Direct Flights from Chicago to Denver
Denver · Colorado
Nonstop service from ORD and MDW to DEN on American, Frontier, Southwest, United. Here's the schedule at a glance — plus what to do once you land.
Which airports fly this route
Chicago has 2 airports with nonstop service to Denver. Fares differ by airport — each row opens that exact search on Kayak.
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- Find flights ↗ORDDENChicago O'Hare International
- Find flights ↗MDWDENChicago Midway International
How rare is this nonstop?
Denver is one of the best-connected places in the country: 197 cities fly there nonstop, Chicago among them.
How long to go to Denver for, from Chicago
2h 15m in the air, 886 miles — a Friday-evening departure still leaves you most of the evening in Denver. Two nights works.
With roughly 23 departures a day, you are not tied to one flight: if a meeting overruns or the weather turns, there is another one behind it.
Denver is 4,751 ft higher than Chicago, at 5,431 ft. Enough that a first-day hike or a hard workout will feel harder than it does at home, and enough that alcohol goes further.
About Denver
Denver is the capital of the western U.S. state of Colorado and the dominant city of the Rocky Mountain Region. Founded in 1858 as the placer gold mining camp known as the Cherry Creek Diggings, the "Mile-High City" is today the most populous city within a 560-mile (900 km) radius and the center of the Front Range Urban Corridor of more than five million residents. Denver embraces its cowboy and mining past but also looks toward the future with a vibrant arts and performing arts scene, dozens of great outdoor festivals, and distinct neighborhoods each offering a unique experience. You'll find everything a cosmopolitan city has to offer including a spectacular view of and easy access to the beautiful Rocky Mountains, which arise only 12 miles (19 km) west of the Colorado State Capitol.
Summary from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA).
Top things to do in Denver
- The Denver Art Museum (DAM) is an art museum located in the Civic Center of Denver, Colorado.
- The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Denver of the Roman Catholic Church.
- Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance is an 80-acre (32 ha) nonprofit zoological garden and conservation organization located in City Park of Denver, Colorado, United States.
- Dinosaur Ridge is a segment of the Dakota Hogback in the Morrison Fossil Area National Natural Landmark located in Jefferson County, Colorado, near the town of Morrison and just west of Denver.
- The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is a municipal natural history and science museum in Denver, Colorado. It is a resource for informal science education in the Rocky Mountain region.
- Red Rocks Park is a mountain park in Jefferson County, Colorado, owned and maintained by the city of Denver as part of the Denver Mountain Parks system. The park is known for its very large red sandstone outcrops.
- Downtown Aquarium is a for profit aquarium and restaurant located in Denver, Colorado, United States, at the intersection of I-25 and 23rd Ave.
- The Denver Botanic Gardens is a public botanical garden located in the Cheesman Park neighborhood of Denver, Colorado.
- The Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls and Toys is a private, non-profit museum that is located in Lakewood, Colorado.
- Cheesman Park is an urban park and neighborhood located in the City and County of Denver, Colorado, United States.
- The Colorado Railroad Museum is a non-profit railroad museum. The museum is located along the former Colorado and Southern Railway line on 19.5 acres (7.9 ha) at a point where Clear Creek flows between North and South Ta…
- Elitch Gardens Theme & Water Park, colloquially known as Elitch's, is an amusement park in Denver, Colorado. It is owned by KSE Radio Ventures, LLC and operated by Premier Parks, LLC. It is open April through October.
Attraction descriptions from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA); place data from Wikidata (CC0).
Denver weather, compared with Chicago
6° warmer than Chicago on average across the year, on daytime highs:
- January
- Denver 45°F · Chicago 31°F · 13° warmer
- April
- Denver 61°F · Chicago 59°F · 3° warmer
- July
- Denver 90°F · Chicago 84°F · 6° warmer
- October
- Denver 65°F · Chicago 62°F · 3° warmer
December bottoms out near 44°F — a real coat, not a layer.
Average daily highs, 1991–2020 station normals from Meteostat (CC BY 4.0), measured at each city's airport.
Planning a trip to Denver
- Best time to visit
- The best time to visit Denver is April–May and September–October, when daytime highs are a comfortable 61–79°F.
- How long to stay
- Denver rewards a longer visit — a full week lets you explore its many sights, from Denver Art Museum, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Denver), and Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance and beyond.
Frequently asked questions
- Is there a direct flight from Chicago to Denver?
- Yes — you can fly nonstop from Chicago (ORD, MDW) to Denver (DEN) on American, Frontier, Southwest, United.
- Which airlines fly nonstop from Chicago to Denver?
- American, Frontier, Southwest, United fly nonstop between Chicago (ORD, MDW) and Denver (DEN).
- Which Chicago airport has nonstop flights to Denver?
- You can leave from 2 Chicago airports: ORD (Chicago O'Hare International) on American, Frontier, Southwest, United; MDW (Chicago Midway International) on Southwest.
- How many nonstop flights are there from Chicago to Denver?
- There are about 23 nonstop departures per day (roughly 161 per week) from Chicago to Denver.
- How far is Denver from Chicago?
- Denver is about 886 miles from Chicago by air.
- What is there to do in Denver?
- Popular things to do include Denver Art Museum, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Denver), Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, Dinosaur Ridge, and more.
More nonstop destinations from Chicago near Denver
Airports near Chicago
The closest other departure airports to Chicago — each opens up more nonstop destinations.