The Great American Road Trip Challenge~4.5 years · 48 states · one loop
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Leg 11 · Summer to fall

The Colorado Rockies

Aspens turning under the divide

The Colorado Rockies

1FORT COLLINS2ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK3BOULDER4DENVER5COLORADO SPRINGS6GREAT SAND DUNES NATIONAL PARK7MESA VERDE & DURANGO8TELLURIDE9BLACK CANYON OF THE GUNNISON10GLENWOOD SPRINGS11ASPEN, VAIL & BRECKENRIDGE

Tap a pin to open that stop's first day · numbers follow the driving order

The Front Range and the high country: Fort Collins, Rocky Mountain National Park, Boulder, mile-high Denver, and Colorado Springs' Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak; then a loop through the tallest dunes in America, the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde and the Durango steam train, Telluride's box canyon, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, the hot springs of Glenwood, and the legendary ski towns of Aspen, Vail, and Breckenridge.

Aspen gold and granite

Time it right

Come down from Wyoming in late summer or fall: Trail Ridge Road and the high passes are open, and by late September the aspens turn the mountains gold around Telluride, Aspen, and Vail. The Great Sand Dunes' Medano Creek is a late-spring feature, so it may be dry by fall.

11

Stops

30

Days

26

Things to do

1

States

Jump to a day

555Old Town & Ales556Into the Rockies557Trail Ridge Road558Bear Lake559Free Day560South to Boulder561Flatirons & Pearl Street562South to Denver563Downtown & the Capitol564Museums & Red Rocks565Free Day566South to the Springs567Garden of the Gods & Pikes Peak568The Academy & the Caves569South to the dunes570The Dunes571West to Mesa Verde572Cliff Palace573The Silverton Train574North to Telluride575Box Canyon576North to the Black Canyon577The Rim578North to Glenwood579Hot Springs & Caves580East to the ski towns581Aspen & the Maroon Bells582Vail583Breckenridge584Out to the plains

Stops, in order

  1. Stop 1Fort CollinsFort Collins, CODays 555–556

    A laid-back college town at the foot of the Rockies with a picture-perfect Old Town and one of the great craft-beer scenes in the country.

  2. Stop 2Rocky Mountain National ParkRocky Mountain National Park, CODays 557–560

    A high-country wonderland of alpine tundra, glacier-carved lakes, and elk — crossed by the highest continuous paved road in the country.

  3. Stop 3BoulderBoulder, CODays 561–562

    An outdoorsy, brainy college town beneath the tilted slabs of the Flatirons — a pedestrian mall, mountain trails, and a famous tea factory.

  4. Stop 4DenverDenver, CODays 563–566

    The Mile High City — a mile-high capitol step, great museums, a booming brewery and art scene, and the world's most beautiful concert venue in the red rocks just outside town.

  5. Stop 5Colorado SpringsColorado Springs, CODays 567–569

    At the foot of Pikes Peak — the surreal red spires of the Garden of the Gods, the mountain that inspired 'America the Beautiful,' and the Air Force Academy.

  6. Stop 6Great Sand Dunes National ParkGreat Sand Dunes National Park, CODays 570–571

    The tallest sand dunes in North America, piled improbably against snow-capped peaks — climb them, sled them, and splash in the seasonal creek at their base.

  7. Stop 7Mesa Verde & DurangoMesa Verde & Durango, CODays 572–574

    Ancient cliff dwellings tucked into the canyon walls, and a Victorian railroad town with a steam train that climbs into the San Juans.

  8. Stop 8TellurideTelluride, CODays 575–576

    A jewel-box former mining town at the head of a stunning box canyon — a free gondola, a towering waterfall, and famous festivals.

  9. Stop 9Black Canyon of the GunnisonBlack Canyon of the Gunnison, CODays 577–578

    One of the steepest, narrowest, and darkest canyons in North America — sheer walls plunging half a mile to a thin ribbon of river.

  10. Stop 10Glenwood SpringsGlenwood Springs, CODays 579–580

    A resort town built around the world's largest hot-springs pool, with a cave adventure park on the mountain above and a turquoise lake nearby.

  11. Stop 11Aspen, Vail & BreckenridgeAspen, Vail & Breckenridge, CODays 581–584

    Colorado's legendary high-country resort towns — the Maroon Bells, alpine villages, and historic mining streets, gold with aspens in the fall.