Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Two enormous fins of red sandstone, tilted up on end and taller than Niagara, stand a couple of hundred metres apart outside Denver, and the bowl between them turned out to have near-perfect natural acoustics. A theatre was cut into it in the 1930s, seating around nine thousand on stepped benches, and it has become one of the most sought-after stages in the world, with a list of performers that runs from the Beatles onwards. There is no roof and no walls, so the view past the stage runs down over the plains to the lights of Denver. Outside show hours the amphitheatre is free and open, and the locals treat it as a gym, running the steps at dawn in numbers.

What you actually see

• The amphitheatre - the stepped bowl between two tilted sandstone monoliths.
• A concert under the sky - the reason performers want to play here.
• Dawn on the steps - the crowd of runners and exercisers using it as a gym.
• The view past the stage - the plains and Denver's lights beyond.

When to go

The concert season runs roughly April to October, since there is no cover and altitude nights are cold. Outside show hours it is free to walk in year-round, and early morning is when the locals use it. Check the schedule, as the venue closes to visitors on event days.

Honest expectations

It sits at nearly two thousand metres and visitors from sea level notice it on the steps, which are steep and numerous. There is no shelter, so concerts happen in whatever weather arrives, including hail. Parking is a long walk from the seats on show nights. Tickets for popular acts sell out instantly.

Nearby

Denver is half an hour east; the Front Range foothills and Golden are nearby.