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(TGA) - We fell in love with Colorado last year when we visited Colorado Springs, Estes Park, and many places in between. We decided to check out the southwest part of the state this year and also spend some time in Utah in the Moab/Arches area.
Places we are thinking of seeing:
Mesa Verde (I think one day will be plenty for us here)
CO National Monument
Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Ride Silverton/Durango Train (do we need to do this if we drive around the area instead?)
Drive Alpine Loop and any other good 4x4 trails(we loved Mosquito Pass outside Leadville)
We would probably spend a couple nights in Utah and 4-5 nights in Colorado. We are driving from St. Louis so two days will be taken up in driving back and forth. Should we also try to spend some time in Arizona to see Monument Valley?
Any tips on "must sees", scenic drives, short hikes? We don't mind doing a lot of driving and we plan on having 4 wheel drive and can easily tackle any easy or moderate trails.
We try to travel pretty cheap, so we usually just stay in chain hotels although any tips on good places to stay or eat are appreciated. Thanks in advance for the help!
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Hi, Want2travel! Sounds like a great trip.
Can you add a couple of days? If not, IMO skip Monument Valley unless it's an area you just feel you can't miss.
The train is often a must-do not only for the scenery but for the experience of stepping back in time. But that's up to you to decide, and if you are driving the 4 wheel drive roads and the Million Dollar Highway you wouldn't need to feel you were missing out.
You can see quite a bit of Mesa Verde in one day. If you go to the website there's a trip planner...i.e. "If you have one day" etc. Allow about three hours to a half day to visit the Black Canyon to drive the rim drive, stop at most of the overlooks and walk/hike to observation points. Again, the website has a planner that suggests what to do with limited time and the suggestions are good.
Owl Creek Pass is one fairly easy and very scenic loop in the Montrose/Ridgway area, and there are some good hikes along the way. It can usually be done in a passenger car but there are some rutted or washboard-y areas and it is narrow in spots but not extreme. (Look for Debbie's Park, named for Debbie Reynolds and a scene in How the West Was Won. Also some of True Grit was filmed along here.)
The entire San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway is a must do, and the Last Dollar Road is a scenic detour off the highway along that route.
As you know, there are many 4 wheel drive routes around Ouray, Silverton, Telluride area in addition to the Alpine Loop. Yankee Boy Basin is one of the favorites, and the road itself is easy to moderate (narrow sections, steep dropoffs, rocky in places, one bad gully as you get to the basin) but the problem is--to me, any way--that it is one of the shorter routes to get to, spectacular scenery and so is very popular! You are certain to meet traffic in the narrow stretches.
Ophir Pass would probably be a good one, and the Alta Lakes Road. Haven't been on these in a few years but am not aware of any bad washouts or conditions that would bump up their difficulty rating. Maybe someone else will weigh in.
The Silver Thread Scenic Byway is beautiful and you could drive the Bachelor Loop at Creede and then access the Alpine Loop at Lake City.
Hmmmm, so many possibilities!
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Lots of useful info. by misspWestSlope-CO.
My additions: If you are tight on time, you can skip CO National Monument. Instead, take the time to drive Route Utah 128 from the Cisco exit of I-70 to Moab. That route follows the Colorado River. Along the way is the Sorrell Ranch, great place to have lunch on the terrace overlooking the river and rafters.
Give yourself at least 2 nights in Moab, to visit Arches in the late afternoon for better light for photo ops and at least a couple of short hikes, and then on the next day visit to Canyonlands NP, with a couple of hikes off the main park road.
North of Moab, between the town and the Arches NP entrance are two motels, Holiday Inn Express and Aarchway Motel (That spelling is correct!). We stayed at the Aa, liked it, but the HIE looked very nice, too.
For dinner, between the motels and the town, on the left is a restaurant up the mountain. Can't remember the name, you just have to look for the turn off. It has a grand view, good food and a fascinating history. It is,however, not cheap.
Durango - Silverton: Take the train only one way. Return by bus. Otherwise, it's a long ride on wooden benches. And the bus ride is also scenic, though in a different way than the train. If you can arrange it to arrive in Silverton - Durango from Ouray, that's another pretty town with good hikes, thermal spings and a very scenic drive to S-D..
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That's a lot to do in your timeframe. I would skip Colorado National Monument and maybe Black Canyon. Monument Valley is fantastic, but I don't know that you have time. Make SURE to allow at very least two nights in Moab, it will be the highlight of the trip (We like the River Canyon Lodge downtown, very inexpensive and walking distance to restaurants).
Have fun.
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train from Durango to SIlverton? We skipped it. Instead, we drove the San Juan skyway (you're going to love it) Past Ouray, we headed towards Telluride and ended the day in Cortez. Plenty of chain hotels there to stay for a day in Mesa Verde.
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I know it seems like a lot to do, but we like to see as much as possible. Last year we fit Co Springs, Garden of the Gods, Manitou Springs, St. Elmo, Leadville, Mosquito Pass, Frisco, Georgetown, Saxon Mtn., OMG Road, Peak to Peak, 3 days in Estes Park, and more in just a 6 night stay including drive time from St. Louis and we never felt rushed at all.
So 2 nights in Moab and 4-5 nights in Colorado? What would be a good home base in Colorado? We would like to stay in one place there, but we could stay in two different towns if that would be better.
Also we will be coming Labor Day weekend. Is it better to visit Colorado or Utah first? Which would be more crowded? We would be arriving late on Sat. Sept. 4 and leaving Sept. 10 or 11.
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I forgot to mention that it's just my husband and me, no kids and we are in our late 20s if that helps.
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hmm... not sure staying in one place in Co will suit you? Mesa Verde is doable from Durango are is Silverton and Ouray. I always plot out a map with place I want to see on it, then figure out how far the distance is. Might try that?
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Utah:
http://www.desertpearl.com/ If you go to Zion you may want to stay here, I have been to Zion but have not stayed here. It looks lovely though and above (top of this forum) is featured in The TA Traveler's Choice Awards.
Monument Valley it's worth the cost to visit Goulding's www.gouldings.com Many don't care for it not being up to date/fancy as newer hotels but it's all (price) about location, location, location. This is etched wonderfully in my memories as a teenager visiting. The Goulding's Tour is also unmatched to any other experience I have, it just was once in a lifetime to me. It's hard to describe but it's so remote out there and you see things you ordinarily wouldn't. Bryce Canyon is also high on my list for beauty and we enjoyed our stay years ago at Ruby's. http://www.rubysinn.com/ We went horseback riding on the canyon's rim too.
I haven't been to the SW part of CO but we're dying to visit Mesa Verde, Durango/Ouray/Silverton (and railroad) plus the 550/Million Dollar Highway someday and have only heard good things about it.
Edited: 1:39 pm, January 20, 2010
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Since you are driving and will have your 4WD--and want to use it!--here's my suggested itinerary.
I 70 is of course the quickest way across Kansas, but I'd suggest heading S/SW at some point, maybe Oakley KS, Burlington or Limon to La Junta and Walsenburg. After that:
1. West on 160 to South Fork. Take a couple of hours to visit the Great Sand Dunes if you wish. From South Fork take the Silver Thread Scenic Byway to Creede and Lake City. Pick up a Silver Thread Byway pamphlet at the visitor center in South Fork or Creede--it has great descriptions of the scenic/historic viewpoints and side trips. Drive the Bachelor Loop at Creede. Continue to Lake City, stopping at the viewpoints and spend the night at Lake City. It's about a 5 hour drive but start early because it will take you all day to include the Bachelor Loop (there are some 4WD side roads off this road to explore if you wish, too, and watch for moose) and all the viewpoints. Don't miss the North Clear Creek Falls. coloradodirectory.com/maps/silverthread.html
http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/2116/
2. Drive part of the Alpine Loop to Animas Forks (ghost town), then Silverton. Explore the area, (mine tour? museum? etc) then take 550, the Million Dollar Hwy, over Red Mountain Pass to Ouray for the night.
3. If you have the time, choose another 4WD route for the day, maybe Yankee Boy Basin. Or another portion of the Alpine Loop. Overnight Ouray.
oops, gotta go! to be continued...:)
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Okay, let's see if I can pick up my train of thought, lol.
So my day 1 would be Sept 5. Day 2 Sept 6.
Sept 7, day 3 could also be your day to drive Owl Creek Pass and hike. You could keep going to intersect Hwy 50 near Cimarron, then head west to visit the Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP before returning to Ouray for the night. I hate to advise you to skip the Black Canyon because it is amazing, but with the time you have, it might be best just to make this the day you drive the Last Dollar Road. From Ouray, head to Ridgway and west on 62 until you get to the Last Dollar Road, which takes off south. It will intersect 145 near Telluride and you can look around Telluride a bit then head for Dolores or Cortez or, for best use of time, stay in the Park so you can get an early start the next morning.
Sept 8, day 4. Mesa Verde. Overnight Cortez.
Sept 9 day 5. Cortez to Moab
Sept 10, day 6. Moab. Could spend the night in Moab or head to Grand Junction or Rifle to get a head start on trip home.
Sept 11, day 7. Head home.
And now that I see how the dates could work, I think I'd recommend you reverse the route so that you are not driving the Alpine Loop on Labor Day. There will be lots of jeepers out that day so it would be better to do that later in the week.
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