In August 2025, I started on a six-month digital nomad trip around the U.S. My plan is to live in different cities for a few weeks to a month, to explore each location more deeply than a normal vacation would allow, and figure out where I want to live long-term.
Denver was the second stop on my trip, and it was a little different from Seattle as I’d already spent a few weeks in Denver in 2024. This month-long stay gave me the chance to go beyond first impressions – I explored Denver’s neighborhoods, food, and nearby nature in more depth.
Here are my takeaways and reflections from living in Denver for a month.
My Denver scorecard
- Food: 4/5. Starting off with a hot take. Every single Reddit thread asking which cities had a “bad food scene for its size” has Denver as one of the top comments – But personally, I was pretty impressed by the food scene.
- Cost of living: 3.5/5. I found rent to be generally less expensive here than in other major cities. Food was a similar cost to D.C. but with better quality for what you paid. Groceries felt relatively expensive, and gas was very reasonable in Denver itself (I could find gas for less than $3 a gallon pretty much any day) but more expensive outside of the city.
- Walkability: 3/5. Denver is a pretty spread out city, so walking between neighborhoods can be tough. However, within a neighborhood, walkability is generally pretty good and you can see people walking their dogs or walking with their families outside very often. Sidewalks, crosswalks, and walk signs were pretty prevalent.
- Public transportation: 2/5. I know Denver is making a big effort to expand its public transportation, but I thought it was still lacking. One bus line I took only ran once every hour. The ticket I bought was an “all day” pass that only lasted for 3 hours. There’s no tap to pay with credit card, but there is an app (which makes it easier than Seattle, where you have to buy a physical card).
- Cleanliness & safety: 3/5. I lived in the Berkley neighborhood during my time in Denver, which is well out of the core downtown area where most crime occurs. The neighborhood I stayed in felt very clean, quiet, and safe, but going downtown, I understood why Denver had a reputation for being a bit unsafe.
- Things to do in the city: 2.5/5. Most people don’t really move to Denver for the city itself. I thought it was a bit sleepy and didn’t have a ton going on, but there are some cool neighborhoods and areas to walk around, and new things to do are popping up as the city expands.
- Nature access: 5/5. There were two parks with views of the mountains a 10-minute walk from my house, a few mountains within a 20-minute drive, and world-class hiking within an hour’s drive, even more within two to three hours’ drive. The state is absolutely filled with incredible nature and access to nature (mountains, alpine lakes, etc.) is pretty much unparalleled in any major U.S. city I’ve visited, besides Salt Lake.
- Drivability: 3.5/5. The roads are generally okay (I avoid the I-25). They seem much better designed than Seattle, which may have the worst road system I’ve experienced in the U.S. Most drivers were generally pretty nice, but as with every city, there are always people who will cut you off or tailgate you aggressively. However, there’s always construction going on, people drive like speed limits don’t exist, and there are an alarming number of objects on the road on the highway.
- Weather: 4/5. During my time in Denver, it was sunny every day, with some clouds rolling in in the afternoon and evening sometimes leading to rain and thunderstorms. The thunderstorms are a much bigger issue in the mountains and surrounding areas, where 50% of the time it’ll thunderstorm after 3pm.
- People: 4/5. In my experience, people in Denver just seem happier (minus some of the drivers). They’re very friendly and outgoing, particularly the people you meet on tougher hikes.
Total score: 34.5/50, my personal frontrunner (so far) for a place to live.
What I liked about Denver
- Super sunny. Denver is sunny almost every day, even if it rains or thunderstorms frequently in the afternoons.
- Interesting and quiet neighborhoods. Even in the city, there are several quiet neighborhoods (Berkley, Sloan’s Lake, Highland, etc.) with unique character and fun things to do.
- Friendly people and lots of cute dogs. I felt like people in Denver were generally happier and friendlier than people in other cities I’ve visited, especially on hiking trails.
- Good bakeries. Bakery Four on Tennyson St is one of my favorite bakeries in the U.S.
- Hiking and access to nature. Colorado is one of my favorite states for hiking – lots of trails, diverse views, easy to get to, etc., and the state is huge, so even after visiting for about two months in total, I still feel like there is a lot left to explore.
What I didn’t like about Denver
- Road status. There was lots of construction going on, on several roads, which created narrow lanes, unexpected merges, traffic, etc. Sometimes construction was poorly marked / signaled (like near the airport) or didn’t show up on Google Maps. On several occasions, there were large objects dropped on the highway – I saw a tire fly off the back of a pickup truck and hit the car in the next lane over and a grill in the middle of a lane on the I-70 causing several cars to swerve.
- Afternoon t-storms. About 50% of the time there would be thunderstorms in Denver or the surrounding mountains after 2pm, making it difficult to get out to hike after work without risk of lightning.
- Public transportation doesn’t run frequently. I think Denver has been making a concerted effort to improve its public transportation, and I was impressed seeing all the buses drive from small towns into Denver, but I think it’s still generally very difficult to live in Denver and get out to hike without a car. The bus I took from my neighborhood to downtown ran only once an hour, making it hard to be spontaneous with only public transportation.
- Not very diverse. There are some neighborhoods that are more diverse, but Denver overall feels very white, so it might be more difficult for POCs to find community.
Best things I did in Denver as a digital nomad
Hiking near Denver
- Rocky Mountain National Park: One of my favorite U.S. National Parks!
- Chasm Lake: 9-mile hike to a beautiful lake right below Longs Peak, one of Colorado’s most iconic 14’ers. The lake is a lovely spot to take a nap.
- Sky Pond: 10-mile hike passing a few lakes, can also be combined with Lake Haiyaha and Dream Lake as a loop. Very peaceful with a fun waterfall scramble towards the end.
- Lake Haiyaha: Quick 4-mile hike, lake is really blue due to an avalanche.
- Dream Lake: One of my favorite lakes in Rocky Mountain, especially beautiful before the snow melts and on a sunny day. Very short hike to reach.
- Gem Lake: Nice hike outside the main park area, lake unfreezes earlier than the rest of the park, can get very windy by the lake.
- 14ers: Hikes that reach 14,000 ft+ of elevation.
- Bierstadt: One of the “easier” 14’ers (7 miles) and not too far from Denver. Starts out nice and flat, end involves some scrambling. Saw mountain goats and lots of cute dogs.
- Quandary: Known as an “easier” 14’er (7 miles), but felt more difficult than Bierstadt. Fantastic views of the lakes and surrounding mountains, saw some mountain goats as well.
- Elbert: My practice run for Mount Whitney (11 miles) at the end of September, I got snowed on and rained on during this hike but it was still a blast.
- Nederland: Small town in the mountains, home to some surprisingly great restaurants and surrounded by beautiful hikes.
- Lost Lake: Short (4 miles) and rocky hike, saw two moose (one was huge). Love the views of the snow-capped mountains from the lake. I like to go in the evenings (4-6pm) to avoid the crowds.
- Peak to Peak Highway: Scenic drive from Estes Park to Black Hawk, passing through Nederland. Amazing views of the mountains during the drive.
- Idaho Springs: Former mining town with high elevation hikes nearby, including Mt. Blue Sky, a 14’er very close to Denver.
- Chief Mountain: I did this 3-mile hike five times in September, love the panoramic views of the surrounding mountains at the top, great for training for a relatively steep hike at high elevation without committing to a long hike.
- Echo Lake to Idaho Springs: Nice 4-mile hike leading to the Idaho Springs reservoir with views of Mt. Blue Sky. Hike is decently rocky and requires some steep downhill before heading back up.
- Guanella Pass: Mountain route near Georgetown, CO, about an hour outside of Denver. Lots of wildlife (deer, moose, pika) and has the trailhead to Mt. Bierstadt, a 14’er and a few 13’ers.
- Square Top Lakes: Nice 5-mile hike, very muddy near the lake. Has nice views of Square Top Mountain and Mt. Bierstadt. I liked the first lake better than the second.
- Silver Dollar and Murray Lake: Short (4 miles), beautiful hike, pretty steep, lots of pikas, nice foliage, great views of a few lakes.
- Herman Gulch to Herman Lake: Steep 7-mile hike right off of I-70, the mountains are gorgeous especially in the fall. Twisted my ankle pretty badly on this trail (lots of tree roots).
Exploring the city
- Denver Cat Company: $15 admission (BOGO if you sign up for their emails) with very cute cats that don’t seem like they hate humans (some of them will even let you pick them up!)
- Edgewater Public Market: Food hall with a lot of different cuisine options. They host a Monday movie night!
- Tennyson Street: My favorite area in Denver. Bakery Four (favorite Denver bakery) is here, along with FERAL (second-hand outdoor clothing shop, some insane deals) and Denver Cat Company.
- La Plaza Market: Big Latin market in Aurora with a small arcade, shops, and good Mexican food.
- South Pearl Farmer’s Market: Denver doesn’t seem to have many farmer’s markets, but this one is huge and has lots of loved local vendors.
- RiNo: Downtown neighborhood, felt a bit sketchy in areas that didn’t have much foot traffic, but there are a lot of cool stores, murals, and food spots here and it feels like it’s growing quickly. Central Market was a nice place to stop in.
Weekend trips from Denver
- Leadville: A cute small town at 10,000 ft elevation.
- Zero Day Coffee: Locally owned coffee shop, very friendly baristas, local art, and some outdoor gear.
- Independence Pass is a scenic drive located nearby that I highly recommend during the fall.
- Breckenridge: Small ski town close to Denver, popular tourist destination during the fall when the leaves are turning.
- Higgles Ice Cream: Great coffee ice cream.
- Crested Butte: Another small ski town, extremely beautiful during the fall.
- Great Sand Dunes: National Park a few hours south of Denver, located near the Sangre-Cristo Wilderness which is also home to many 14’ers. I highly recommend climbing the High Dune Trail. The landscapes are really cool (huge sand dunes against even bigger mountains) and it’s a great place for stargazing as well.
- Boulder: City about 30-40 minutes northwest of Denver. I enjoyed walking around Pearl Street. There’s lots of world-class hiking and climbing nearby, including the Flatirons.
- Aspen & Maroon Bells: I found Aspen extremely uninteresting with overpriced food and inaccessible designer brands, but the Maroon Bells nearby are really beautiful. There are lots of hiking options that take you around the lakes below the mountains. We also saw a huge moose here.
The best food I ate in Denver this month
- Bakery Four (Berkeley): Chocolate croissants, all of their muffins (flavors rotate weekly), savory croissants, etc. – This is one of my favorite bakeries in the U.S.
- Thai Bao Vietnamese Restaurant (Berkeley): Decent lemongrass pork.
- High Point Creamery (Berkeley): Loved their coconut creme brûlée and coffee ice cream.
- Sushi Bay (Berkeley): $15 lunch special, two rolls of fresh sushi and a side salad included.
- Legacy Pie Co (Berkeley): Legitimately great pie (I’m usually not a big fan of pie). The chicken pot pie was delicious and came with a little chicken carved on top.
- Dumpling Bay (Golden): The chili oil pork & cabbage dumplings blew me away.
- Atomic Cowboy (Multiple locations): A surprisingly good burger, and for only $8 on Mondays.
- Little Man Ice Cream (Multiple locations): Fantastic coffee ice cream, their factory location has a slide!
- Plume Coffee Bar (Silver Plume): Extremely vibey coffee shop with games, plants, outdoor magazines, local art.
- Bibamba Artisan Chocolate (Edgewater): They have a mocha dark chocolate with a little crunch, fantastic (if very pricey).
- La Bicicleta Food Truck (Aurora): Located in the La Plaza Market in Aurora, great little food truck with authentic and delicious tacos for a reasonable price.
- Two Hands (Berkley): Australian cafe, very expensive but great food. Their lemon poppyseed waffle is astoundingly good (even the whipped cream, as someone who doesn’t like whipped cream). I also enjoyed their banana bread with espresso mascarpone.
- Tavernetta (Downtown): Fancy, higher-end restaurant, went for a birthday meal. Loved the lobster pasta and the semifreddo dessert. The service is fantastic.
- Nana’s Dim Sum & Dumplings (Multiple locations): Great xlb.
- Crosscut Pizzeria (Nederland): One of my favorite pizza places in the country. Big fan of the vodka margherita and the teo pizzas.
- Kealoha’s BBQ (Downtown): Incredible Hawaiian BBQ, the pork ribs slide right off the bone. It’s a shame how difficult it is to find parking nearby!
- Godavari (Centennial): South Indian restaurant with fantastic dosa, very popular lunch spot!
- Kathmandu Restaurant (Nederland): Great butter chicken and dal, big portions.
Conclusion
I started off my digital nomad trip expecting that I’d end up in Denver, and my month here has confirmed my initial thoughts. I’ll be returning in the winter to see if I like living here in the winter as much as I do in the fall!
What’s next?
I’ll be taking a short hiatus from my month-long digital nomad stays to hike Mount Whitney, hop over to Oregon for a week, and then spend a couple weeks in Charlottesville VA. After that, it’s off to Moab, Utah for a few weeks before taking a vacation to Guatemala and El Salvador.
Read about my experiences digital nomading in other cities here:
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