Colorado Road Trip Itinerary
+ Top Attractions

Denver is the capital city of Colorado and is located just east of Rocky Mountain National Park. The national park is adjacent to the suburb of Boulder. In Downtown Denver you'll find the historical Larimer Square, which hosts many shops, restaurants, and a thriving nightlife scene. Denver also hosts the impressive Denver Art Museum, as well as the lush Denver Botanic Gardens, which features many abstract and modern art pieces on display.

Rocky Mountain National Park is centered around one of the most gorgeous natural areas of Colorado, located with the grand Rocky Mountains range, just west of Denver. This area features countless hiking trails, many of them venturing up to pristine glacial lakes within the densely forested mountains past beautiful streams and waterfalls. You're also very likely to see wildlife such as deer, moose, and mountain goats within these vast forests.

The route between the cities of Denver and Aspen/Glenwood Springs passes through a vast wilderness of forests and mountain. Just west of Denver is Mount Evans, one of the few high altitude peaks of the Rocky Mountains which has a road leading to the summit, passing by Echo Lake and beautiful Summit Lake. From the top you can enjoy stunning views over the Chicago Lakes and surrounding landscape. Nearby you can admire the St. Mary's Glacier and Saint Marys Lake which it feeds.

Continue along the highway, taking detours to the Loveland Pass which sits atop the Continental Divide, as well as the picturesque Dillon Reservoir in the city of Silverthorne. The scenic route to Aspen includes the majestic Independence Pass and the mesmerizing Grottos Trail, which hosts slick intricate grotto caves carved out by ice and waterfalls.

Colorado National Monument is a stunning landscape of canyons and complex rock formations, located next to the Colorado River and the city of Grand Junction in Western Colorado, adjacent to the Utah border. Colorado National Monument is postioned about halfway between Moab and Glenwood Springs, about 1.5 hours by car from either city.

The national monument is best known for its incredibly scenic road which follows along the canyon walls, offering countless aamzing viewpoints overlooking the beautiful landscape. Monument Canyon and Ute Canyon are some of the most photogenic stops in the park. There's also the possibility of hiking down within Monument Canyon.

Next to Colorado National Monument are the McInnis Canyons, which are home to the second largest concentration of natural arches in the world, second only to the nearby Arches National Park of Utah.

Spend some time at the incredible Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Western Colorado. This national park is centered around a deep and rugged crag-spire canyon gorge, which was carved out millions of years ago by the Gunnison River. The southern rim of the canyon is the more popular and developed side of the canyon, hosting striking viewpoints such as Gunnison Point, Pulpit Rock Overlook, Chasm View, Painted Wall View, and Warner Point.

Mesa Verde National Park is the largest archaeological preserve in the USA, containing a high concentration of very old and impressive Native American structures and sites. Be sure to pre-book ranger-led tours if you'd like to explore several of these amazing structures up-close, including the Long House, Balcony House, and Cliff Palace.

The drive through the park is quite scenic with many great viewpoints to stop at along the way, such as the Montezuma Valley Overlook. The remote western portion of the national park hosts the stunning Long House and Step House ruins.

Along the park's southern road you'll encounter the Chapin Mesa Archaeological Museum as well as the rest of the park's main ruins, including the Coyote Village, Far View House, Spruce Tree House, Square Tower House, Cliff Palace, and Balcony House among others. In addition you'll find countless smaller structures and many amazing views overlooking the cliff dwelling-filled canyons.

This day will mostly consist of a long scenic drive, with several notable attractions along the way, as you make your way up towards Colorado Springs from Durango or nearby Mesa Verde National Park. Within the San Juan National Forest you can admire the stunning Treasure Falls and views from Wolf Creek Pass Overlook.

Further along the route is the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, which features a massive natural sand dune sea set amongst the mountains. Create your own hiking path in the sand while exploring these stunning vast dunes while enjoying the scenery. Nearby you can hike to the gorgeous Zapata Falls.

Much further northeast is the Bishop Castle, an incredible structure which has been built out of stone by one man over many years. Finally if you still have time you might visit the Royal Gorge Bridge, which spans a deep canyon.

The Colorado Springs area hosts many amazing natural and man-made attractions. The city's most iconic sight is the Garden of the Gods, a gorgeous landscape of striking steep red rock formations that you can walk amongst. Nearby is a similar area known as Red Rock Canyon which hosts more hiking opportunities.