Welcome to the Bucket List Community News Denver Top 5 Guide series. My name is Logan Kurtz and I work as the Business Development Manager at Bucket List Community News. I’m kicking off our guide series with one exploring five lesser-known outdoor spots in and around Denver.
Like many people in Colorado, I suffer from what one might call an outdoor addiction. I got a job in the ski/bike industry to support my addiction, and I only work part-time in journalism to appear normal to those around me.
We hope that you enjoy our team’s personally curated picks for top spots in and around the Denver area. This is something completely new that we will be doing every Sunday until the summer of 2025, and we are confident that there will be something for everybody. If you or someone you know has been trying to get outside more, check out my guide to the lesser-known outdoor destinations!
Clear Creek Cliff Jumping
Growing up as a stereotypical Colorado teenager, my friends and I were always looking for dangerous ways to satisfy our outdoor needs, which included activities like downhill longboarding, creek tubing and cliff jumping. If you want to enjoy Clear Creek Canyon Park in a less crowded area while still getting the same thrill (or more) and better views than the popular Clear Creek Whitewater Park in downtown Golden, drive a mile up U.S. 6 to the Tunnel 1 trailhead.
Once you’re here, you’ll want to make your way down to Peaks to Plains Trail, which runs alongside Clear Creek. A few hundred feet up the trail, there is a spot where you can hop the guardrail and gain access to a medium-sized wade pool. You can take a dip in the river but don’t expect it to be warm because the Clear Creek watershed starts at 14,000 feet at the Continental Divide, and water temperatures near Golden typically average around 40 degrees. Even on the hottest of days, it will take your breath away.
If you really want the full experience, swim across to the other side of the river and find a roughly 12–15 foot rock ledge with a perfect (sketchy) runup and a safe (usually) landing in the river. However, be careful not to get swept away by the current, as there are rocky white waters not far downstream.
DISCLAIMER: Neither Bucket List Community News nor I would condone jumping off a 15-foot rock into 40-degree water with a strong current and a shallow landing (depending on the time of year). It’s inherently dangerous. But that doesn’t mean we won’t think you’re totally awesome if you do.
Alternatively, you can skip the water activities and hike or bike up the Peaks to Plains Trail, which offers breathtaking views of granite and gneiss bedrock canyon walls layered hundreds of feet above your head. Currently, a three-mile segment is closed just west of Tunnel 1 for construction and improvement, but it will reopen in spring 2025, completing the entire 13.5-mile paved trail segment up the canyon.
Clear Creek Canyon Park, Tunnel 1 Trailhead, 22122 US Hwy 6, Golden. HOURS: Opens one hour before sunrise and closes one hour after sunset. COST: Free. Learn more at https://www.jeffco.us/1196/Clear-Creek-Canyon-Park.
Aqua Golf Aquatic Driving Range and Mini Golf Course
For my second stop, I wanted to bring things a little closer to home for Denver residents. Aqua Golf off Santa Fe Drive is an exceptionally entertaining way to spend a weekend day or weeknight without paying Topgolf prices. It has a fully lighted driving range on the edge of Overland Lake where you can test your distance, as well as two 18-hole mini golf courses for those who are still working on their short game.
Aqua Golf is ideal for those just getting into the sport. The club rentals and balls are inexpensive ($11 for 80 balls), and the atmosphere is more relaxed and social than you would expect from a typical driving range. Now you do not have to be embarrassed about swerving 30 feet to the right because you nearly got hit by the person 5 rows over. What a wonderful world!
Jokes aside, Aqua Golf is a great place to hang out with friends and let off some steam by swinging a metal club at a small round object to see who can hit it the farthest. Sometimes the most primitive things are the most enjoyable. Golden hour in this range can also be mesmerizing because it faces directly toward the mountains.
Anyone up for some mini-golf and taco Tuesday? I would like to personally recommend the Irish Rover Pub, located about a five-minute drive down South Broadway, for its $1 tacos and immaculate rooftop vibes. It’s the ideal way to unwind after swinging the clubs.
Aqua Golf, 501 W Florida Ave., Denver. HOURS: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. COST: The driving range is $11 for 80 balls and mini golf is $10 for adults and $6 for juniors. Learn more at https://www.cityofdenvergolf.com/aqua-golf/.
Eldorado Springs and Canyon
As a child, I could never sleep before going to Eldorado Springs with my mother and sister. As a young, unfettered elementary school student, the opportunities for fun and exploration seemed limitless. Located just a few short miles off Highway 93 right before you get into Boulder, Eldorado Springs, nestled at the base of Eldorado Canyon State Park, are two spectacular locations you must visit if you haven’t already.
Eldorado Canyon State Park offers 17 miles of scenic hiking trails through the jagged Boulder Flatirons. But be careful, because they get steeper and more exposed as you go higher. Don’t want to feel like you’re being roasted on a literal flat iron? Drop down to South Boulder Creek to escape the sun and have a picnic by the water.
Eldorado Springs, as the name implies, contains a natural hot spring. In 1905, the city constructed a world-class resort that became known as the “Coney Island of the West.” It began distributing spring water in 1942 and has since provided one of Colorado’s most distinctive swimming experiences. The pool, which had been closed since 2020, reopened this summer. And, while the two-story metal slide that I used to bang the back of my head on has been removed, I can confidently say that this historic site is still worth a visit.
Eldorado Canyon State Park, 9 Kneale Rd., Eldorado Springs, CO. HOURS: 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. (State Park) or 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Pool). COST: $10 per vehicle. Swimming pool costs $25 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under or seniors 60 and up. Learn more at: https://cpw.state.co.us/state-parks/eldorado-canyon-state-park
Gross Reservoir
Our next lesser-known outdoor spot is on the other side of the Flatirons, at a cozy little spot called Gross Reservoir, also known as Gross Dam. Gross Reservoir, which can be accessed from either Coal Creek Canyon via Highway 72 or Boulder Canyon, is a one-of-a-kind alpine lake located just over an hour from Denver’s most populous areas. Unlike many Front Range reservoirs (I’m looking at you, Bear Creek), you will not have to navigate hordes of people to find peace on the water.
Gross Reservoir offers a variety of outdoor activities, including backcountry camping, hiking and even 4x4s for the moto bros. Do you have a fishing license and want to catch the highly sought-after Tiger Muskie? This is one of the only places in Colorado where you can do it! Although the crystal clear water at this location may entice you, the reservoir only allows non-motorized boats and paddle boards in the water, so do not get too excited and decide it is time to go for a swim. Take my word for it: they patrol and enforce.
Right now, Gross Reservoir is undergoing a massive expansion project that would increase the height of the structure by 131 feet, almost tripling the dam’s capacity from 42,000 acres to 119,000 acres. Because of construction, the reservoir can only be accessed from the north shore via either Flagstaff Road or Gross Dam Road. But not to worry, all amenities are still available.
Gross Reservoir, Forest Service Rd. 359, Nederland. HOURS: Sunrise to sunset. COST: Free. Learn more at: https://www.denverwater.org/recreation/gross-resevoir
New Terrain Brewing Company
Is this really a Colorado outdoor guide if I didn’t include a craft brewery? No, no, it would not. Thus, I present to you New Terrain Brewing Company, a cozy brewhouse located at the base of North Table Mountain in Golden, in an ideal location to quench the thirst of the many recreationists who descend from the mesa’s popular trails.
What better way to recoup all of those calories you just burned than to chug a few cold ones at the local watering hole? New Terrain, founded on the passions of exploration and creation, takes pride in offering a one-of-a-kind selection of craft beer as well as some unconventional brewing methods.
The brewery does an excellent job of tailoring its atmosphere to that of the outdoor inclined, and you are more likely to see people in spandex and spinning shoes with their golden retriever in hand than a casually dressed bargoer looking for a place to drink.
If you need any more proof that this is an outdoor brewery made for and by outdoor people, take a look at what their website says: “Hike, run, ride, two wheels or four, or up on a horse. No matter how you wander. You’re welcome here.”
New Terrain Brewing Company, 16401 Table Mountain Pkwy, Golden. HOURS: Monday to Wednesday: 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday to Friday: 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. COST: Depends on how much beer you drink. Learn more at: https://newterrainbrewing.com/
This concludes the first ‘Top 5 Guide’ in our Bucket List guide series. If you are still reading, thank you for sticking around for my favorite less-known outdoor spots in the Denver area. If you have any comments or want to share with us your top outdoor spots in Denver, email Vicky Collins, Toni Tresca or me at loganfkurtz@bucketlistcommunitynews.com and we will get back to you ASAP! Thanks again, Bucket Listers. Stay safe out there!
