Discover Denver Scavenger Hunt
Discover the Mile High City with a one-of-a-kind scavenger hunt. Stand on the exact mile-high step of the Colorado State Capitol, sit under the great hall of Union Station, walk the bricks of Larimer Square and toast a craft beer with the Rockies on the horizon. Denver is your playground for the day.
Stops on this hunt
The geo-tagged checkpoints that anchor this route. You can rearrange, replace or remove any stop after using the template.
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1
Union Station
Navigate to Union Station and check in inside the great hall.
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2
16th Street Mall
Walk south down the 16th Street Mall and check in halfway.
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3
Larimer Square
Navigate to Larimer Square (the oldest block in Denver) and check in under the string lights.
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4
Colorado State Capitol
Navigate to the Colorado State Capitol and check in at the front steps.
Challenges (19)
Denver kick-off
The hunt begins! Find a typical Denver backdrop (a cowboy boot in a shop window, a Rocky Mountain skyline view, a craft brewery sign) and take a group photo with the whole team in shot.
Checkpoint: Union Station
Navigate to Union Station and check in inside the great hall.
Great hall arrival shot
Inside Union Station's great hall: take a group photo where the team sits in the leather lounge chairs like 1920s travellers waiting for the trans-continental.
Trivia: Union Station rebuilt
Union Station has had three buildings on this spot. In what year was the current Beaux-Arts terminal completed? (One year off is fine, the answer is in the early 1910s.)
Answers: 1914 / 1913 / 1915
Checkpoint: 16th Street Mall
Walk south down the 16th Street Mall and check in halfway.
MallRide selfie
Hop aboard the free MallRide shuttle bus on the 16th Street Mall. Take a group photo inside the bus (the driver will not mind, they have seen worse). Hang on if it accelerates.
Checkpoint: Larimer Square
Navigate to Larimer Square (the oldest block in Denver) and check in under the string lights.
String light group photo
On Larimer Square, the strung overhead lights are the signature look. Take a group photo where everyone is lit from above by the string lights. Best at dusk but charming any time.
Trivia: Denver founded
Denver was founded as a mining town in what year (one year off is fine)?
Answers: 1858 / 1857 / 1859
Checkpoint: Colorado State Capitol
Navigate to the Colorado State Capitol and check in at the front steps.
Mile high step pose
One of the steps on the west side of the Capitol is engraved "One Mile Above Sea Level". Find it (it is on the 13th step from the bottom on the west side) and take a group photo standing on the exact step.
Trivia: Mile high elevation
Denver is nicknamed the Mile High City. Exactly how many feet above sea level is one mile?
Answers: 5280 / 5,280 / 5280 feet
Capitol gold dome pose
Step back so the entire gold-leaf dome of the Capitol fits above the team in one shot. Take a group photo with the whole dome visible.
Craft beer toast
Denver invented Colorado craft beer. Find a brewery or taproom (Wynkoop, Great Divide, Tivoli Brewing) and take a group toast photo with pints raised. Non-drinkers raise root beer or kombucha, Denver has plenty.
Big Blue Bear pose
The 40-foot blue bear sculpture peeking into the Colorado Convention Center is one of the most photographed pieces of public art in Denver. Find it and take a group photo posing like the bear has caught you sneaking around.
Skyline cheers Denver
Find a spot with a Rockies-on-the-horizon view (Confluence Park, City Park, a rooftop), grab a drink and take a group toast photo with the mountains visible behind.
Local Denverite tip
Convince a local Denverite to share a tip about the city. Take a photo with your impromptu guide and remember the tip.
Cowboy boot window pose
Denver still wears its Western roots on its sleeve. Find a cowboy boot in a shop window, on a sign or on a stranger and take a group photo where the team strikes a Western pose around it.
Denver finale
Final challenge. Find a beautiful Denver spot and take an amazing closing group photo. Cheers from the Mile High!
Frequently asked questions
Three to four hours covers downtown Denver (Capitol, 16th Street Mall, Larimer Square, Union Station) at a relaxed pace. The whole loop fits within roughly twenty city blocks, walkable in under thirty minutes end-to-end, so most of the time goes into challenges, photos and a craft beer stop.
Some people do. Denver sits at 5280 feet (1609 metres) and visitors from sea level often notice shortness of breath, mild headaches or dehydration on the first day. Drink twice the water you normally would and go easy on alcohol during the hunt. The route is flat, so altitude is the only physical concern.
Yes, it is a pedestrian-only street from Union Station to the Capitol with a free MallRide shuttle bus that loops the full length every couple of minutes. Use the shuttle to skip between stops if the group has limited energy or it is hot or snowy. Note: the mall is under partial redesign through 2026, so expect some construction.
No, Colorado does not allow open containers on public streets. The craft-beer toast challenge needs to happen inside a brewery, taproom or restaurant patio. Denver has many within a block of the route (Wynkoop, Great Divide, Tivoli Brewing at Auraria Campus). Plan ahead.
Union Station is the natural starting point: it is one of the most beautiful transit hubs in the country, sits at the north end of the 16th Street Mall and the route flows naturally south toward the Capitol from there. The light rail and most buses converge at Union Station, so it doubles as easy arrival.