Scenic Colorado Drive: The Lariat Loop
A fun scenic drive near Denver is the 40-mile Lariat Loop from Golden, Colorado to Morrison, Colorado. Explore the small town of Golden.
Tour the Coors Brewery, see over 100 trains at the Colorado Railroad Museum, and learn about Colorado’s geology at the Mines Museum of Earth Science. Then take a drive up to Lookout Mountain.
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Drive Lookout Mountain
Lookout Mountain is a foothill of the Rocky Mountains. We drove this scenic winding road to take in the views and visit the Buffalo Bill museum and grave site. It is only about six miles from Golden, but it is about a 20 minute drive to the top. This is a popular cyclist route, so you will be sharing the road with bikes. Lookout Mountain also has some nice trails for hiking.
It is a beautiful drive with fantastic views of the city. Hike or cycle on the many trails, visit the grave site of Buffalo Bill and the museum dedicated to his life.
Buffalo Bill Museum on Lookout Mountain
Buffalo Bill Museum is a great little museum about the life of Buffalo Bill Cody in Golden, Colorado. It is also his final resting place.
See Wild Bison
From Golden, Colorado head to Genesee to the Buffalo overlook to see the wild bison at Genesee Park. Take Interstate 70 to exit 254. The bison are descendants of the last wild herd of bison in the United States.
Continue down the interstate to visit the Humphrey Memorial Park and Museum and onto Evergreen . Drive along Bear Creek and see the Falcon Castle Ruins.
Red Rocks State Park
Red Rocks State Park is a gorgeous park with really cool rock formations. The park was originally designed to drive through and take in the views, so you can do just that or park and hike down the many paths.
Red Rocks Park is also home to the Red Rock Amphitheatre. It is a popular spot for concerts. If you visit the park go see the open-air amphitheatre.
See the Dinosaur Tracks at Dinosaur Ridge
Do you have any dinosaur lovers in your family? Our boys loved dinosaurs, so they thought it was “super cool” to see real dinosaur tracks.
If you are near Red Rocks State Park, pull over and take a look at the fossilized dinosaur tracks. Pretty cool to walk were they once walked. There are not too many places you can see actual dinosaur tracks, so if this interests you Dinosaur Ridge is a fascinating stop near Red Rock park.
Dinosaur Ridge is in Morrison, Colorado along Alameda. The best spot is on the east side of the ridge where you can see fossilized dinosaur tracks. Look for the blue pavilion.
Be careful when viewing as you are just parking on the side of the road and walking alongside traffic. This is a FREE activity, and when is the next time you will see dinosaur tracks? If you need to stretch your legs and want to see some dinosaur tracks this is a great place to do just that.
