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Fun Day Trips in Colorado: Part 1

Challis Hackley
Aug 7, 2017
4 min read

Day Trips Galore

I love traveling from home, and I don't just mean a stay-cation (although those are nice too) I am talking about day trips, and I am a big fan. I still think it's traveling if you are seeing and doing something new away from home, away from the area where you live and work. I love day trips because there is a lot that you don't have to worry about when you start and end from home: food, bathrooms, sleeping conditions, and hygiene (showers, makeup, morning routine, etc.). All the big stuff that is usually not so fun about travel is mostly taken care of. Eat meals at home, breakfast before you leave and dinner depending on when you get home, Pack a lunch for the time in between. You can shower and sleep at home. So much is taken care of while you are still get to see and do fun and amazing things.

There is always something to see within a couple hours of where you are. I don't care where you live or how far you think you are from civilization, there is always something (at least one thing) that you could do in a day. It's usually just a matter of finding it. I recommend getting out there and talking to people, find something great to do. Day trips are my jam and I've had a lot of them lately, including plenty of time spent with good friends and family, tons of great food, and some adventurous river floating. This is the first post of two, all about my day trips. These are all in Colorado but maybe if you're not around here, it can give you an idea of what to look for in your own area.

Paint Mines Interpretive Park

A month or two back, my family and I went to the Paint Mines. It's a little like a national park in Calhan, Colorado. Its a really cool place and because it's not an official park, or anything like that, you don't have to pay to see it and there aren't restrictions on what you can do there. You can climb on the rock formations and all that fun stuff. The rocks there are beautiful, all sorts of layered colors and structures. I had a really great time exploring all of it, rock climbing, scrambling, and taking some awesome pictures and it was just such a cool place hidden away.

Castle Rock

A friend and I took the day off and went to the outlet mall in Castle Rock, Colorado. Now, you may not think this qualifies as traveling but it is a day trip and I wanted to include it because it's something else you can do. There is always something else you can do, and try, and see.

I took the back roads for as long as I could to Castle Rock. The roads are more peaceful and less crowded. It gave me and my friend a chance to hang out and catch-up. I made a quick budget, same day, but didn't keep to it very well because I always spend more when I shop with someone else. That's okay though. I had a lot of fun, bought clothes and candy. I found a couple new places I had never been to. Francesca's almost took all my money, very cool place. And I found this awesome candy store (Fuzziwig's Candy Factory) that had brands that I only saw on Halloween.

There's little gems like this all over the place, not just the candy store, but places that bring good times and even better memories. So, some advice. Take the day off, go out there and have fun. See the world that surrounds where you live. There is so much to do.

Water World

Water World is a water park in Denver, Colorado and like the annual lake trip that I will talk about next week, this is a trip that has happened for several summers now and I usually end up going with a lot of the same people for both trips. The park opens at 10:00 am and we leave early enough to get there before the park opens and claim a row of picnic tables for all our stuff; we've done this for long enough to have a preferred spot. And then the day of fun and sun commences. Depending on the ride, you can find yourself carrying your tube from the end/bottom to the beginning/top. It can be quite a workout but it's worth it; the rides are way fun. Come back for lunch before heading back out into the park. We usually get rained out at around 4:00 pm but this last time we were able to stay until they closed at 6:00 pm, clear skies all day. It is always so much fun to be there with friends and family.

The packing list for this trip is pretty straight forward: sun hat, swimsuit, water sandals/shoes, swimsuit cover-up, sunscreen, cash, reading material, and a packed lunch.

Note: I recommend sandals instead of flipflops so you can wear them around the park. The lifeguards will sometimes make you take them off for the rides but the concrete pathways in between can get really hot and burn your feet. When I have to take take off my shoes, I slip them over my wrists so I don't have to hold them.