The Best Place to Do Mushrooms in Colorado

As of May 2019, Denver decriminalized the use of shrooms. While that did not officially legalize the possession and personal consumption of magic mushrooms in Colorado at the time, it stopped the City Council from spending local resources to bring criminal charges against people 21 and older using the substances. Many saw decriminalizing shrooms and other psychedelics as the first step toward broader drug reform in the state.

On the Road to Legalization

That next step arrived. In November 2022, Coloradans passed the Natural Medicine Health Act (Proposition 122), making Colorado the second state after Oregon to legalize regulated psilocybin. Personal use, possession, and sharing of natural psychedelics by adults 21 and older is now legal statewide — retail sales are still off the table, but adults can consume these substances privately, away from public locations, or at state-regulated healing centers. Those licensed centers began opening in 2025, so supervised access is no longer a hypothetical. For a lot of Coloradans, the freedom to use and enjoy psychedelics responsibly is finally here.

The Use of Shrooms

As far as recreational drugs go, magic mushrooms are one of the safer options available. Based on reported cases of emergency medical treatment, shrooms are considered safer than more common vices like tobacco and cocaine. On top of that, they offer real therapeutic benefits — research points to help with addiction, anxiety, PTSD, and depression. That track record is a big part of why Colorado moved to make their use legal.

Factors to Consider for a Psychedelic High

To get the best psychedelic experience and a good euphoric high, there are a few things worth preparing for. Two of the biggest are called set and setting.

Set

Set refers to your mindset going into a trip. It covers the preparation phase and the expectations that guide the experience. So the first thing to do is prepare, and to treat it as a long-term process rather than a one-and-done. Ideally, give yourself at least three days to get mentally, emotionally, and physically ready.

On the first day, take it easy and stay quiet. Don’t rush the experience — set aside time for reflection, and if it helps clear your head, spend time in nature. That kind of quiet helps you detach from worry and negative emotions and point your focus toward the positive.

Once your mind and body are relaxed, you can take the substance on the second day. That’s when the immediate effects show up: a faster heart rate, some disorientation, chills, mood swings, deep calm, and hallucinations. Those are all normal symptoms of a euphoric high. As the effects fade and you come back to reality, take time to integrate the experience by asking yourself a few questions: What were my expectations for this trip? Did my preconceptions match what actually happened? Did I have psychological or spiritual goals, and did I meet them? Sitting with those answers afterward helps you assess the experience and improve on it next time.

Setting

With the state of mind covered, the next piece is setting — the environment you surround yourself with while you take the substance. To make the most of it, put yourself somewhere comfortable. If you prefer to go it alone, the safety and security of home is hard to beat. If you want to trip with friends, pick a familiar, comfortable space that still feels safe.

Indoors or outdoors changes the trip, so stay open and find what works for you. If you go indoors, pick a clean, uncluttered space, ideally with a couch or bed nearby and easy access to a bathroom. Keep soft pillows and blankets around for comfort, and set up a stereo to play the right music if you want to stimulate your senses.

If you go outdoors, find an open space where you can feel free and unconstrained. Bring a blanket and pillows in case you need to lie down and compose yourself, and keep earphones handy for music. Outdoors is a good call for a group, too — it gives everyone room to move around and really absorb the effects. Whatever you choose, there’s no right or wrong place, as long as the setting feels comfortable and safe.

Substance & Quantity

Beyond set and setting, what you take and how much you take matters a lot — and that comes down to your goals. If you want to boost creativity and expression, a microdose is the move: roughly 10 to 20 micrograms of LSD or 0.1 to 0.2 grams of dried psilocybin. For a moderate entheogenic high, step up to around 100 to 150 micrograms of LSD or 1 to 1.5 grams of psilocybin. For a fully euphoric high, you’re looking at 200 to 400 micrograms of LSD or the equivalent of two to four grams of psilocybin. Anything higher risks mental instability, so keep it capped around 400 micrograms.

Top Tips for the Best Trip

Look Into a Mirror

This one’s divisive. Some people avoid it because the reflection can look bizarre or freaky on shrooms. Others swear by it as pure entertainment. If you want a good laugh at the peak of your high, a mirror might get you there — just know what you’re signing up for.

Find a Bit of Entertainment

Music does wonders, but sometimes it isn’t enough. Stimulate your sight along with your hearing by putting on a TV series or a movie at the peak of the journey. For the best effect, pick films with vibrant colors, rich textures, and a great soundtrack. It’ll pull the whole vibe up.

Enjoy the Ride

The whole point of a psychedelic trip is to relax the mind and body. Don’t try to stay in control — go with the flow and enjoy the ride. Some people feel low after a high, and it’s usually because they fought it and tried to grip the euphoria. Let go instead, and you’ll appreciate the experience for what it is: a quick trip. If you want the best trip of your life, don’t fight the journey — let it unfold naturally.

The Best Place to Do Mushrooms in Colorado

All that inside knowledge covers what to do and what to look for — but not the best place to actually do it. Good news: you don’t have to look far. The best place to do mushrooms is at a Coloween party. Coloween 2026 lands Saturday, October 31, at the Bounce Empire in Lafayette, and it’s the kind of setting that does half the work for you.

You’ll be surrounded by a building full of costumed people who came to let loose, inside an environment built on bright lights, great music, and great company. It’s Denver’s biggest Halloween party, stacked with entertainment and an out-of-this-world cash-prize costume contest — exactly the atmosphere that turns a good high into a great one. If you want to go wild and enjoy the ride, this is the setting.