Driving in the Denver metro area isn’t for the faint of heart – and some areas are better than others. This list breaks down ten major Denver roads ranking them from worst to best based on cultural importance, scenic views and the likelihood of either popping a tire or descending into irreversible road rage.
10. Sheridan Boulevard
Respectfully, Sheridan Blvd can eat my shorts. Sure, Sheridan is home to a number of local businesses and iconic food trucks. Please do not take its placement on this list as disrespect to those staples: it’s not their fault.
Instead, Sheridan earned it’s #10 spot because as soon as you turn onto Sheridan, something otherworldly happens: you enter an alternate universe where you’re on the road with drivers who have never been behind the wheel of a car before. Add narrow lanes and potholes deep enough to pop your tire on impact, and you’re lucky to get out of there alive.
9. Lincoln Street
Lincoln Street: Broadway’s evil twin (but more on that icon later). No matter how many times you drive on Lincoln, it never gets easier to predict when some lanes suddenly end, which stop lights result in a ticket for sneaking through the red and which lane you have to be in to successfully turn onto Broadway without someone honking at you.
8. Speer Boulevard
Speer is reliable, if a little boring. It’s an unavoidable staple road with very little drama (and very little excitement). Of all the major Denver roads on this list, Speer evokes the least amount of strong emotions but loses a couple points for the occasional speed trap and that confusing Broadway intersection by the tunnel.
7. C-470
The only major highway on this list, C-470 earned its spot because it’s much more tolerable than its interstate counterparts. On a sunny day, the drive down C-470 feels like a postcard, providing the kind of stunning mountain views that makes the genuinely scary intersection with US 285 worth it.
6. Sante Fe Drive
Santa Fe is indisputably iconic, home to the highest concentration of art galleries in the state with over 100 studios, galleries and creative businesses. Located in the La Amla-Lincoln Park neighborhood, Santa Fe is anchored in history, once the epicenter of the city’s Chicano Movement during the 1960s and 1970s. Parking may be a nightmare, but a First Friday in Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe is quintessential Denver.
READ: Our 10 Favorite (Mostly Free) Things to Do in Denver
5. Federal Boulevard
Federal Boulevard is generally under appreciated, earning top-five spot for everyone who’s ever described Denver as “so white,” and then says “the best Latin American food in Denver is on Federal,” in the same breath.
If you’ve said either (or both) before, take a moment to read that back. Let yourself contemplate why you might have come to a conclusion about Denver’s demographics. And then do some research about the history of race in Colorado.
All in all, despite potholes and long lights, driving on Federal is far less infuriating than similar major roads (though the lack of infrastructure maintenance feels like it stems from eerily similar motives).
4. Broadway
While parking is a major “con,” Broadway has much more in the “pro” column that lands a #4 placement on this list of major Denver roads. From a vintage standpoint, Broadway is home to dozens of secondhand shops, from traditional western clothing to antique home decor. Mix in craft breweries, eatery fusions, iconic music venues and the historic Landmark Mayan Theatre, and Broadway’s vibrant versatility is undeniable.
3. 13th Avenue
An underrated hero, 13th Ave is a lifesaver during Colfax construction for those who want to travel west while avoiding traffic. Even more significantly, 13th Ave is home to some of Denver’s best local businesses: cutie coffee shops like Thump and Hudson Hill, trustworthy eateries like Wild Corgi Pub and Little Gingko’s and institutions like Wax Trax, Kilgore Books and the Common Collective.
2. York Street
Home to the Denver Botanic Gardens, the eastern boundary of the historic Cole neighborhood and the oldest Alcoholic Anonymous clubhouse in Denver, there are few streets more culturally significant in our city than York. Plus, it passes alongside the country club, Cheesman and City Park, making for a scenic walk or drive and fully solidifying York’s #2 spot on this list.
1. Colfax Avenue
Love it or hate it, Colfax has it all. In fact, hating it says more about you than it does about the beloved street that connects us all.
From the pawn shop on the west side all the way through Aurora in the east, Colfax has a little something for everybody. (In fact, even Jack Kerouac romanticized it, moving from E. Colfax to the plains of Kansas in his Beat-defining novel On the Road).
Colfax is Denver. And right now, it’s a shining example of successful teamwork as Denver residents, all of us adapting to the constant shifts of ongoing construction. Just imagine how seamlessly we’ll work together once that’s all over.
If you made it this far, message Denver Dive on Instagram, and tell us your favorite (or least favorite) major Denver road. Let us know what we missed on our list.
