Ready for a Colorado Road Trip?
Well, first, a Colorado road trip isn’t just for skiers and snowboarders! Did you know there are four National parks, monuments, and dozens of forests and recreation areas worth visiting? So if you’ve only been to Boulder, Denver, Vail, or Breck, and only during the ski season, we have included lots of options for adventure in the summer or wintertime.
This road trip through Colorado can be started in the east near Denver, or in the west near Grand Junction or Durango, Colorado. We’ll take you on a journey through all the National Parks in the state.
In addition, we’ve included the best places to camp, bike, hike, and rock climb! We also have another blog, Colorado’s Best Little Mountain Towns that you can bookmark to read next!
Even in bad weather, there’s always fishing in many of Colorado’s lakes and streams!
Rocky Mountain National Park
As most people arrive to begin their Colorado road trip from Denver, Rocky Mountain National Park might be your first taste of the Colorado wilderness. In addition, Rocky Mountain National Park, or RMNP is close to Boulder, Golden, Fort Collins, and not far from the I-70. But once you’re out here, you’ll soon forget that I-70 corridor traffic and settle in for great backpacking, camping, and wildlife watching!
During your drive, you can make short stops to explore alpine meadows and lakes while catching a glimpse of bighorn sheep and elk! And if you want to stay a few days before moving on, the most popular campgrounds inside RMNP include:
However, if you drive a big rig, don’t expect to find campsites with full water or electricity hookups. And some places may not even accommodate large RVs, so plan ahead! As with most National Park campgrounds, booking most of these can be done through Recreation.gov.
Within the first few steps into Eldorado Canyon State Park, it’s easy to see why this is a rock climber’s paradise!
Boulder, Estes Park, Grand Lake, and Eldorado Canyon State Park
Want more posh accommodations than the campgrounds of Rocky Mountain National Park? Then set up basecamp for day trips into RMNP in Boulder or Estes Park to the east or Grand Lake to the west.
In addition, if you stay in Boulder, you can easily hike and climb the Flatirons. Or travel a few miles south of Boulder and visit Eldorado Canyon State Park! If you’ve never heard of Eldo, as the locals call it, it’s a rock-climbing, hiking, and fishing mecca. World-class rock climbing that is.
Pro tip: If you want even more solitude on your Colorado road trip, head up to Cameron Pass and you’ll enter State Forest State Park and the Never Summer Mountain Range! It’s just west of RMNP, and has 71,000 acres of forest, peaks, and trails which include Cameron Pass, Seven Utes, and the Nokhu Crags- often called ‘Little Alaska’!
Breckenridge, Leadville, and Browns Canyon National Monument
From Eldorado Canyon State Park you can head southwest and visit some of the classic mountain towns of Breckenridge and Leadville. However, keep in mind places like Vail and Keystone are towns built around the base of a ski resort. So if you’re seeking old mountain town charm, you will not find it there.
If you want to continue on a southern loop through Colorado, drive south to Browns Canyon National Monument and the headwaters of the Arkansas River. This is one of the best spots in Colorado for fishing and whitewater rafting! After you’ve had your fill, continue south to the Great Sand Dunes National Park!
If you’re road-tripping through Colorado, it’s good to have a car with 4-wheel or all-wheel drive!
Great Sand Dunes National Park
The Great Sand Dunes National Park is the place to try sandboarding! Yes, you can surf, sled, or ski the tallest dunes in America! The closest place to buy or rent boards is 25 miles away, so come prepped with something to ride!
The main Dunes Parking Area offers sledding access to a mix of softer, gentler slopes and a few higher ones. Castle Creek Picnic Area offers access to higher slopes, but make sure your car has 4WD before going. Keep in mind, although you may have a four-wheel drive or an overland vehicle to drive off-road to places like Medano Pass, there is no ATV use or off-roading on the sand dunes themselves.
Did you know the Great Sand Dunes are also a certified International Dark Sky Park? Therefore it’s the perfect spot to relax and settle in for star gazing! And if you’re interested in camping at Great Sand Dunes National Park on your road trip, Piñon Flats Campground is your best bet! And you may also camp along Medano Pass when it’s open.
Wandering on the dunes is fun, but sandboarding is even better!
Mesa Verde National Park, the Canyon of the Ancients and Hovenweep
As you continue to head southwest across Colorado towards Durango and Cortez, Mesa Verde National Park could be your next stop! Mesa Verde and its neighbors, the Canyon of the Ancients National Monument, and Hovenweep National Monument, all protect the cultural heritage of the Ancestral Pueblo people.
Throughout this region, the Pueblo built prosperous communities on the mesas and cliffs for over 700 years! Mesa Verde has been named a World Heritage site and it’s also an International Dark Sky Park.
At Mesa Verde, you will be able to see many of the cliff dwellings from various pullouts throughout the park. In addition, you can also visit the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum. Here you will find the Petroglyph Point Trail—the only trail that leads to the petroglyphs!
As you drive into Mesa Verde, you’ll find the Morefield Campground just inside the park. However, from Morefield Campground it is over 15 miles to the first cliff dwellings. And you’ll gain quite a bit of elevation on a steep winding road to get there.
Step back in time and imagine what life might have been like as your peer into the cliff dwellings throughout Mesa Verde National Park.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
From Mesa Verde, you can head north through Durango and some of the best little mountain towns like Silverton and Ouray to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. From tectonic uplift, volcanic eruptions, and erosion by the Gunnison River, you will find the most interesting geology in Black Canyon.
In addition, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison is a top favorite for rock climbers. However, keep in mind that you will be on top of the plateau. Therefore climbers will need to rappel into the canyon and then be confident enough that they can climb back out!
If you want to camp at Black Canyon, you have 3 different campgrounds to choose from:
- North Rim Campground
- South Rim Campground
- East Portal
The South Rim Campground in Black Canyon is the most popular and closest to the climbing as well as to the town of Montrose. However, if you’re driving through in the winter, the campgrounds, roads, and most facilities will be closed for the season.
Therefore, if you want to drive farther east, other great spots along the Gunnison include Curecanti National Recreation Area, Cimarron Canyon, Morrow Point Dam, and Blue Mesa.
Cimmaron Canyon in the Curecanti National Recreation Area is a great place to stop on your road trip across Colorado!
Colorado National Monument
Finally, if you are leaving Colorado for Moab and Utah’s National Parks, or coming into Grand Junction, or Montrose, drive through Colorado National Monument’s Rim Rock Drive! This is a gorgeous winding road of 23 miles through sandstone sculptures and red rock canyons. So whether you are hiking, cycling, rock climbing, or just passing through, Colorado National Monument offers beautiful views and is worth the detour.
Furthermore, cycling fans may find the sweeping rocky vistas look very familiar. This is where the final race from the 1985 movie American Flyers with Kevin Costner was filmed!
For those road-tripping through Colorado who want to camp at Colorado National Monument, Saddlehorn Campground is the only campground in the park. And it’s located high up on the plateau. There’s not much shade here, so you may want to avoid camping in the summer months.
Driving through Colorado National Monument feels like Southern Utah and the Grand Canyon all rolled into one!
Colorado Road Trip Final Thoughts
While we have been to Colorado over a dozen times, we still find new places to explore. And if you haven’t read our Colorado’s Best Mountain Towns blog, try that next! However, if you want to extend your Colorado road trip by adding on Wyoming, Utah, or California, check out some of our popular blogs in these states!
- California’s Eastern Sierras and Yosemite National Park
- Camping in Yellowstone National Park
- Backpacking in the Wind River Range, Wyoming
- Road Trip through Utah’s National Parks
Thanks for reading, we hope this inspires you to plan your next epic road trip!
Meredith McConvill, Top Rope Media
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