Denver Outdoor Activities

While bullets streak down the lanes at most shooting ranges, the more than 40 avenues of fire found on Monaco Street host a different projectile: arrows. No Limits Archery features 31 20-yard lanes with paper targets—ideal training grounds for beginners hunting the broad sides of barns. Deep-woods verisimilitude increases across a dozen 40-yard ranges, where arrows glance off the oblique flanks of 3-D faux animals.

The facility rents out compound bows to beginners who don't yet possess their own equipment, and an onsite pro shop provides extra ammo and mid- to high-end compound weapons to more serious practitioners. Each Friday, instructors oust adults from the range to provide targeted instruction to youngsters, and they host tournaments and leagues for pros on weekends.

The mountain-savvy staff at Apex Ex equip people of all skill levels with the knowledge, gear, and plans necessary to explore the wilderness all year round. Seasoned guides and instructors, many of whom are trained by organizations such as the National Outdoor Leadership School and the American Mountain Guides Association, lead classes that teach students important lessons ranging from backcountry snow basics to avalanche rescue. They also lead extreme excursions, such as heliskiing, which drops gliders in the untouched powder at the tips of the Rockies for a day of daring athleticism and exclusive interviews with clouds. In summer months, the experts lead guided climbing and backpacking trips and teach riders to careen down rocky paths of every sort during mountain-biking lessons.

When Hungarian road cyclist Frank Barvik immigrated to America in the late 1950s, he laid the foundation for his American dream by opening his own bike shop. Inspired by their patriarch’s love of bicycles, his descendants opened up a bike shop of their own in 1984. Adventure Cycling still welcomes cyclists today, with a carousel display near the entrance inviting customers to scrutinize new models of Orbea, Yeti, and Specialized bicycles. Stockpiles of cycling shoes, helmets, air pumps, and other accessories line the vivid red and blue walls, competing for attention with posters, vintage photographs, and the childhood height chart of Greg LeMond. The shop’s in-house bike mechanics repair and replace worn-out parts, getting wheels ready for guided rides on Saturday mornings and Monday evenings.