Colorado Red Rocks Amphitheatre Walking Tour

First, a home to dinosaurs, then a settlement of local Indigenous people, before it became what it is best known for today: a temple of live music. Get started on your tour at the iconic Red Rocks Trading Post, where you’ll meet your guide and head up through the rocky road to the amphitheatre. Make a stop at the Spirit Statue of a guitar-strapped John Denver – just one of the music greats who have performed here over the years. Walk along a short section of the Trading Post Trail, passing various tilted rock formations, while your guide gives you a quick geology lesson. Learn about the dinosaurs who roamed Red Rocks over 150 million years ago, some leaving footprints behind which can be seen at the nearby Dinosaur Ridge. One of the excavated fossils found at this site was a 90-foot Apatosaurus ajax. The next significant point in the region’s history was its importance to the Indigenous Native American people. Your guide will discuss the Ute people, who were Colorado's first residents and used the area now known as Red Rock Park for ceremonial events. Keep walking along the trail, looking for the region’s critters, which are sometimes seen from the trail, before finally arriving at the amphitheatre. Architect Burnham Hoyt designed the site to maximise the naturally occurring acoustics of the rocky site while preserving the beauty. Finally opening in 1941, the stage has hosted names such as The Beatles, U2, Widespread Panic, John Denver, Stevie Nicks and even early opera stars like Lily Pons. Music lovers can get even more history about the many legends who’ve graced the Red Rocks stage on a visit to the Red Rocks Hall of Fame. Alongside the amphitheatre lies Ship Rock Grill, named after one of the giant rocks framing the theatre. This restaurant serves up a selection of local favourites. Refuel after your tour with a meal here or further into Morisson at another local joint, The Fort, but ask your guide for their favourite regional specialty. Your Red Rocks tour will come to an end but if you don’t want your Denver adventure to end, there’s a lot more fun to be had. Hikers may enjoy the views of Matthews/Winters Park or more of the trails within the Red Rocks Park. See dinosaur tracks at Dinosaur Ridge, enjoy the scenery on a drive through the Lariat Loop National Scenic Byway or ask your guide about things to do in the nearby town of Morrison.