Denver · Backpacking
ON A BUDGET
A cheap base camp for the Rockies, with a train from the airport and altitude that catches people out.
Capitol Hill and LoDo
The hostels sit in Capitol Hill east of the golden dome and in the old warehouse blocks of LoDo, both walkable to the bars.
What a day costs
Bed 35–55 USD, food 20–40, and RTD buses and light rail run to roughly 6 a day on a pass. Beer is cheaper than most cities.
Getting around cheap
The A Line train links the airport to Union Station in about 37 minutes for 10 USD. The 16th Street shuttle downtown is free.
Free by day
Confluence Park, the mile-high step on the Capitol, the Denver Art Museum free for under-eighteens, and Red Rocks, which is a public park by day.
Where travellers meet
River North taprooms trade in strangers sharing long tables, and most hostels run trailhead shuttles that do the introductions for you.