Weekend Trip to Denver from LAX: The Most Reliable 2-Day Trip from LA

Denver is the weekend trip that never disappoints. The flight from LAX is two and a half hours, nonstop options are constant, prices are reasonable, and the city delivers whether you're into beer, hiking, food, or just walking around a city that feels different from LA in all the right ways.

The flight

Frontier, United, Southwest, and Delta all run nonstop from LAX to DEN. Round trips range from $100 to $250. Frontier is usually cheapest but charges for carry-on bags. Southwest includes two free bags. Book two to three weeks out for the best balance of price and availability.

Friday departures between 5 and 7 PM get you to Denver by 9:30 to 11 PM Mountain Time (one hour ahead of Pacific). Sunday returns between 2 and 5 PM work well.

Where to stay

LoDo (Lower Downtown) or RiNo (River North Art District). LoDo puts you walking distance to Union Station, Larimer Square, and the ballpark. RiNo is where the breweries, street art, and trendier restaurants are. Both work. If you had to pick one, RiNo has more energy for a weekend trip.

Hotel prices in Denver are reasonable compared to coastal cities. Budget hotels downtown run $90 to $130. Mid-range options (Maven, Rally Hotel) are $140 to $200. You don't need to spend a lot to be in a great location.

48 hours in Denver

Saturday morning

Coffee first. Corvus, Huckleberry, or Sweet Bloom are all worth the walk. Denver's specialty coffee scene is legitimate. After caffeine, either drive 30 minutes to Red Rocks Park for a morning hike (Trading Post Trail is an easy loop with incredible rock formations) or stay in the city and walk the RiNo Art District.

Saturday afternoon

Brewery crawl in RiNo. Ratio Beerworks, Our Mutual Friend, and Epic Brewing are all within walking distance of each other. Most have outdoor patios. Denver has more breweries per capita than almost any city in the country and the quality is consistently high.

If beer isn't your thing, Denver Central Market in RiNo is a great food hall for lunch, or walk Larimer Square for shopping and people watching.

Saturday evening

Dinner in LoDo or Larimer Square. Guard and Grace for steak, Mercantile for farm-to-table, or Hop Alley for creative Chinese food. Book ahead for Saturday nights. After dinner, 54thirty has the best rooftop views in the city, or catch live jazz at Nocturne.

Sunday morning

Brunch at Snooze or Steuben's. Then one more activity: the Denver Art Museum, the Botanic Gardens, or just a walk around Wash Park. Head to DEN by early afternoon. The airport is about 35 minutes from downtown.

What it costs

A Denver weekend from LAX runs $350 to $550 per person: $100-250 for flights, $90-200 per night for hotel, and Denver food and drinks are noticeably cheaper than LA. Check LAX to Denver packages for current pricing.