Fort Collins, CO: Two Day Itinerary
Fort Collins holds a special place in our hearts as it was the first vacation we took as a couple. Given we didn’t have much money at the time a road trip to Colorado was the perfect destination. We first did some camping in Estes Park and then hopped over to Fort Collins. See our two day itinerary for Rocky Mountain National Park if you want to add on to your trip and visit Estes Park/RMNP. It is about an hour drive from Fort Collins.
Well known for being the Napa Valley of breweries, this was an easy pick for us being beer snobs. We loved Fort Collins right away. It’s a college town, so it has that small town feel and intimate downtown vibe we love. It’s a perfect place to spend a long weekend in the mountains.
Heads up: Some links in this post are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you book at no cost to you. We only link to stays and experiences we'd actually choose for ourselves.
How to Get to Fort Collins & Getting Around
Most likely you will be heading to Fort Collins from Denver if you flew into Colorado, which is just a short hour drive away. We really recommend renting a car if you didn’t road trip here. Just for convenience and being able to easily get around to different outdoor activities. However, if you plan on sticking around the city, Fort Collins is very walkable and you could absolutely do so without a car. There are some airport shuttles that will take you directly from the airport to Fort Collins.
For those driving - once you get out of city, you will hop on I-25 for the rest of your journey.
Where to Stay
The Armstrong Hotel
We loved our stay at The Armstrong Hotel. It’s a boutique style hotel located right on College Ave making it the perfect launching off point to walk around downtown. The rooms are decorated with a mix of contemporary and more retro style furnishings. They offer complimentary bikes you can checkout to explore the city and on-site parking. One of our favorite things about this hotel is the speakeasy right underneath this hotel - Ace Gillett’s. Be sure to pop in for some elevated cocktails in this dark, moody bar and enjoy some live Jazz music.
Remington Flats Hotel
Remington Flats Hotel is what you would expect if you mixed your typical hotel with an AirBNB. You won’t have your typical guest services like a hotel, but the rooms are more homey and welcoming. Here you will find studios that include full service kitchens, private balconies, and a shared outdoor space with a firepit. You will also have access to renting some really cool vintage bikes to scope out all the town has to offer. Located just a stones throw away from Colorado State University and about a 20 minute walk to Old Town Square you are perfectly situated to explore all Fort Collins has to offer.
The Elizabeth Hotel
If you want to be in the heart of Old Town Square, The Elizabeth Hotel is where you want to be. The location truly can’t be beat. This traditional style hotel has clean, modern rooms and roomy, bright bathrooms. Here you will have access to a fitness center if that’s important you, but you are in Colorado there are plenty of outdoor activities to keep your blood pumping if you don’t want to work out in a traditional gym setting!
Two Day Itinerary
The perfect two day itinerary for Fort Collins includes experiencing all the area has to offer with its outdoor recreation, but also making time to sit back and relax (and enjoy a pint or two).
Day 1 Morning:
We like to start off our trips with some sightseeing and there’s no better way to sightsee in Colorado than going on a hike. Horsetooth Reservoir is about a 20 minute drive away from Fort Collins. Try out Horsetooth Falls Loop Trail, which is moderate hike at 3.2 miles leading to Horsetooth Falls. The waterfall isn’t very big and might not have water flowing depending when you visit, but you will have picturesque views for the entire hike. You will encounter some steep sections with stairs, so be prepared for that as well as the altitude which always makes things more difficult! It is a great half-day hike to get out and see the mountains and soak in that mountain air.
Day 1 Afternoon:
The afternoon is going to be all about breweries. Fort Collins has some of the best breweries in the country in the most idyllic setting. The big ones you will want to check out include O’Dell Brewing Company and New Belgium Brewing Company. While just a short 15 minute walk from downtown, the road(s) to get to these two breweries aren’t exactly pedestrian friendly. We walked there ourselves, but we recommend biking there if you have access to a bike! O’dell has a huge outdoor patio that is great to soak in the sun on nice day, not to mention the killer beers they are brewing up. They also have brewery tours every weekend for the true beer enthusiasts. Similarly, New Belgium has an nice outdoor space and also offer tours. Here you can get a tour any day of the week and choose between a production tour for a more in depth experience or a traditional brewery tour.
If you are looking for a more intimate and relaxed brewery experience we recommend Equinox Brewery. This brewery is located right downtown and has a lovely beer garden. They also host trivia nights on Thursdays and Postcard Pizza is available Thursdays-Sundays.
Day 1 Evening:
For dinner head over to the Regional. Here you will find farm to table experience that kind of feels like you are in someone’s home with rustic tables, lights and brick wall. Select from one of their beautiful New American style entrees and cocktails. After dinner, whether you are staying at the Armstrong Hotel or not go over to Ace Gillett’s lounge underneath the Armstrong Hotel. Like we mentioned earlier, this lounge is a moody speakeasy where you can enjoy sitting back and listening to some live Jazz music. The atmosphere is great and you’ll sip on some cool original cocktails as you end your evening.
Day 2 Morning:
After a busy first day, take it a little easier on the morning of day two. Fuel up for your day by grabbing some brunch at Snooze. This Colorado hotspot originated in Denver and has since expanded across the state and country. It has even popped up in our hometown, but we prefer the Colorado locations. They serve up a variety of brunch dishes including pancakes, omelets, French toast, benedicts and other brunch staples.
Once you’ve had your fill, we recommend exploring Old Town Square. Here you will find locals and travelers alike wandering the square. There are some really cool boutiques, galleries and shops to discover here. Just poke around and see what pops out to you!
Day 2 Afternoon:
One of the best activities to do in Colorado is white water rafting. The Cache La Poudre River is just a short drive away where you can experience the thrill of the rapids. We highly recommend Rocky Mountain Adventures for your trip! We had an excellent experience with them. The meeting point at their retail store is a short 8 minute drive away from downtown Fort Collins. Here you will meet your instructor, gear up and get some initial instructions. Our guide was very knowledgeable and helpful which made the whole trip more enjoyable.
Depending on your comfort level you can either book the Class III or Class IV rafting trip. The Class III trip is offered half day on the Lower Poudre including beginner/intermediate rapids, available 7 days a week. The Class IV trip on Mishawaka Falls is available for half day or full day trips through the third week of July. This trip will take you on more intermediate to advanced rapids. Even though we both had never white water rafted before, we decided to do the Class IV trip. The rapids are definitely very intense, but our guide made us feel very comfortable and neither one of us fell off the raft!
Day 2 Evening:
Now that the adrenaline rush for the day is over, it’s time to slow things down for the evening. With all the action of the day, we recommend a casual meal at Stuft Burger Bar. Here they offer a crazy amount of burgers to choose from. They have your traditional options like a classic American burger or bacon/mushroom/swiss to spicy burgers to whoppers with triple patties and layers upon layers of ingredients. You won’t leave here hungry and it will hit the spot after a day on the river. Round out your evening with some cocktails at Social. We always love stopping by here when we visit, they have some killer cocktails in a speakeasy style space. We are never disappointed and the prices are very reasonable.
We hope you enjoy your time in Fort Collins! It really is one of the best mountain, college towns especially for the beer lovers out there. It is a great short trip for a long weekend or to add on to a longer trip exploring all Colorado has to offer. Cheers!
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