Last minute Colorado vacation planning

[Go West Old Man]

We’re looking to take a Colorado vacation the last week of this month. Nothing like waiting until the last minute to get it done! Rokslider’s advice has been a great help for trip planning before. I took advantage of Roksliders good advice for two trips to WY in 2023, and both times the suggestions and recommendations were spot on!

OK, so let me hear your best recommendations for a Colorado vacation. It’ll just be me & my wife, and we tend to enjoy the typical sightseeing, scenic drives, national parks, good restaurants, etc.

As of tonight, the idea is to fly to Denver (we live in GA) , find accommodations at a “home base” location, and day trip from there. We probably will focus on sightseeing Rocky Mountain NP and the surrounding area within a couple hours drive. The main thing I am looking for advice on is where to “home base” and what are your recommendations for accommodations. We probably would prefer nicer lodge or cabin type accommodations, or an Airbnb, but nicer hotels especially independent hotels/lodges in good areas are also an option. We can’t break the bank for absolute top tier, but “cheaper is better “ is not the priority. Nice, clean, friendly , & safe area are good “filters” , and well spend the funds to be a a nice place. Tell me what you advise and recommend?

What about Estes Park? Accommodations?

We’re prone to try to do to much when we vacation /travel, but we have made the most of our past trips! Last June, we drove 1700+ miles in 8 days covering western SD over to northwest WY & back. Whew! On that trip we had good suggestions from the Rockslide populous for accommodations in Cody, WY. One of the best was for staying at The Cody. We stayed there 4 nights and it was A++.

One side note from our WY June 2023 trip …….. one evening at a bar in Cody we met a whisky drinkin’ rodeo cowboy from Ten Sleep. Funny as heck, LMAO story about him and his horse, ….. but I’ll have to save that for later.

Thanks.

 

[westonadkins]

I'm no expert as I've only been in the Denver area for a couple years. RMNP is awesome but SW Colorado and the San Juans specifically continue to top my list -- Ouray, Telluride, Silverton. Crested Butte is right up there. You could fly into Montrose and make a nice trip out of that area.

Good stuff in RMNP and Indian Peaks Wilderness area so really can't go wrong.


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[Nicaburns]

RMNP is awesome but I am a SW Colorado fan too. Fly into ABQ, stay in the Ouray, Telluride area, ride the train between Durango and Silverton… go to the hot springs in Pagosa Springs etc

 

[butcherboy]

I live in NW NM so obvious that I’m a SW CO fan as well. The drive from Durango-Silverton-Ouray-Ridgeway-Telluride-Dolores-Mancos-Durango is incredible with great places to eat and stay the whole way. I like to reverse the drive and start in Mancos. Ride the gondola in Telluride, it’s free! Hot springs in Ouray, Durango, and Pagosa Springs. Train ride in Durango-Silverton is really fun! If you are in Pagosa area then go a little further to Chama, NM and that train ride is great as well and they feed you a meal at the halfway point in Osher. If you did SW CO then you can fly into Durango but you would probably fly into Denver first with a layover.

 

[bayou0509]

I agree that southwest CO is hard to beat for sight seeing, exploring etc. Especially this time of year.

A few years ago, my fiancee and I flew into Vail for a few nights. This was well before ski season was in full swing so things were relatively quiet and much much cheaper than December-February time frame. I wouldn't hesitate to do it again, but there is less scenic stuff to do than southwest part of the state IMO. It was kind of like having the entire Vail village to ourselves for a few days.

 

[Nevwild]

I grew up in Salida, and I think it might fit the bill for you. It gives you easy access driving to places like Crested Butte, and the great sand dunes. It’s also in a large valley surrounded by 14,000 foot peaks, and Mount Princeton Hot Springs is a fantastic spot to hang out. I think you’ll enjoy the town of Salida, which has grown up quite a bit in the last few years.

 

[dpat]

Wife and I did Southwest Colorado this summer and loved it! We had 10 days so we flew to Denver drove to Salida for a night stopped at Great Sand Dunes NP, then a couple days in Pagosa Springs then a couple days by Mancos, Mesa Verde was nice. The drive between Durango and Ouray on the Million dollar Highway was incrediable would be even better with fall colors. Stayed in Oury for a few days we drove over to Telluride for the day. Went to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP outside of Montrose and drove thru Colorado National Monument outside of Grand Junction.
We did several hikes in the different areas, hit every waterfall we could find my wife loves them. We did a jeep tour, rented a side x side around Ouray and Silverton. There is so much to do in Southwest Colorado it is beautiful!
I had a post on here asking for places to eat and things to do in Southwest Colorado which we got some great suggestions.
The one place we wished we had another day or two around was Salida lots to do around there that we didn't know about.
We have done Rocky Mountain NP before and we enjoy Southwest Colorado more.

 

[Go West Old Man]

Thanks for all the SW Colorado recommendations. There’s obviously a consensus and that speaks volumes for a great vacation. It looks like we’re going to plan only 6 days roundtrip so that kind of limits trying to do lots of driving and making multiple overnight destinations. Flying into Durango seems like the way to do this but we are flying Delta and apparently they do not offer ATL>DRO. Flying to Albuquerque is an option, but it’d make for a longer first day drive on top of flying in. Same for flying to Denver, even longer, or Colorado Springs.

 

[yfarm]

Check Montrose flights, can fly from Atl with one stop in Dallas on American, about 5 hrs. The drive from Alb to Durango is 3 1/2 hrs of desert scenery. Most Telluride winter visitors fly in and out of Montrose. It also allows you the luxury of driving the first 5 miles of the million dollar highway first( the most exciting for non mountain drivers). My wife loves the city hot pools in Ouray and would be happy there for the week. Telluride is an easy day trip from Ouray, little longer from Durango. Mesa Verde is a short drive from Durango and worth the drive. Leaving Monday to drive to Montrose and pick up my son for a hike into the basins east of Ridgway.

 

[Olsolitaire1]

American or United fly's into here Grand Junction daily

 

[Nicaburns]

Thanks for all the SW Colorado recommendations. There’s obviously a consensus and that speaks volumes for a great vacation. It looks like we’re going to plan only 6 days roundtrip so that kind of limits trying to do lots of driving and making multiple overnight destinations. Flying into Durango seems like the way to do this but we are flying Delta and apparently they do not offer ATL>DRO. Flying to Albuquerque is an option, but it’d make for a longer first day drive on top of flying in. Same for flying to Denver, even longer, or Colorado Springs.

We are also in ATL and do ATL-> ABQ

 

[Crusader]

Wife and I did Southwest Colorado this summer and loved it! We had 10 days so we flew to Denver drove to Salida for a night stopped at Great Sand Dunes NP, then a couple days in Pagosa Springs then a couple days by Mancos, Mesa Verde was nice. The drive between Durango and Ouray on the Million dollar Highway was incrediable would be even better with fall colors. Stayed in Oury for a few days we drove over to Telluride for the day. Went to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP outside of Montrose and drove thru Colorado National Monument outside of Grand Junction.
We did several hikes in the different areas, hit every waterfall we could find my wife loves them. We did a jeep tour, rented a side x side around Ouray and Silverton. There is so much to do in Southwest Colorado it is beautiful!
I had a post on here asking for places to eat and things to do in Southwest Colorado which we got some great suggestions.
The one place we wished we had another day or two around was Salida lots to do around there that we didn't know about.
We have done Rocky Mountain NP before and we enjoy Southwest Colorado more.

I just retired yesterday and my wife and I will be doing a similar trip in three weeks, only we're driving our 4Runner from St Louis. We'll check out the Florissant Fossil Beds, and Black Canyon, Mesa Verde, and Great Sand Dunes NPs. We'll do some driving on the Alpine Loop and are hoping suitable weather and our conditioning will enable us to hike up Mt Uncompaghre. We will do the Million Dollar Highway from Silverton on south. We plan on camping a couple of nights and then hotels/motels for the others. We'll dip down into NM for a half day and do a little windshield "scouting" of some campgrounds and possible hunting areas in Unit 51. Will also stay in Pagosa and enjoy the hot springs. REALLY looking forward to this trip.

 

[Go West Old Man]

I just retired yesterday and my wife and I will be doing a similar trip in three weeks, only we're driving our 4Runner from St Louis. We'll check out the

Congrats on your retirement! Y’all will have a great time on your trip and I’m sure that knowing you are in no hurry & have time to do things daily as you please will be great.

 

[Go West Old Man]

We are also in ATL and do ATL-> ABQ

Looks like we’ll have to put ATL>ABQ & on to go tour SW Colorado on the list for another vacation to plan and look forward too. Wife said this evening that she really would prefer to go see RMNP ….. so I think that’s it.

 

[brancher147]

Check out YMCA of the rockies in Estes Park.

There are some vrbo/airbnb bordering the ymca property too.

We were just there with 2 kids and would recommend it. My first suggestion would be get the heck out of Denver asap.

 

[Nicaburns]

Looks like we’ll have to put ATL>ABQ & on to go tour SW Colorado on the list for another vacation to plan and look forward too. Wife said this evening that she really would prefer to go see RMNP ….. so I think that’s it.

RMNP is pretty awesome… be sure and include the Nymph/Dream/Emerald Lakes hike. Tons of people but worth it!

Emerald Lake - Hike to Emerald Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park

Emerald Lake: Details for the hike to Emerald Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. Trail description, key features, photos, map and elevation profile.

www.rockymountainhikingtrails.com

 

[Durran87]

I’m also a big fan of SW Colorado (heading out to elk hunt there this week). A piece of advice—this area has become insanely popular in the Fall so book accommodations ahead of time or you’ll pay $300/night for a hotel if you’re lucky enough to find one. I really like Pagosa Springs, Durango, Silverton, and Ouray. Telluride is worth a visit for a day but way too ritzy for me (there is a good Town Campground though). Great hot springs near Ouray and there’s a cool hike that goes around the town.

 

[Backyard]

The wife and I did a similar trip last year. Except that we trailered our motorcycle out. We rented a VRBO in Keystone and went a different direction each day. Mt Evans, Pikes Peak, RMNP, Aspen via Independence Pass to name a few. And hit up a concert at Red Rocks. One of the best trips we’ve done. The VRBO along with cooking our own meals ended up costing far less than restaurants and motels.


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[WesternDawg]

Currently live in Colorado and from GA so I’ll throw out a few different options. Generally speaking, I-70 can be very busy with traffic but it’s also the best major corridor to some cool spots (Breck, Vail, Frisco, Glenwood Springs, etc)

Home base options:

- Golden CO is only ~30 minutes from the airport and will give you easy access to the mountains since it’s on I-70. Have had people stay in the Golden Hotel and thought it was nice but I haven’t personally stayed there.
- Frisco CO - still on I-70 but about 1hr to 1.5hrs outside of Denver, really pretty spot next to Dillon Reservoir and you’re only a few minutes away from Breck. I’m sure you could fine a cool condo or something near this area.

Just FYI - RMNP is crazy busy during the weekend (or has been when we’ve attempted to go) so I’d plan to do this early in the morning during a weekday if possible.

When we’ve had people in town from down south we’ve had good luck taking them to Golden first and then Boulder for the flat irons and beer, St. Mary’s Glacier for some really great views without much of a strenuous hike, and the I-70 corridor mountain towns. Depending on the heat, there are some great hot springs in Glenwood Springs that you can use as the end of a road trip down 70 which we’ve done several times.

You should be able to make some really cool trips from both Golden and Frisco so personally I’d start there.

 

[westonadkins]

Heads up about the timed entry system in RMNP:

Timed Entry Permit System - Rocky Mountain National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

www.nps.gov

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