A Woman’s Guide to Solo Travel To Denver in 2027
How Do I Define Solo Women’s Travel
When I’m talking about solo women’s travel, I want to make it clear that I’m being very literal. I’m literally talking about a woman who is traveling on their own to Denver and the state of Colorado for whatever reason. They may have a significant other, kids, etc. but they are visiting Denver for a solo experience, a cool event like a concert or maybe even attending a conference. While they’re in town they’re also looking to do some fun things.
Is Denver a Good Solo Travel Destination
(For Women)
Denver is a fantastic solo travel destination for women. However, it is a big little city and it definitely is a city (like most American cities) that requires being mindful of your safety. I’m a resident who has traveled both across the US an overseas. Here are some safety tips that I use when I’m in town and also when I’m traveling.
- I pay attention to my surroundings-but, I’m not obvious about it.
- If I’m staying at a hotel or hotel/hostel hybrid, I always have a conversation with the front desk attendees as I’m leaving and returning. I’ll say “Hi, how are things going. Here’s what I’m planning on doing today. Do you have some additional suggestions for me?” I especially make a point of doing this if I’m doing something at night.
- Before arriving in town I check out either Meetup.com, Eventbrite or Facebook Events to see if there’s an event that I can attend with an aligned group of people. I’ve done this in Sydney, Australia and other places around the world. You can also see if you can participate in an activity hosted by a hostel. You may pay a fee to participate in one of those events.
Why You Should Book a Tour
There are some activities that are a bit more complicated to put together. In those cases it’s easier to book a tour with a company that has the resources to deal with the logistics, provide a contained environment to meet new people and guides to explain what in the heck you’re looking at. I’ve listed some of the experiences that would be great for a tour.
- Visiting Red Rocks Amphitheater-It’s a beautiful venue that doesn’t have transit access from September-May. And car share services are pretty pricey if you’re planning to use one to get there.
- Make your way down to Garden of the Gods for a Jeep tour of the park and other points of interest.
- Or, stay in Denver and enjoy exploring the city via an electric bike tour.
A couple of important things to be aware of a tour will make mountain exploration easier. There are many trails and even towns that are difficult to get to if you’re unfamiliar with using the town’s transit system. Winter is also considered a high season for tourism in Colorado. There will be a lot of traffic and visitors to the different winter experiences you’re hoping to enjoy.
Where to Stay While In Denver
There are a number of great hotels and hostels in town that I recommend. In order to make this list they had to meet the following criteria:
- Close to Union Station
- Transit accessible (both RTD and Amtrak)
- Near food (walking distance)
Here’s my shortlists of places to stay while you’re in Denver.
How to Get Around Without a Car
I was working on this post around the time that the Premier League Fan Fest was being hosted in town. There were a TON of visitors from England in town and I spoke with some of the folks who were a part of put the event together. They said that Denver felt very European because everything was so walkable. Now, to be clear, they were downtown at Union Station and I ran into them at Ball Arena-that area is totally walkable.
Here are some thoughts about exploring Denver and beyond without a car. You can use a VEO, walk or take public transit.
- Denver’s City Center is Walkable-There’s also micro-mobility available with a ton of VEO scooters that you can rent around town. If you’re using the scooters proceed caution and pay attention to the rules of the road. If you’re staying in the heart of downtown it’s pretty easy to get to the following points of interest:
- Union Station
- 16th Street-There’s also the free mall shuttle that runs every few minutes up and down the mall.
- Coors Field
- Ball Arena-Walkable and transit accessible
- Denver Art Museum
- Colorado Convention Center
- Empower Field-It is walkable, but most people will take the lightrail and then walk over from Empower Field Train Station
- Meow Wolf-Same directions as Empower Field’s
- There’s a train from the airport (DEN/DIA) direct to downtown Denver’s Union Station. It takes about 37 minutes and is $10.50. You can use your transit pass for the entire day.
- Going to Boulder-You can take the FF1 bus that runs every 15ish minutes for most of the day. Head to the RTD station located adjacent and underneath to Union Station. If you get turned around there’s a help desk inside and helpful people in and around Union Station.
- Heading to the mountains-You can use Bustang (I use this) or take the train depending on the type of trip you’re taking. Bustang also has two ski resort focused routes called Snowstang and Pegasus.
ADA
If you’re needing accessible access to downtown Denver, all buses and free mall rides are ADA compliant. This has been a long-time standard that is directly related to a protest held on Colfax Ave. by the Gang of 19.
Notable Events in 2027
There are a number of cool events and experiences being held/hosted in Colorado and the Denver Metro area in 2027. You could use these events as something to design your trip around.
There are a number of other cool experiences happening in 2027 but I thought that these would be great to share at this point in the year.
Michelle Jackson is the founder of the website and podcast Square State Colorado. She’s focused on supporting local businesses, sustainability and sharing a more nuanced and thoughtful experience of Denver and the state of Colorado. She grew up in Colorado and is excited to square this Square State with her readers and listeners. Go to: https://squarestateco.com to learn more about Denver and the state of Colorado if you live here or are planning to visit or move here.