Denver Scavenger Hunt

48 downtown finds, from the mile-high step to the blue bear, all free to see.

Denver Scavenger Hunt

TeamMeet at (place and time)

  1. Stay with your team on public sidewalks, paths and plazas.
  2. Cross only at marked crossings, with the signal.
  3. Buy nothing, take nothing and climb nothing.
  4. Photograph nobody outside your team without asking.
  1. A giant broom and dustpanBig Sweep, by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, outside the art museum since 2006.
  2. The building where coins are madeThe Denver Mint struck its first coins in 1906. Check a coin in your pocket for a D.
  3. A library with colorful blocky shapesThe Central Library by Civic Center Park. Name three colors on its outside.
  4. A statue of a horse and rider in Civic CenterWrite what the rider holds.
  5. A park between the Capitol and city hall with a stone amphitheaterCivic Center Park. Walk to the middle and look both ways.
  6. A city building with a clock tower facing the CapitolThe City and County Building across Civic Center Park. Write the time its clock shows.
  7. The step engraved One Mile Above Sea LevelOn the Capitol's west steps: the fifteenth step carries the words, and a second marker was set in the 18th step in 1969. Find both.
  8. The gold dome of the State CapitolThe dome is covered in real gold leaf, first added in 1908 for the Colorado Gold Rush.
  9. The mountains seen from the Capitol stepsLook west from the mile-high step. Clear days only.
  10. A Victorian house with lions on its porchThe Molly Brown House Museum, also called the House of Lions, a few blocks east. Tick it from the sidewalk.

Next step Going inside the art museum? The art huntTurn it into a photo hunt

How it works

The mile-high step, a gold dome, a blue bear and two rivers meeting: this Denver scavenger hunt holds 48 downtown finds, each seen from a sidewalk or a park.

Read the full guide

Start at the Capitol

Capitol and Civic Center opens first, with the mile-high step, the art museum and the Mint a few blocks apart. Walk the free shuttle's street for 16th Street and Larimer, then end at Union Station and LoDo. Press Print this list for each.

Proof on paper

Most finds ask for a count, a color or a time, so teams prove a find by writing it. The note under each is the judging rule.

Tips
  • At a mile high, carry water and take the hills slowly.

Questions and answers

Where is the mile-high step in Denver?

On the west steps of the Colorado State Capitol. The fifteenth step is engraved One Mile Above Sea Level, and a second marker was set in the 18th step in 1969 after a resurvey.

Can you do a free scavenger hunt in Denver?

Yes. Every find here is seen from public ground, and the 16th Street shuttle that links the areas is free. Nothing needs a ticket or a purchase.

How long does a downtown Denver hunt take?

Plan one area per hour or two. The three downtown areas join end to end, so a team can walk from the Capitol to Union Station and finish at the river.

More tools

Browse Word Games

All 48 finds

Capitol and Civic Center 12

  • A city building with a clock tower facing the Capitol The City and County Building across Civic Center Park. Write the time its clock shows.
  • A coin marked with a small D A D mint mark means Denver made it. Find one among the team's coins.
  • A giant broom and dustpan Big Sweep, by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, outside the art museum since 2006.
  • A library with colorful blocky shapes The Central Library by Civic Center Park. Name three colors on its outside.
  • A park between the Capitol and city hall with a stone amphitheater Civic Center Park. Walk to the middle and look both ways.
  • A statue of a horse and rider in Civic Center Write what the rider holds.
  • A Victorian house with lions on its porch The Molly Brown House Museum, also called the House of Lions, a few blocks east. Tick it from the sidewalk.
  • An art museum building with sharp silver points The Denver Art Museum's newer wing. Count the points you can see from the plaza.
  • The building where coins are made The Denver Mint struck its first coins in 1906. Check a coin in your pocket for a D.
  • The gold dome of the State Capitol The dome is covered in real gold leaf, first added in 1908 for the Colorado Gold Rush.
  • The mountains seen from the Capitol steps Look west from the mile-high step. Clear days only.
  • The step engraved One Mile Above Sea Level On the Capitol's west steps: the fifteenth step carries the words, and a second marker was set in the 18th step in 1969. Find both.
Show all 48 finds (36 more)

16th Street and Larimer 12

  • A bell hanging high in a tower The D&F Tower holds a 5,500-pound bell near its top. Look up to find the arches.
  • A chess table in a plaza Tick it; play only if a board is free.
  • A clock tower modeled on one in Venice The Daniels & Fisher Tower, 1910, has clock faces on all four sides. Write the time.
  • A free shuttle bus on the pedestrian street 16th Street runs 1¼ miles, and the free shuttle stops at every corner. Tick one passing.
  • A giant blue bear peering into a glass building It looks into the convention center on 14th Street. Say what it seems to be looking at.
  • A glass roof arching over a theater plaza The performing arts complex has a tall one. Stand beneath it.
  • A pattern in the stone paving of 16th Street Draw the pattern on your sheet.
  • A sign giving the distance to another city Write the city and the number.
  • A street performer on 16th Street Tick it; tip only if you choose, it is not part of the hunt.
  • An old brick building with a painted wall sign Faded advertising is common in older blocks. Write one word it shows.
  • Strings of lights over a historic block of Larimer Street Larimer Square became the city's first historic district in 1971. Count the strands over one crossing.
  • Two huge dancing figures outside the theaters At the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Say what color they are.

Union Station and LoDo 12

  • A bike path running beside Cherry Creek below street level Take a ramp down and write the name of the nearest bridge above.
  • A kayak chute on the South Platte Look for rocks set to make rapids. Tick it from the bank.
  • A light rail train arriving Write its letter.
  • A mural in an alley Write its main color and the nearest street.
  • A skyline view from a pedestrian bridge Count the towers you can see.
  • A warehouse turned into apartments or offices LoDo is full of them. Write the old name painted on the brick.
  • A white mast bridge over railroad tracks A footbridge with a leaning mast joins LoDo to the river parks. Cross it.
  • A white tent-like roof over the train platforms The open-air train shed behind the station. Tick it from the plaza.
  • The baseball park's brick front The ballpark at 20th and Blake has been home to the Rockies since 1995. Tick it from the street.
  • Fountains that shoot up from the plaza floor In front of Union Station, in warm months. Stay dry if you can.
  • The neon sign on the front of Union Station Union Station at 17th and Wynkoop, rebuilt in 1914. Write what the sign tells you to do.
  • The place where two rivers meet Cherry Creek joins the South Platte at Confluence Park. Point to where the waters mix.

Anywhere downtown 12

  • A bench with a mountain view Sit on it together for one minute.
  • A bronze plaque about Denver's early days Write the year on it.
  • A building of red stone Write the street and one thing carved on it.
  • A building with a clock on its front Not the D&F Tower. Write the street.
  • A flag of Colorado with its red C Write what color is inside the C.
  • A hanging flower basket Count the baskets on one block.
  • A magpie with a long black-and-white tail Common in Denver parks. Two teammates must see it.
  • A mountain peak you can name Ask no one; work it out from a map. Clear days only.
  • A rooftop garden or terrace Seen from the street only. Write the street.
  • A scooter or bike share dock Tick it only; nobody rides.
  • A street sign with a name from the gold rush days Larimer, Blake and Wynkoop are all early Denver names. Write two you found.
  • A water bottle refill station Denver is dry and high: fill up.

How this list was compiled: Written for this page in September 2026: 48 finds on foot in downtown Denver, sorted by area, all scored from sidewalks, parks and plazas with nothing bought and no ticket. Nothing was copied from another list. Levels are our judgment. Names, dates and places in the notes were checked on 2026-09-24 against English Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ followed by Colorado_State_Capitol, Denver_City_and_County_Building, Denver_Art_Museum, Big_Sweep, Denver_Mint, 16th_Street_Mall, Daniels_%26_Fisher_Tower, Larimer_Square, Denver_Union_Station, Denver_Performing_Arts_Complex, Coors_Field, Molly_Brown_House and Denver_Botanic_Gardens. Licence: own work