Denver, CO
Best Places to See the Sunrise and Sunset in and Around Denver – 303 Magazine
Rise and shine, Denver dwellers! Colorado’s colorful canvas awaits you, painting the skies with a palette of pink, purple, and orange hues as the sun gracefully rises and bids adieu at dusk. Picture this: perched high up in the mountains, witnessing nature’s daily masterpiece unfold before your very eyes. It’s not just about the colorsit’s about the experience.
Whether you’re an early bird chasing the dawn’s first light or a night owl captivated by the twilight’s glow, Colorado offers a front-row seat to Mother Nature’s grand performance. The mountains serve as the perfect stage for this celestial show, where every sunrise and sunset is a unique and awe-inspiring spectacle.
Join us as we uncover the best spots to catch these breathtaking moments. Stay tuned for an exclusive guide to experiencing the magic of Colorado’s sunrise and sunset views like never before. Get ready to elevate your appreciation for nature’s beauty and the vibrant lifestyle scene that Denver has to offer. Let’s chase the sun together!
Lookout Mountain
Drive the 4.6-mile Lariat Trail up Lookout Mountain in Golden for a perfect view of Denver as it wakes up. Just below the burial spot and museum for Buffalo Bill is a pullout where you can take in the lights of the city and the rising sun.
Directions
Sloan’s Lake
In 1861 Farmer Sloan dug a well that grew into a gushing spring and then a lake. Today it is the largest lake in the Denver Metro area. Grab a chair or blanket and head to the lake’s shoreline to see the sun’s a.m. show. Pro tip: it’s also a great place for a sunset — as seen in the above photo.
Direction
The Flatirons
Off Baseline Road in Boulder take the Chautauqua Trailhead to either the 2.1-mile Flatiron Loop Trail or the 3.4-mile Royal Arch Trail. Start early enough to watch the sunrise at your destination.
Directions
Horsetooth Rock
Horsetooth Mountain is the tallest peak in Horsetooth Mountain Open Space Park. Sitting on top of the mountain is the Horsetooth Rock outcropping — a prime location to sit and watch the sun come up over the horizon. Take along breakfast to revive yourself after the 5-mile hike.
Directions
Red Rocks
Every Coloradan has seen Red Rocks in all its evening glory. But with Yoga on the Rocks and other early morning activities at the amphitheater, there are plenty of chances to catch the morning glory of the sun on the rocks.
Directions
Jefferson Park
Don’t let the address distract you. The Ramada Inn at Speer and I-25 has one of the best views of Denver. Not only that but it just happens to face east. You won’t find a better view of the sun coming up behind the city than at this crossroads.
Directions
Sunset

Garden of the Gods
Garden of the Gods may be a hotspot tourist attraction but the sun’s evening rays make dealing with crowds worth while. The reds and oranges of the fading light reflect the tones of the rocks to make them glow even brighter.
Directions
Devil’s Head Fire Lookout
If you haven’t done the Devil’s Tower hike now is the time. The 2.7-mile hike follows a river and allows dogs. Once at the tower climb the 143 steps to the top of the lookout. From there enjoy an uninterrupted 360-degree view of your surroundings and the sunset.
Directions
Kenosha Pass
The Kenosha Pass trail is a total of 8 miles round trip but you only have to hike up about 3 miles for a great view of the surrounding mountains. Grab a seat to watch the sun’s p.m. path as it fades into the horizon.
Directions
Coors Field
It’s always fun to watch the Rockies play — win or lose. With the booze and food options at the Rooftop watching the sun meltdown doesn’t get much better or relaxed than this. Get tickets for an evening game and cheer on the home team. Go here to see one incredible example of a killer Rockies sunset.
Directions
North Table Mountain
There are options at North Table Mountain with trails from 1.5 miles to an 8.3-mile loop. Whichever trail you choose you will get some great views. Get to the trailhead just before sunset so the bright colors can accompany your hike.
Directions
City Park
Make a day of it at City Park — designed in 1882 as part of the “City Beautiful” campaign. The park is home to the Denver Zoo and the Denver Museum of Nature and Science plus a lake and recreation areas. End the full day with a perfect view of the sunset.
Directions
Daniel’s Park
The sun sets here on one of the best backdrops in Colorado. Daniel’s Park offers some of the most impressive views of the Front Range — from here you can see Mt. Evans, Pikes Peak and Longs Peak. Enjoy a short hike beforehand or drive Daniel’s Park Road and use any pull off to catch the evening glow.
Directions
Denver, CO
Broncos offensive line is the engine that drives offense
I’ve been covering the Denver Broncos for his entire career and I remember writing up some pretty harsh criticism of his play early on — especially in regards to holding penalties. I recall at one point he was committing holding penalties at a record-breaking rate. He was so far above the rest of the field that he’d break charts if anyone tried to chart it. The best part of that saga is that he never let the outside noise (from me and many others) get to him. He worked on his craft and he got better. And then got even better to the point where it is pretty clear that he is one of the best left tackles in all of football. He is going to go down as one of the best tackles in franchise history too when its all said and done. It’s a great comeback story.
All that said, he wasn’t the only one of the Broncos players on that offensive line to make an impact with guard Quinn Meinerz also being named a PFF All-Pro player. The whole offensive line has been dominant in nearly every category and is the main engine that has driven the offenses successes this season.
4) Denver Broncos
Team OLi Grade: 83.0
Best-Ranked OL: Garett Bolles, 89.0 (7th overall, 3rd position)
Worst-Ranked OL: Alex Palczewski, 63.5 (159th overall, 61st position)
And one more to complete the picture comes from Sharp Football Analysis who has the Broncos ranked fifth-overall in their NFL Offensive Line Stats:
There is so much evidence that shows the trenches on both side of the ball is what has brought the success of the 2025 Broncos. It’s an area that Sean Payton has said in the past is always an area of focus. He knows you don’t win consistently if your team is being dominated in the trenches.
Denver, CO
Here’s how the NFL typically handles the top seeded team’s Divisional Round schedule
As the number one seed in the AFC, the Denver Broncos could end up playing on either Saturday or Sunday. It all comes down to which teams win during Wild Card weekend.
Head Coach Sean Payton was asked about the potential Divisional Round schedule and he said nothing is finalized. However, the NFL has been known to follow a certain schedule that could end up with the Broncos playing on Saturday if either the Buffalo Bills or Los Angeles Chargers win on Sunday and they’d play the following Sunday only if they had to wait until Monday for the outcome of the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers game.
The other thing with that extra week off is about preparation. One of the better questions the media asked of Payton on Friday was whether or not they do more advanced scouting on potential opponents they have not yet played this season.
“Look, there are four options,” Payton said. “One is in the division. We’ve played one two years in a row—or it feels like that with Houston. Buffalo. We’ll break down kind of all four and then look at… We’ll have personnel reports on the four… You do have enough time to look at third down, look at personnel packages, study situational football. I think that’s pretty common when you look at playoff history. A lot of times, you end up with a division team sometimes in the first round. I know that’s happened a number of times over the years with me. It’s hard to gauge how these other games are going to go not having spent much time looking at New England. [We’ve] seen Jacksonville. It’s one of those where you just watch them. You’re working while you watch them. You’re working on each plan, and then you go from there.”
I came away feeling like Payton and the Broncos know two of their potential opponents fairly well. The other two will get some high level review, but nothing super deep as there just isn’t enough time. That is saved for this coming week when the opponent is finalized.
Payton and his staff have some great experience coaching in the playoffs, so this young Broncos team should be well-prepared for their football game.
Frankly, I like the idea of the Broncos getting their game out of the way early. Give Payton and his staff an extra day to begin the prep work needed for the AFC Championship game provided they come out with a win in the Divisional Round.
Denver, CO
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