. You can also pay for a permit prior to if you’re interested in Climbing in Garden of the Gods, which looked really fun too!
Parking: There is parking right in the main park entrance, we didn’t have any trouble but we arrived at around 8am. The park fills up fast so if you want a spot at the main entrance plan accordingly.
Despite being overly touristy, I thought the park was beautiful and it’s kind of cool to escape the city and head to the desert for the day. You don’t need a lot of time in the park to cover most of the ground, we were there for about 3 hours.
Food: For Lunch we headed to Black Bear Diner (about 5-10 min drive from the Park). The place has all day breakfast and it’s great on a budget.
We left with plenty of time to return the car and shuttle back to airport. So there you have it, less than 24 hours in Colorado. It was the perfect little taste, and from those 10 hours alone I can say I will definitely be returning to explore more of the beautiful state.
