5280 Magazine

Founded in 1993, 5280 is the largest local magazine in Colorado. The magazine's stories often make national headlines, and since 2005 5280 has been nominated for four National Magazine Awards. Get 5280 Magazine digital subscription today.

5280 Magazine

Just The Facts

SPOTLIGHT • Director of aerospace and aviation at the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation

ON 5280.COM

Behind The Music • From the Oscars to the Super Bowl, Denver’s Derrick Hodge is the man making the tunes.

Fresh Sounds • Denver has been hosting a Juneteenth party for seven decades. This year’s Juneteenth Music Festival will add to familiar favorites, such as the parade along 26th Avenue, with these new attractions to celebrate Black culture.

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE • We paired four new reads from Colorado authors with the perfect complementary experiences to bring the lit to life.

Picking Up The Pieces • Can Dr. Morgan Medlock mend Colorado’s fractured mental health care system?

Not So Fast • Two cyclists want to build a mountain bike park in Conifer. Some of their potential neighbors want to stop them.

WELL SUITED • How SuitShop is making wedding-party getups more inclusive and sustainable.

Party Online • Colorado’s Sonic Bloom enters the metaverse.

A Slice Of The Big Apple • The Greenwich’s blistered sourdough pizzas and family-style plates are a refined ode to NYC.

Where We’re Eating • On the menu this month: European fare, including German käsespätzle, Polish pierogies, and Czech crêpes.

Applause, Please • With multiple Mexican restaurateurs from Colorado up for a James Beard Award this month, are chefs of Latin American descent finally getting the recognition they deserve?

Recipe For Success • Boulder has long been a hotbed for natural and organic food products. Now it’s giving its secret ingredient list for business growth to cities nationwide.

THE * 5280 GUIDE TO MEDICINE BOW-ROUTT NATIONAL FORESTS • MILLIONS OF ACRES OF PUBLIC LAND STRADDLE THE INVISIBLE LINE BETWEEN COLORADO AND WYOMING AND DELIVER EVERY MANNER OF HEART-PUMPING, ADRENALINE-RELEASING OUTDOOR RECREATION A WESTERN ADVENTURER MIGHT SEEK.

RIDE ON • Wyoming’s Albany Lodge can be home base for a number of activities, but four-wheeling reigns supreme.

ALL IT’S CRACKED UP TO BE • Masochists the world over flock to Medicine Bow’s Vedauwoo Recreation Area to practice an arduous form of climbing.

LORDS OF THE RING • Hiking the 10-mile Zirkel Circle is a Steamboat Springs rite of summer. Here’s how to loop the six-hour route—absolutely rife with gorgeous scenery—like the locals do.

FAT-TIRE FUN • About a decade ago, Steamboat Springs retrofit its “Ski Town USA” nickname to include bikes—and for good reason.

GOING FOR GOLD • Chasing golden trout in Medicine Bow’s Snowy Range.

THE GREAT SKY ROAD • Topping out at 10,847 feet, the Snowy Range Scenic Byway (WY 130) runs east-west across the middle segment of Wyoming’s Medicine Bow National Forest and takes Sunday drivers for a spectacular ride. Leaving from Laramie, headed west on I-80, explorers will follow signs to pick up the 29-mile stretch of pavement that ribbons its way through stunning valleys and high-elevation meadows and past alpine lakes and soaring peaks. For those inclined to get out of the car, there’s plenty of backcountry adventure to be had; however, the byway is remarkable for the views it bestows upon those who are satisfied to window shop. Don’t miss these 12 pit stops, points of interest, and proposals for finding fun along the way.

RAMBLIN’ SPEED • A multiday, supported gravel-bike adventure offers a deep dive into Routt National Forest.

INTO THE WILDS • The 16-mile Encampment River Trail runs...