Exploring Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Colorado: a photo blog

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This blog post should probably start with a little disclaimer: I took way too many photos during our visit to Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre…

If you read my One week in Colorado itinerary post, you’ll notice I included a few there, but I have so many more to share! It’d be a shame to leave them in a hard drive collecting virtual dust, hence this “photo blog” was born.

“Taking an image, freezing a moment, reveals how rich reality truly is” – Anonymous

Mind you, these are just amateur photos, so I’ll try to complement the lack of photography skills with some storytelling and fun Red Rocks Amphitheatre facts along the way! 🙂

Red Rocks Amphitheatre is a fun 25 minute drive from Denver. As soon as you leave the city you’ll be mesmerized by the scenic landscape all around.

We rented a car and drove ourselves, but you can also join a tour if driving is not an option.

The view from a gas station minutes from the park

Access to the park is free and open year-round from sunrise to sunset. We visited in 2020, and it was open even during the pandemic!

Getting from the parking lot to the amphitheatre is part of the adventure. You can expect some light hiking and amazing 360 degrees views, make sure to wear the right shoes.

It was not too busy when we visited, but I’ve read that under normal circumstances you need to arrive early to avoid the crowds.

Photos were the perfect excuse to take a break on the way up

In case you are wondering how these red rocks made their way to the middle of the Rocky Mountains, let me tell you that the walls of the amphitheatre are all natural formations…

Actually, they are older than the actual mountain range and rose up from a prehistoric ocean floor millions of years ago!

Similar formations surfaced all across Colorado, including the famous Garden of the Gods.

These are all part of what geologists call the Fountain Formation, which after a series of major tectonic events shaped the Rocky Mountains.

After these geological events, erosion led to the iconic slabs of Red Rocks, which are higher than Niagara Falls! Then, the oxidation of minerals resulted in those attractive reddish hues we all want to witness.

But that’s not the coolest part…

Due to the physical shape of the rock formations, Red Rocks has a natural acoustic splendor.

Numerous world-class concerts take place here every year, and musicians love to take advantage of the sound propagation perks!

Even the Beatles performed at Red Rocks Amphitheatre back in 1964!

Imagine seeing your favorite musicians perform in this setting!

At an elevation of 6,450 feet above sea level, the venue includes two staircases on each side of the seating area, and there are about 380 vertical steps to climb to the top!

Only 40 calories? That cannot be possibly right…

The climb up the stairs is kind of exhausting at that elevation, but well worth the hike! Several people take advantage of the physical challenge and use the amphitheatre as a fitness venue.

Lucky to have the — almost empty — amphitheater all to ourselves

Firefighters, EMTs, flight crews, and supporters do nine complete rounds of stair climbing during anniversary events commemorating the 9/11 tragedy.

Such efforts are done to reflect the 110 stories of stairs climbed by emergency crews on September 11, 2001.

Even though it was still early September, we got to see some snow during our visit! A very early snow storm broke the September temperature drop records only two days before our visit.

Thanks 2020!

Seeing the melting snow over the benches made our experience even more memorable.