Editor’s note: Scott Rappold is a Colorado-based journalist who takes his job—and his fun—seriously. Please drink, eat and trip responsibly.
Ever since Colorado was the first to legalize marijuana, we’ve been known as the place where adults can enjoy mind-altering substances.
Voters took that a step further in 2022, when Colorado became the next state to legalize adult possession of psilocybin mushrooms. Known as “shrooms” or “magic mushrooms,” they’re a type of naturally-occurring fungus that, when ingested, can cause hallucinations, strange thought patterns and euphoria. The ballot measure also legalized DMT, ibogaine and mescaline.
Scientists believe these substances have great potential for treating mental disorders such as depression. But, let’s face it, they can also be a lot of fun, letting the user experience activities and places in a completely new way, your senses heightened in a way you never thought possible. Colors take on a whole new meaning. Sounds and music hum in your soul.
With that in mind, after many years of diligent research on the topic, I’ve put together some of the best ways to safely enjoy a Colorado mushroom experience.
Go Camping
For many people, the psilocybin experience makes them feel a certain one-ness with nature, taking in the beauty of the natural world. But why go back to the house afterwards? Camping, watching the sun set in the mountains, enjoying a campfire under a million stars and you’ll understand why humans have been using mushrooms for inspiration for millennia, from the ancient Egyptians to the counterculture of the 1960’s.
Soak at a Hot Springs
The organic soulfulness associated with mushrooms is magnified tenfold when you immerse your body and soul in a natural hot spring. The water pumped up from deep beneath the surface, a natural gift from the geologic forces that made our mountains, a wonderful soul-cleansing…. um, where were we? Avoid the indoor hot springs and opt to soak under the open sky.
Go to Meow Wolf
Those who built this downtown Denver attraction won’t admit it was designed for psychedelic drugs, but it sure seems like it was. Part art exhibit, part theme park, all insanity—it’s a funhouse of bizarre rooms, mind-bending artwork and interactive attractions. You can spend as long as you want wandering this maze and find something new every time. If the insanity becomes too much, don’t worry— you can go out to the bar/cafe and come back in.
See a Show at Red Rocks
Colorado has the greatest music venue in the world, and it’s all the more majestic when viewed with psilocybin-enhanced hearing and vision. Feel the groove of the music flow through you. Watch the lights dance on the glorious red-rock towers. Marvel at the lights of the Denver skyline as the sun sets.
Forage for Mushrooms
In summer in the mountains, you’re not likely to find any psilocybin, but when it has been raining a lot, the forests abound with many other kinds—some edible, some poisonous. The search can be just as fun as finding them. Resist the urge to eat them unless you’re a mushroom expert.
Visit Ancient Ruins
The Four Corners region is home to thousands of ancient ruins—structures left by ancestral Puebloans a thousand years ago and then mysteriously abandoned. The cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde National Park are the most famous, but it can be crowded in summer. For more solitude, visit Canyons of the Ancients National Monument. Let your mind flow back 1,000 years, imagine what life was like and ponder if the remnants of our civilization will be as lasting.
Denver Botanic Gardens
A world of blazing colors awaits at this popular attraction. If you visit the Chatfield Farms location in summer, you can step into a greenhouse that is home to 300 species of butterflies. They’ll flutter all around you. They’ll land on you. It’ll be cosmic.
Take a Fall Hike
During that special time in September when the aspens are turning gold, a walk in the mountains is a feast for the senses. The colors blaze and the leaves quake in the wind. You might not want to leave.
Watch a Mountain Sunset
Few things in life compare to a Rocky Mountain sunset. Find yourself a nice overlook or vista, time your psilocybin ingestion right and watch the show.
