Skip to content
Park Administrative Building, Spruce Tree Point, Mesa Verde National Park, Mancos, CO - 53938597550📷 w_lemay, CC BY-SA 2.0

Road trips in Colorado

20 road trips and 31 hand-picked places in Colorado, with routes, stops and practical tips for driving and camping.

Trip guides
20
Places
31

Campsites in Colorado 1,134

Trip guides

Road trips through Colorado

Colorado Springs to Rocky Mountain National Park – Pikes Peak from Garden of the Gods© Ahodges7 · CC BY-SA 3.0
36
Things to do in…

Colorado Springs to Rocky Mountain National Park

170 mi7 stops3 days
San Juan Skyway – a long road with a mountain in the backgroundPhoto by Andrew Svk on Unsplash
550
Scenic byways

San Juan Skyway

152 mi6 stops4 days
Top of the Rockies to Aspen – Majestic mountain range under a clear blue skyPhoto by Caleb Jack on Unsplash
82
Scenic byways

Top of the Rockies to Aspen

191 mi6 stops3 days
Black Canyon and the West Elk Loop – Warner Point Trail at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park dyeclan.com - panoramio (3)© The Dye Clan · CC BY-SA 3.0
50
Scenic byways

Black Canyon and the West Elk Loop

133 mi7 stops4 days
San Luis Valley: Great Sand Dunes and Colorado’s oldest town – a desert landscape with sand dunes and a blue skyPhoto by Samantha Sheppard on Unsplash
17
National park loops

San Luis Valley: Great Sand Dunes and Colorado’s oldest town

166 mi8 stops3 days
Pikes Peak, Cripple Creek and the Royal Gorge – Pikes Peak Cog Railway car 25 at summit of Pikes Peak© Dough4872 · CC BY-SA 4.0
24
Scenic byways

Pikes Peak, Cripple Creek and the Royal Gorge

78 mi7 stops3 days
Mount Blue Sky, Georgetown and Loveland Pass to Breckenridge – Echo Lake, United States (Unsplash)© Evan Clark evanrclark · CC0
70
Scenic byways

Mount Blue Sky, Georgetown and Loveland Pass to Breckenridge

89 mi7 stops2 days
Colorado National Monument, Palisade and the Grand Mesa – Colorado National Monument Beauty© Cerahammond · CC BY-SA 4.0
65
Scenic byways

Colorado National Monument, Palisade and the Grand Mesa

127 mi9 stops3 days
Rocky Mountain’s west side to Steamboat Springs – Standing On The Curve Of The World (237322427)© Van Peltekian · CC BY 3.0
40
National park loops

Rocky Mountain’s west side to Steamboat Springs

122 mi9 stops3 days
550
In-depth road trip guides

Steam train, passes over 3,000 metres and a road without guard rails: by camper along the San Juan Skyway and the Million Dollar Highway

202 mi10 stops5 days
Above the clouds and among the moose – by camper over Peak to Peak and the Trail Ridge Road – brown rock formation surrounded by green grassPhoto by Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash
34
In-depth road trip guides

Above the clouds and among the moose – by camper over Peak to Peak and the Trail Ridge Road

137 mi9 stops5 days
Sand dunes, fourteeners and silver towns – by camper from the San Luis Valley over the Collegiate Peaks to Aspen – a desert landscape with sand dunes and a blue skyPhoto by Samantha Sheppard on Unsplash
24
In-depth road trip guides

Sand dunes, fourteeners and silver towns – by camper from the San Luis Valley over the Collegiate Peaks to Aspen

208 mi9 stops5 days
Black gorge, high plateau and orchards – by camper through western Colorado’s canyon country – Colorado National Monument Beauty© Cerahammond · CC BY-SA 4.0
50
In-depth road trip guides

Black gorge, high plateau and orchards – by camper through western Colorado’s canyon country

149 mi9 stops5 days
Red rocks, ancient villages and big skies: by camper through Four Corners and the Navajo Nation – Park Administrative Building, Spruce Tree Point, Mesa Verde National Park, Mancos, CO - 53938597550© w_lemay · CC BY-SA 2.0
160
In-depth road trip guides

Red rocks, ancient villages and big skies: by camper through Four Corners and the Navajo Nation

534 mi11 stops8 days
150
In-depth road trip guides

Red canyons, high mountain lakes and dinosaur bones: by camper through the Uinta Mountains, Flaming Gorge and Dinosaur National Monument

317 mi10 stops5 days
Colorado River Byway to Moab, Dead Horse Point and Island in the Sky – Fisher Towers - Moab (52673028836)© Bureau of Land Management - Utah · Public domain
128
Scenic byways

Colorado River Byway to Moab, Dead Horse Point and Island in the Sky

168 mi7 stops3 days
Chaco Canyon and the San Juan Basin – A walking trail leading to the Rio Grande River at Kuaua Ruins, Coronado Historic Site in Bernalillo, NM (cf8b33df-c510-4380-8b9f-73cf5130ac8d)© National Trails Office (US National Park Service) · Public domain
550
Things to do in…

Chaco Canyon and the San Juan Basin

252 mi7 stops3 days
On the Santa Fe Trail: Trinidad to Santa Fe – Crater Rim Trail 1© Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0
25
Themed road trips

On the Santa Fe Trail: Trinidad to Santa Fe

254 mi8 stops5 days
O’Keeffe Country and the Cumbres & Toltec railway – 2016 Art+Feminism editathon presentation© Rpotance · CC BY-SA 4.0
84
Themed road trips

O’Keeffe Country and the Cumbres & Toltec railway

155 mi8 stops3 days
Canyons and cliff dwellings of the Four Corners – Hike to Step House, Wetherill Mesa, Mesa Verde National Park (4851649719)© Ken Lund from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0
160
National park loops

Canyons and cliff dwellings of the Four Corners

576 mi9 stops6 days
RouteSuggested daysDistanceDrivingStops
Colorado Springs to Rocky Mountain National Park3170 mi3 h 02 min7
San Juan Skyway4152 mi2 h 43 min6
Top of the Rockies to Aspen3191 mi3 h 25 min6
Black Canyon and the West Elk Loop4133 mi2 h 23 min7
San Luis Valley: Great Sand Dunes and Colorado’s oldest town3166 mi2 h 58 min8
Pikes Peak, Cripple Creek and the Royal Gorge378 mi1 h 24 min7
Mount Blue Sky, Georgetown and Loveland Pass to Breckenridge289 mi1 h 36 min7
Colorado National Monument, Palisade and the Grand Mesa3127 mi2 h 17 min9
Rocky Mountain’s west side to Steamboat Springs3122 mi2 h 10 min9
Steam train, passes over 3,000 metres and a road without guard rails: by camper along the San Juan Skyway and the Million Dollar Highway5202 mi3 h 36 min10
Above the clouds and among the moose – by camper over Peak to Peak and the Trail Ridge Road5137 mi2 h 27 min9
Sand dunes, fourteeners and silver towns – by camper from the San Luis Valley over the Collegiate Peaks to Aspen5208 mi3 h 42 min9
Black gorge, high plateau and orchards – by camper through western Colorado’s canyon country5149 mi2 h 40 min9
Red rocks, ancient villages and big skies: by camper through Four Corners and the Navajo Nation8534 mi9 h 32 min11
Red canyons, high mountain lakes and dinosaur bones: by camper through the Uinta Mountains, Flaming Gorge and Dinosaur National Monument5317 mi5 h 40 min10
Colorado River Byway to Moab, Dead Horse Point and Island in the Sky3168 mi3 h 00 min7
Chaco Canyon and the San Juan Basin3252 mi4 h 30 min7
On the Santa Fe Trail: Trinidad to Santa Fe5254 mi4 h 32 min8
O’Keeffe Country and the Cumbres & Toltec railway3155 mi2 h 47 min8
Canyons and cliff dwellings of the Four Corners6576 mi10 h 17 min9
Editor's picks

Places worth the detour in Colorado

Park Administrative Building, Spruce Tree Point, Mesa Verde National Park, Mancos, CO - 53938597550© w_lemay · CC BY-SA 2.0
Editor's pick
History

Mesa Verde National Park

Mancos, CO
Great Sand Dunes National Park – a desert landscape with sand dunes and a blue skyPhoto by Samantha Sheppard on Unsplash
Editor's pick
Nature

Great Sand Dunes National Park

Mosca, CO
Trail Ridge Road – Standing On The Curve Of The World (237322427)© Van Peltekian · CC BY 3.0
Editor's pick
Views

Trail Ridge Road

Estes Park, CO
Editor's pick
Views

Million Dollar Highway

Ouray, CO
Maroon Bells – body of water across the mountain during sunsetPhoto by Mike Scheid on Unsplash
Editor's pick
Nature

Maroon Bells

Aspen, CO
Black Canyon of the Gunnison, South Rim – Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado (101351501)© Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0
Editor's pick
Nature

Black Canyon of the Gunnison, South Rim

Montrose, CO
Kebler Pass – woman standing near gray vehiclePhoto by Holly Mandarich on Unsplash
Editor's pick
Views

Kebler Pass

Crested Butte, CO
Pikes Peak Summit – Pikes Peak Cog Railway car 25 at summit of Pikes Peak© Dough4872 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Editor's pick
Views

Pikes Peak Summit

Cascade, CO
Mount Evans Scenic Byway and Rogers Peak seen from Mount Blue Sky, Colorado, US© Clyde Charles Brown · CC BY-SA 4.0
Editor's pick
Views

Mount Blue Sky

Idaho Springs, CO
Colorado National Monument Beauty© Cerahammond · CC BY-SA 4.0
Editor's pick
Views

Colorado National Monument

Fruita, CO
Clouds over a mountain in Telluride (Unsplash)© Thomas Kelley thkelley · CC0
Editor's pick
History

Telluride

Telluride, CO
Garden of the Gods – landscape photography of green treesPhoto by Melanie Magdalena on Unsplash
Nature

Garden of the Gods

Colorado Springs, CO
Red Rocks Amphitheatre – 'Red Rocks© Khoshhat · CC BY-SA 4.0
History

Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Morrison, CO
Moraine Park Campground – Stag (37018111240)© Christian Collins · CC BY-SA 2.0
Camping

Moraine Park Campground

Estes Park, CO
Independence Pass – body of water near mountain at daytimePhoto by Jordi Vich Navarro on Unsplash
Views

Independence Pass

Twin Lakes, CO
Beams of sunlight from behind a cloud illuminate Blue Mesa Reservoir and its surroundings (0f607f9b-d462-4494-b74b-95dc45871115)© NPS Photo · Public domain
Nature

Blue Mesa Reservoir

Gunnison, CO
UFO Watchtower – A tall tower with circular platforms against a blue skyPhoto by Hoang Dang Khoa on Unsplash
Oddities

UFO Watchtower

Hooper, CO
Zapata Falls in spring© Imranchwilder · CC BY-SA 4.0
Nature

Zapata Falls

Mosca, CO
Stations of the Cross Shrine – A.A. Salazar House© Jeffrey Beall · CC BY-SA 3.0
History

Stations of the Cross Shrine

San Luis, CO
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument – Florissant Fossil Beds Visitor Center© Fredlyfish4 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Nature

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument

Florissant, CO
Royal Gorge Bridge 2020© Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0
Views

Royal Gorge Bridge

Cañon City, CO
Echo Lake Park – Echo Lake, United States (Unsplash)© Evan Clark evanrclark · CC0
Nature

Echo Lake Park

Idaho Springs, CO
2022-09-11 09 01 25 View east along U.S. Route 6 at Loveland Pass on the border of Summit County and Clear Creek County in Colorado© Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Views

Loveland Pass

Dillon, CO
Nature

Grand Mesa Visitor Center

Cedaredge, CO

FAQs

What are the best road trips in Colorado?

Popular routes include Colorado Springs to Rocky Mountain National Park, San Juan Skyway, Top of the Rockies to Aspen and Black Canyon and the West Elk Loop. CampingSpirit has 20 trip guides that pass through Colorado, each with a stop-by-stop itinerary and a route map.

Which places in Colorado are worth a detour?

Our editors recommend Mesa Verde National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Trail Ridge Road, Million Dollar Highway, Maroon Bells and Black Canyon of the Gunnison, South Rim.

Nearby

New Mexico 19Utah 20Nebraska 5Wyoming 15Arizona 21South Dakota 5Kansas 3Idaho 8