It’s no wonder Colorado has seen the population boom the last decade or so. This state has so many amazing things to do and scenery to take in.

And, in our humble opinion, Northern Colorado is one of the best Colorado locations to live in! Besides the stunning view of the mountains and easy access to Denver, there are also multiple places right in our own backyard (or a short trip away), making day trip activities and events accessible and fun!

This includes everything from indoor events & activities to outdoor adventures! Some of our favorites are listed below:

LORY STATE PARK & HORSETOOTH RESERVOIR

Horsetooth Reservoir is 6+ miles of water that sits just above Fort Collins. It is a popular place to be during the summer months! You can do everything from hanging out for the day on the beach, fishing, swimming, boating, picnicking, or even spending a few days camping.

Lory State Park sits just adjacent to Horsetooth Reservoir. Besides its beautiful foothill scenery, you can mountain bike, hike, picnic, get in some horseback riding or even do a little back-country camping.

With both of these being a short trip (about 16 miles West of Fort Collins), you can easily make this a day trip.

MISHAWAKA AMPHITHEATER

This tucked-away destination is about 30 minutes West of Fort Collins up the Poudre Canyon. The restaurant has a large deck and amphitheater that sits right off the Poudre River, where you’ll find people relaxing and tubing down it.

Grab a locally-brewed beer, and burger and sit back to enjoy some incredible music.

DOWNTOWN FORT COLLINS

Downtown Fort Collins is a stunning display of historical architecture, incredible restaurants, and fun shops. They pride themselves on bringing art, history, culture, and businesses together!

Hit up their website for events as there are so many we couldn’t begin to list them all here. You’ll find everything from winter & holiday events in the downtown center (i.e. holiday lights, ice skating, and Santa Quest) to incredible music & food events throughout the spring and summer!

DOWNTOWN LOVELAND

Loveland may have grown tremendously in the last couple of decades, but downtown Loveland has done a fantastic job of keeping its “small-town charm.” They do events downtown throughout the year, including the tree lighting at Christmas time, but they really ramp it up during the summer months with activities almost every weekend!

A couple of our favorites are the Pastels on 5th St (their sidewalk chalk festival….. the artists are INCREDIBLE!!!) and The Corn Roast Festival.

SWEET HEART WINERY & EVENT CENTER

If you are a fan of great-tasting wine, you don’t have to go far to enjoy it. Just head west out of Loveland a few short miles, and you’ll run across the Sweet Heart Winery! You can enjoy wine tasting while taking in the beauty of the foothills behind you!

CARTER LAKE

Like Horsetooth Reservoir, Carter Lake is just outside the foothills but further South (above the Loveland/Berthoud area).

Carter Lake is a 3+ mile long and 1-mile wide lake making it a great place for boating, water skiing, sailing, picnicking, swimming, and more. With over 1000 acres of public lands surrounding it, you can enjoy a nice trail hike with the family.

DEVIL’S BACKBONE

Speaking of kid-friendly hiking, Devil’s Backbone is your place! It’s the perfect terrain for young or inexperienced hikers to get started.

Two words of caution (1) wear shoes you don’t mind having to clean off. The rock and soil are more of a reddish tint and will sit on your shoes. You will have to clean them. (2) If you plan to go during the summer months, try for early morning or evening. Devil’s Backbone is known to have rattlesnakes that come out as it gets warmer.

ESTES PARK

Estes Park is approximately 45 minutes West of Loveland. This little gem of a mountain town has everything you need for seasonal fun (i.e. Christmas lights parade, Scottish-Irish Festival, Elk Festival, Rooftop Rodeo, and so many other amazing events.)

The downtown area is full of unique shops and stores. Everything from artisan-style goods, artwork, delicious homemade taffy & candies, rustic furniture, and mountain gear. You name it, and they probably have it!

Want to hit the outdoors - you can go on one of their guided adventure tours, ride the Ariel tramway, go hiking and wildlife watching, try rock climbing, and, of course, hit up Rocky Mountain National Park!

Want to visit a few attractions? The famous Stanley Hotel sits right above the town of Estes and is not only famous but absolutely stunning!

LYONS

Lyons is a small mountain community just west of Longmont. Similar (but smaller) to Estes Park, their downtown area is full of shops, restaurants, and locally-brewed beer. They are especially known for their artisans.

They may be best known for their holiday craft fair and Christmas lights parade every December, where you can enjoy the local artisans during the day, grab some hot cocoa, and watch the parade in the evening (and fireworks after the parade most years).

BANDIMERE SPEEDWAY

If you enjoy the racing world, Bandimere is only a short 2-hour drive away. Head down to Morrison and enjoy the local restaurants and shops, and then hit the race track for some fast-flying cars!

GOLDEN

Golden, Colorado is about a one-hour drive from Loveland and is a fun and beautiful city!

There are so many adventures to go on in Golden, you may stay for more than a day!

Besides the stunning hiking and biking trails, there are a handful of unique and fun museums you can visit. Some to consider might be the Colorado Railroad Museum, the American Mountaineering Museum or the School of Mines Geology Museum.

Like everywhere else, their downtown area is always a must-visit.

If you are on the more adventurous side (and love winter activities), you could do some back-country snowshoeing or even do a bit of ice climbing in Clear Creek Canyon!

We could go on and on about how amazing it is to live in the Northern Colorado region and all of the new adventures sitting within close proximity to us here!

For now, we would love to know what day-trip adventures you’ve had the most fun on and how living in Northern Colorado has been for you!