Denver Red Rocks & Foothills Tour: Lariat Loop, Golden, Buffalo Bill

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.87 (174 reviews) 91% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pickLikely to sell out

1/19

Duration4h 15m

GroupUp to 14

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Red Rocks amphitheatre mornings, Golden town stories, foothill drives

You’ll feel Colorado’s wild side on this half-day Red Rocks & Denver Foothills tour: stand under towering red rock formations, stroll Evergreen’s quirky streets, and look out over Denver from Buffalo Bill’s grave. With a local guide sharing stories (and bottled water in hand), you’ll get a real taste of mountain life before lunch back in the city.

4h 15m

Step-by-step itinerary

Scenic tour of Denver foothills

Meet guide in downtown Denver
Visit Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Explore Evergreen Lake views
Pass by Evergreen’s historic Main Street
Visit Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave
Drive historic Lariat Loop
Stop in Golden city
Pass by Coors Brewery

The Experience

I’ll admit, I signed up for the Red Rocks & Denver Foothills Scenic Tour mostly because I’d seen those crazy red slabs in concert photos and thought — well, why not? But standing there early in the day, the rocks somehow looked even bigger than I expected. Our guide, Mike (born and raised in Denver), pointed out grooves in the stone where water used to run millions of years ago. The air smelled like wet earth and pine needles — kind of sharp and sweet at the same time. There was a runner blasting music from his phone as he sprinted up the steps; I just watched him and laughed quietly to myself. No way I could keep up.

After Red Rocks we drove through these winding roads — Mike called it the Lariat Loop — with sunlight flickering through the trees. He told us stories about old mining towns and pointed out a herd of deer grazing near Evergreen Lake. We stopped for coffee in Evergreen’s main street, which is tiny but packed with little shops and galleries. I bought a weird postcard with a bear on it that made me smile for no real reason. The smell of fresh bread from one of the bakeries kind of lingered as we walked back to the van.

The last stop was Lookout Mountain, where Buffalo Bill is buried. There’s this museum full of Wild West stuff — spurs, posters, even his old hat (or maybe it was just “a” hat). The view over Denver from up there is wild; you can see how close the city is to all this open space. Mike told us about Buffalo Bill’s funeral and how people still argue if he should’ve been buried somewhere else. It felt strangely peaceful up there, wind tugging at my jacket while everyone got quiet for a second or two. I still think about that view sometimes when I’m stuck in city traffic.

What’s included

Your morning includes small group transportation from downtown Denver (Colorado Convention Center), a friendly local driver-guide sharing stories along every stop, bottled water to keep you refreshed, plus time to explore places like Red Rocks Amphitheatre (when open), Evergreen Lake and Main Street shops, Lookout Mountain with Buffalo Bill Museum & Grave, scenic drives along Lariat Loop past Golden and Coors Brewery—all before lunchtime so you’re free to enjoy your afternoon back in Denver.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearby

Operated by Explorer Tours