After moving to Colorado late in July my husband and I couldn't wait to get outdoors and check out the brewery scene.
I started with a search on Google Maps for hikes within an hour drive of us, and then found the breweries that were the closest to the state park to plan our trip for the day. I couldn't think of a better way to spend a Sunday than to grab a few beers after a long morning hike!
We started our hike very early in the morning, before the weather got too hot, and the trails got too crowded. I would highly recommend starting early to beat the crowds. When you start early you get great parking and an unobstructed view at the top of the mountain.
The Hike
Our first hike in Colorado was at Eldorado Canyon State Park, which is about 45 minutes from Denver. The park opens at sunrise and it is required that you buy a day pass to use the park if you don't have an annual CO state park pass. This park has many hiking trails at various difficulties, and is also very popular for rock-climbing.
We hiked the Rattlesnake Gulch Trail and it took us about an hour and 15 minutes to hike to the top, so give yourself at least double that for there and back. We also walked some of the Fowler Trail just to get a few shots of that view as well.
This hike wasn't too difficult except for one part that had a greater incline than the rest of the trail. Make sure to wear good hiking shoes, because the trail isn't very wide in some places and there are sections with loose gravel. The views at the top are well worth the effort it takes to get there!
The Brews
We finished the hike around 10:30 and went to grab lunch before going to 4 Noses Brewing Company. Be sure to check if the brewery you plan to go to has a food truck parked there for the day, because we ate before we got there and were so bummed that we had already eaten. Andrew and I split a flight of 4 beers, and then hung around for another taster each. We really liked Four Noses variety of styles of beers. My favorite of the beers we tried is called Under the Palms which is a gose style beer flavored with passionfruit and guava. We also had their Raspberry Blonde, Cordial Greeting (cherry vanilla imperial stout), and Revised Copy (NEIPA).
Our original plan was to visit only one brewery, but with another so close by we decided to stop by and try out Rails End Beer Company as well. Rails End has a nice indoor and outdoor very casual environment. A lot of people brought there dogs with them, another thing we love about CO, how dog friendly most places are! We tried a few beers and the employees were all super friendly. They even gave my husband the second round for free when they found out we just moved here because of the military. The two brewing companies were only about 5 minutes away from each other, so if you go to one there is really no excuse to not check out the other!
If you are looking for a day trip close to Denver, definitely check out some of these places and let us know what you think!
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