Image courtesy Dr. Thomas J. Noel Photograph Collection, Auraria Library

You are walking down Colfax Avenue when you find yourself next to a mural that proclaims “Colfax, soul of Denver.” You decide to wander a little farther along this wall, to see what else you might find. Past a doorway and ribbon of windows trimmed with decorative tiles you find a ramp and a set of stairs. You walk down them where a pavestone patio becomes an urban oasis.

In front of you is a table, where, if you have smartly purchased your tickets online, you can check in for The Colfax Crawl. Though every night on Colfax is an experience, on a Crawl the bars along the avenue feel a little different. With options for beers, queers, the seedy, and the chic, the possibilities are endless.

It occurs to you that you are able to choose your own adventure in the wicked Wild West… 

If you decide to go classic Colfax and hope to be proposed to at least twice in a night, turn to page 40. If you opt to seek your fortune in cooly crafted or carefully casked form, turn to page 93. If you think of a bear as neither a creature that lives in Alaska nor cuddly toy named for a president, but an equally enchanting third thing, turn to page 28. If you wish this story was Oregon Trail themed instead, turn to page 66. If you don’t know where to start, start here.

Colfax Crawl 2022 | Photo by Cam Margera

For the Cork Dorks: Wine & Cocktails.

Being called a “cork dork” is a term of endearment, we promise. While winos are happy to chug a jug, both on and off the 15, the cork dork (and its partner in crime, the cocktail enthusiast) know that there’s joy to be found in the finer things in life. That finery includes aged bottles, carefully assembled ingredients poured over big blocks of ice, and potentially an egg white or flambéd rosemary spring. Before you can shout “Less fancy, more Colfax,” look around, kiddos. See all those mansions that now have storefronts built into them? Colfax was the original fancy, thanks.

That Makes You Lager Than Life: Beer Lovers.

Beer is a quintessential quencher that calls Cool-fax home. Multiple breweries make their secret sauce on the avenue and nearly every bar can act as a tasting room for trying at least one Colorado-made craft beer. But beyond that, we all know there’s money to be made in cans of Bud, Coors, and PBR, because our mama raised a streetwise so-and-so, ya know?

There’s Bears in Them Thar Woods: Queer Bars.

Twinks, femmes, and otters, oh my! Did you know that in 1976, Denver’s first Pride Parade marched down this very street from Cheesman to Civic Center parks, a route similar to today’s? Or that one of the last remaining lesbian bars in the U.S. is right here on Colfax? Our Queer community has always found their way on Colfax, a fact that remains true today.

Colfax Crawl 2022 | Photo by Cam Margera

A Visit to Classic Colfax: Dive Bars.

Our stretch of Colfax has some of the oldest bars in the city, and by “oldest bars” we of course mean “oldest dives.” But what makes a dive? It could be the neon signs. It might be wood paneling. But it definitely always means dimly lit and the cheapest drinks around. The Dive Bar is the original Character of Colfax and it’s where you’re most likely to find other characters *on* Colfax.

The End… Or is it? 

What happens next all depends on the choices you make. Only you can find out how the story ends. And the best part is that you can keep visiting and re-visiting bars on Colfax until you’ve had not one but many incredibly daring experiences! Colfax Crawler, we salute you.