Does Driving to Denver, Colorado from nearby states that are on lower elevation feel like driving up a mountain or is it a gradual slope?

16 comments

1. Denver is lower in elevation from me and it doesn’t feel like driving downhill. It’s so spread out that you don’t really notice.

2. Despite what you may think, Denver is incredibly flat. Driving to Denver from the east, it would hard to realize the elevation gains. Driving to Denver from the west is quite literally driving down out of the mountains

3. It’s a gradual slope. I am from Nebraska and have driven to Denver numerous times and you don’t really notice the incline. If you travel west of Denver, that is when you drive up into the mountains and it’s definitely climbing a mountain.

4. It’s so gradual you won’t even notice. Look at a topological map of eastern Colorado and Kansas.

5. Denver isn’t even that high of elevation. Flagstaff is another 1,500 ft higher.

   To answer your question, its gradual.

6. Denver is out on the plains. Driving from the east there isn’t any noticeable change it’s very gradual.

   Driving from the west is coming right down out of the mountains and quite noticeable.

7. I live in Nebraska and it’s about an eight hour drive to Denver. It’s very gradual, both Kansas and Nebraska are basically huge ramps up to the high plains where Denver sits. Eastern Nebraska sits at around 1000’ and Western Nebraska is at around 5000’. I don’t notice it but I will start to feel light-headed once I’m in the high plains.

8. It’s not very remarkable coming from the east.

   Just flat, the flattest part of the plains honestly.

9. It’s a gradual slope. It’s just an open flat plain for a while and then starts to get a bit hilly, but those hills are up and down not just a slope up. It’s not until you get to the front range (around Colorado Springs or Denver) that you suddenly go “Woah, that’s a lot of up”. Both the Springs and Denver feel pretty flat and there is a very distinct start to the mountains.

10. Not really, but you do notice gas mileage differences which would reflect that.

11. Super gradual, at least coming from the East. I’ve never done it from the west. Honestly, if you only went as far as the airport, you wouldn’t even believe that Colorado had mountains. It’s a totally different experience than driving east into Smokies where you’re going through foothills and increasing elevation. In Colorado, it’s flat and then Bam! Mountains!

12. I’ve driven there from Austin a few times. It’s a pretty gradual climb. I think right when you cross over from New Mexico to Colorado there’s a big hill, but otherwise not that noticeable.

    Just west of Denver is where it gets real hilly.

13. You probably won’t even notice a difference

14. Coming from the east, it’s very gradual. The city is where it is because settlers followed the Platte River for as long as it was easy, then saw the mountains ahead and decided, “Yep, here’s good!”

15. You literally hit the mountains.

16. Driving to Denver from the east is one of the most boring drives in the entire United States. You don’t notice the change in elevation at all.