It’s hard to just get out of the house on a Saturday morning. Add a bit of cold weather, scraping the frost off the car, getting the family bundled up, and it’s just that much harder to get out and enjoy nature. So, I’ve looked over a few of our favorite local trails and decided on three Denver hikes that are really easy to get to and have a lot of “bang for the buck.”

Criteria for these Denver Winter Hikes:

  1. Accessible in the Winter
  2. Mostly Level Trails
  3. High on the Beauty & Wildlife Scale

Three Easy Winter Hikes

#1 – South Valley Park Trails

snow on trail with red rocks and blue skies at south valley park in Littleton Colorado winter hike near denver

Red Rock, Deer, and beautiful meadows are the draw here. This hike is on the south-west side of Denver in Littleton, Colorado, and very accessible from 470. When there is good snowfall, it would be perfect for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. This Denver trail has been one of our favorite sunset hikes because of the way the setting sun lights up the red rock. Click Here for the Full Trail Profile.

#2 – Lakes Loop Trail at Rocky Mountain Arsenal

lakes loop trail rocky mountain arsenal header

It might sound kind of strange to say, “We’re headed over to the arsenal for a hike”, but the Rocky Mountain Arsenal has been turned into what has been called an “island of habitat” in the middle of the city. There are lakes, Bison, waterfowl, deer, burrowing owls, all just about 7 miles east of the center of Denver. The Rocky Mountain Arsenal features several hikes, and we profile a beautiful one at the trail page for the Lakes Loop Hike. Finally, be sure to check their seasonal hours at their website.

#3 – Roxborough State Park Hikes

red rocks and snow along hiking trail at roxborough state park in colorado winter hikes near denver

When you enter Roxborough State Park, it is a bit like entering a different world. There is a real sense of being down and inside of it because the towering red rock creates such a unique space. This is one of the best winter hikes near Denver because you are often shielded from the wind, and the trails of the valley floor are fairly level. If there has been a lot of snow, we would suggest you call the park office to be sure that the road is clear. We have a couple trail profiles in the links below, but the park offers several other options as well.

If you have any hikes that you would add to the list of Best Easy Hikes Near Denver, then post a comment. If we haven’t profiled them yet, we will.
Happy Colorado Hiking!

Photo Credits: Thanks goes out to Adam Meek and the US Fish and Wildlife service for photos in this post.

Aaron Johnson


Aaron Johnson has been hiking in Colorado for over 20 years. The owner and editor of Dayhikes Near Denver, Aaron writes every trail profile as a local guide who has hiked hundreds of miles of trails along the Front Range and deep in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

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