Trip planning is a pain. Toss the sleeping bag in the backseat, grab a Redbull, and hit the gas towards one of these five summer accessible destinations (all within a day’s drive of Denver). Whether you’re looking for alpine-adventure or river-side relaxation, these five easy road trips prioritize spontaneity and ease over packed itineraries and a dent in the wallet. Best of all, not a minute spent on I-70.

Medicine Bow-Routt for the Mountain-Lover

A short drive north from Denver, Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest is the Colorado escape outside Colorado. Cross into Wyoming and watch the Front Range crowds disappear. No reservations systems. No timed park entry. No fighting for a parking spot at a trailhead at the ass crack of dawn. 

Only 2.5 hours away, the area boasts a seemingly endless supply of trails and outdoor recreation activities, from biking and hiking to fishing and horseback riding. Take a picnic at Mirror Lake. Hike Medicine Bow peak. Enjoy the Snowy Range Scenic Byway. In Medicine-Bow-Routt National Forest, the world is your oyster.

Stay in a waterfront cabin, snag one of the forest’s first-come, first-serve sites, all under $20, or test your luck at the dispersed camping sites situated deep within the pines. Head there between June and August for the wildflower season!

Pine, Colorado for the Dogs-Out Crowd

Shave that big toe, sis, we’re going to Pine.

Originally a summer resort town and home to local railroad workers, it’s now a mecca for the outdoor-lover and hobby-enthusiast. Better yet, it’s only an hour away from Denver.

Disc golfers can spend the day at Bear Mountain or Bucksnort Disc Golf Courses. Mountain bikers head to Buffalo Creek. Fishers let it fly at Pine Valley Ranch Park. For the climbers, hit the Sphinx Rocks Formation. Hikers can access portions of the Colorado Trail or nearby Cathedral Spires.

For those whose outdoor activity of choice is drinking, you’re also in luck. Bucksnort Saloon, the sixth-oldest bar in Colorado, serves local draft beer and burgers from Thursday through Sunday (and live music on Saturdays). Stay in a riverside cabin, a cozy B&B, or for the budget traveler, pick from the over 40 first-come, first-serve dispersed sites along Redskin Creek Road. 

Visit on the second Saturday of June for Pine’s rhubarb festival. It kicks off with an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast, followed by a rhubarb-recipe bake-off. Afterwards, cool off in the North Fork South Platte River. Unwind in the water, get wet, and get weird. 

Westcliffe for the Star-gazing Romantics

Romance in Denver isn’t dead, despite the bleak future that is Wooking for Love. Take your partner, polycule, or whatever complicated situationship you’re in and head to Westcliffe. Nestled in the Wet Mountains, Westcliffe and neighboring Silver Cliff became Colorado’s first certified Dark Sky Community and one of the highest-elevation Dark-Sky Communities in the world. 

Just 2.5 hours from Denver, enjoy the free public star parties at the Smokey Jack Observatory. Camping options include but are not limited to South Colony Basin or Lake Deweese. Other lodging can be found here.

Westcliffe hosts live music every Sunday in August (the New High Peaks Summerfest) and High Mountain Hay Fever, their bluegrass festival, is held on July 9-12.  Hike some of the infamous 100-mile Rainbow Trail, explore nearby ghost towns Querida and Rosita, or book a whitewater rafting or llama trekking adventure. 

Nothing screams romantic weekend getaway like stargazing followed by llama trekking. 

State Forest State Park for the Nature-Enthusiast

Skip Rocky Mountain National Park for the 70,932 acres of land, 228 campsites, 136 miles of trails, and confusing name that is State Forest State Park.

Located roughly three hours from Denver, it’s considered the moose-viewing capital of Colorado, with hundreds observed year-round. Ever heard their alien-like guttural sounds while alone at night in the dark of your tent, hyperfixated on each rustle of wind? You’ll love it. 

With a plethora of free dispersed camping and a day pass costing Colorado residents $10, you won’t break your bank here. The park has your typical recreation activities as well as water activities at North Michigan Reservoir and Lakes. Aside from East Colfax on a Saturday night, it’s one of the best places in Colorado to spot some moose knuckles.

South Dakota for the Ambitious Adventurer: A long-weekend exploring Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore, and the Badlands

Forget Moab, a trip to the Badlands burns through the same amount of gas while passing significantly less mormons. 

A 5.5-hour drive from Denver gets you to Custer State Park, granite spires and free-roaming bison create one of the most slept-on landscapes in the U.S. Take a dip in Sylvan Lake, hike Black Elks Peak, or drive the Custer State Park Wildlife Loop Road

Always wanted to see old white dudes carved in rock? Great. Mount Rushmore is only 30 minutes away. 

From there, head to the ghost town of Scenic and enter Badlands National Park via Sage Creek Road, or take the more traditional route through the Pinnacles Entrance and hit the Badlands Loop Road. The drive offers frequent look-out stops and short trails, or if you’re feeling ambitious, there are plenty of longer hikes to sink your teeth into. 

There is an entrance fee into the park. Make a reservation at Cedar Pass Campground (good luck) or pray you get a free spot at Sage Creek Campground for free primitive camping alongside prairie dogs and bison.