LoHi, Denver's Lower Highland neighborhood, sits just across I-25 from downtown, facing the Denver skyline. Your group can walk between the two because a set of pedestrian bridges carries you over the highway. According to Wikipedia, the main one, the Highland Bridge, runs 325 feet across I-25. This guide is for friends, families and groups visiting Denver, not home buyers. We cover what the name means, where LoHi starts and ends, how the bridges connect it to downtown, and the landmarks worth the walk, from a giant milk can to a restaurant in an old mortuary.
TLDR
- LoHi is short for Lower Highland, a nickname for Denver's Highland neighborhood just across I-25 from downtown.
- Pedestrian bridges, including the Highland Bridge, carry you over the highway and the river, so you can walk downtown without a car.
- The stops most visitors walk to are an ice cream shop in a giant milk can, a restaurant in an old mortuary, a Platte Street brewery taproom and a food hall.
- Riverside parks and a river trail sit on the downtown side of the neighborhood.
- Roami at Zuni is our Denver stay in LoHi, booked direct on roami.com.
Ready to Explore LoHi with Your Group?
Roami, a modern vacation rental brand for urban group travel, has a Denver property located in LoHi: Roami at Zuni. Our modern vacation rentals are fully furnished stays in professionally managed buildings, from studios to multi-bedroom apartments, booked direct. Browse our Denver stays, including Roami at Zuni and Studio 135, to find room for your whole group.
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Where Is LoHi in Denver?
According to Wikipedia, LoHi sits immediately northwest of downtown Denver, just across I-25 and the river from the city center. Wikipedia also notes that LoHi is a nickname for the city's Highland neighborhood, which climbs from the river west toward Federal Boulevard. So when you book a stay in LoHi, you're staying in Highland.
What the Name LoHi Means
LoHi is short for Lower Highland. People also call the area East Highland, and you'll often see it written as Lower Highlands, all to tell it apart from West Highland next door. In the city's official list of Denver neighborhoods, LoHi remains part of Highland.
Where LoHi Starts and Ends
Wikipedia gives Highland's edges as West 38th Avenue to the north, a Union Pacific rail line to the east, the South Platte River to the southeast, Speer Boulevard to the south and Federal Boulevard to the west. For a visitor, the line that matters is I-25 and the river, because that's what separates LoHi from downtown and what the pedestrian bridges cross.
Niche puts the number of residents in the Highland neighborhood at 11,206. This is a lived-in neighborhood, not a tourist strip, so keep that in mind on the quieter blocks.
A Town Before It Was a Neighborhood
Highland started out as its own town, separate from Denver. According to Wikipedia, the Town of Highlands became a city in 1885, and its voters agreed in 1896 to let Denver annex it. That was long before the metro area spread out across the plains.
Some of that past is still on the ground. The Old Highland Business District sits at 15th and Boulder streets, per Wikipedia. Visit Denver, the city's official tourism bureau, describes the neighborhood's look as a mix of old and ultra-modern architecture.
Why Online LoHi Guides Can Be Confusing
A lot of what you'll find online about LoHi is written for home buyers. Those guides talk about urban living, an active city lifestyle and median household income, which BestNeighborhood puts at $143,219 using American Community Survey estimates for 2020-2024.
Denver Group Real Estate, for example, describes LoHi housing that runs from 19th-century Victorian homes and Denver Squares to ultra-modern townhomes and luxury condos with downtown views. Guides like these list LoHi among the city's desirable neighborhoods, yet they rarely say where it starts and ends, or how a visitor gets around.
They also blur LoHi with West Highland and the Highlands. West Highland is the separate neighborhood next door, while the Highlands is a looser name for the wider area northwest of downtown.
How Do You Walk from LoHi to Downtown Denver?
To walk from LoHi to downtown Denver, you follow the pedestrian bridges over I-25 and the river. According to Wikipedia, the Highland Bridge is the third of three pedestrian bridges linking downtown with the Highland neighborhood. They give LoHi easy access to downtown, so your group never has to walk along the highway to get there.
The Highland Bridge opened on December 16, 2006, per Wikipedia. It crosses I-25 between Platte Street and Central Street and lines up with the 16th Street Mall, so once you're across, downtown is straight ahead. On clear days, look back over your shoulder for mountain views to the west.
Freedle and Associates, a Denver real estate firm, places LoHi just northwest of Union Station, the city's main train station. That gives your group quick access to the trains there, including the line to Denver International Airport.
LoHi is walkable once you're there, too. A Denver realtor's blog puts LoHi's Walk Score in the low-to-mid 90s, which makes it one of the most walkable areas in the city.
What Is There to Do in LoHi?
LoHi offers ice cream, restaurants, brewery taprooms, a food hall and riverside parks, and you can reach them on foot. Visit Denver points visitors to art galleries, green spaces and breweries in LoHi, Berkeley and Sunnyside. It also calls the wider Highlands area culturally diverse, with strong growth over the past decade and plenty of restaurants, bars and shops.
The Giant Milk Can
Little Man Ice Cream opened in the Highlands in 2008 and quickly became a place people travel to, according to Denver7. Westword calls its 28-foot-tall milk can building a Denver landmark, so it's easy to find.
Warm evenings can bring a line, so go earlier in the day if you have young kids who don't like to wait.
Both make easy meeting points if your group splits up. The bridge is about the length of a football field, and the milk can is hard to miss from down the street.
Linger, in an Old Mortuary
Linger is a LoHi restaurant set in a former mortuary. 5280 Magazine says it fills the three-story Olinger Mortuary building and serves globally inspired small plates. The name itself nods to the building's history, and shared plates suit groups who like to try a bit of everything.
A Taproom on Platte Street
Denver Beer Co. opened its first taproom at 1695 Platte Street in 2011, according to Westword, back when Denver had very few craft breweries. The taproom took over a former auto repair shop. Platte Street is also one end of the Highland Bridge, so a stop here fits into a walk downtown.
The dates tell a simple story. Highland is an old place, but the stops most visitors come for opened within a few years of the Highland Bridge, which made the walk from downtown easy.
A Food Hall and a Beer Garden
Avanti Food & Beverage is a food hall in Lower Highland built from modified shipping containers, according to The Rooftop Guide, and Denver7 counts seven restaurants inside. It suits groups that can't agree on dinner, because everyone orders from a different counter and you still eat together.
Recess Beer Garden is another LoHi business, according to BusinessDen. As the name says, it's a beer garden, so it works best on a sunny afternoon.
Parks Along the River
For outdoor activity, head down to the river. Confluence Park, near LoHi, is where Cherry Creek meets the South Platte, according to Uncover Colorado. The South Platte River Trail runs through it, which makes for a short bike ride or a long walk.
Commons Park sits across the river from LoHi. Part of it is an AIDS memorial called The Grove, dedicated in 2000, per Wikipedia, and the park has hosted live music, including the Golden Hours Music Festival. Its open lawns are a perfect spot for a picnic before you walk back over the bridge.
How to Plan a LoHi Visit with Your Group
The easiest way to see LoHi is as a walking day: start in the neighborhood, cross to the river parks or downtown, and come back for dinner. Roami at Zuni, our LoHi location, puts your group in the neighborhood itself, so the day can start right outside the door.
If you have a few hours, try this order:
- Grab coffee at one of the neighborhood's coffee shops, then head downhill toward the river.
- Cross the bridge for a close look at the downtown skyline, then loop back through the river parks.
- Walk back up for lunch at the food hall.
- Finish with a scoop at the milk can before quiet hours start back at your stay.
LoHi's restaurants and bars are known for rooftop patios, and several have rooftop decks with skyline views. They fill up around happy hour, so if your group is large, go early or book ahead. For the adults, an evening out might mean a cocktail bar, a taproom or a long dinner.
Walk uphill from the river and the busy streets give way to quieter, tree-lined streets of older homes. That's where people live, so keep the noise down on the way back.
Is LoHi Safe for Visitors?
LoHi's crime rate is close to Denver's overall rate. Wikipedia, citing Piton Foundation data with no year given, puts crime in the Highland neighborhoods at about the citywide level of 66 incidents per 1,000 people. Use the same care you would in any city: keep bags out of sight in parked cars, and stick to busier, well-lit streets at night.
Before You Check In
At Roami, check-in is at 4 PM and check-out is at 11 AM, so arrival day still leaves time for an evening walk. Quiet hours run from 9 PM to 8 AM, and our house rules cover the rest, including our no-events policy.
Have a question about Roami at Zuni or another Denver stay? Contact our team or call +1-833-305-3535. You can also read more about Roami and how we pair the comfort of a home with the consistency of a boutique hotel.
Frequently Asked Questions About Visiting LoHi
Is LoHi a Good Area for Families with Kids?
Yes, LoHi works well for families, especially during the day. Ice cream, riverside parks and car-free bridges give kids plenty to do, and the food hall makes meals easier when everyone wants something different. Evenings get busier around the bars and taprooms, so families with young kids may prefer to explore earlier and save downtown walks for daylight.
Do You Need a Car to Get Around LoHi?
No, you don't need a car to get around LoHi. The neighborhood is walkable, and the pedestrian bridges link it to downtown and the river parks on foot. A car helps for day trips into the mountains, and rideshares cover longer trips across the city. Check the parking details on your Roami property's listing before you arrive.
How Is LoHi Different from LoDo?
LoHi and LoDo are two different neighborhoods on opposite sides of I-25 and the river. LoDo is Lower Downtown, the historic warehouse district around the city's main train station, while LoHi is Lower Highland, the hillside neighborhood just northwest of it. The pedestrian bridges connect them, so it's easy to see both in the same day.
Can We Host a Get-Together at Our Roami Stay?
No. Roami doesn't allow events, parties or gatherings of any kind at its properties, and breaking that rule can lead to a fine and eviction. Your group is welcome to relax and enjoy the stay itself, and LoHi's restaurants, food hall and parks are good places to meet friends who aren't staying with you.
Ready to see LoHi on foot? Book a stay at Roami at Zuni, our building in LoHi, or tell us your dates and group size and we'll help you plan a Denver stay booked direct with Roami.
