bcala

We will be driving from Los Angeles to St. Louis in the beginnning of May, and I am trying to decide which route to take through Colorado. My husband has a torn tendon and can only take very short strolls. Originally, I had planned to drive I-70 through Denver, but Route 50 through Colorado Springs also looks really appealing. Other places we'd like to see are Mesa Verde and Arches (visited Bryce, Zion and Capitol Reef fairly recently), but again, the lack of time and inability to walk may become too much of an issue. Scenic driving seemed like a great alternative to hiking, but there are so many options, it's overwhelming. Any guidance would be helpful. Thanks!

Bill_H

the lack of time ...

How long do you have? With a full extra day (hopefully 2) you can hit some fine scenic areas but if time is short then the freeway is of course faster.

Just to chuck my 2 cents in, I'd take I-40 to Flagstaff (AZ), then 89 north to 160 thru the Four Corners into Colorado, then up to Telluride on 145 (or if you have more time, see Mesa Verde NP and take 550 north from Durango), then to US 50 and east to the freeway. Something like that (there are many other attractive permutations).

tomfuller

I-15 to I-70 as you planned, take US 191 south to Moab and see Arches. Continue south on 191 to Montacello and US 491 to Mesa Verde. From Durango take your pick of US 550 North or US 160 E.
If you decide against Mesa Verde, it is a short trip back to I-70 from Moab.
If you decide you don't like I-70 you can get on US 50 in Grand Junction Colorado.

bcala

Bill H & tomfuller, thanks for the suggestions. I'm having a good time plugging the routes onto the AAA map and seeing how they fit.

We have a total of 11 nights to make the round trip from Los Angeles to St. Louis, with overnight stops in Lincoln Neb, Kansas City, MO, St. Louis (2 nights visiting family) and Tulsa. Will probably drive home from Tulsa on hwy 40 with quick detours along Route 66. So much to see along the way and we do love to drive, but I'm afraid we'll come home more tired than we left.

emalloy

If you do the route Tom Fuller suggests, you actually can see quite a bit without having to do much walking. Arches has lots to see from the comfort of your car as does Mesa Verde. If you are likely to visit more National Parks look into getting a park pass. They are $10 for US citizens who are over 62 and good for a lifetime for all parks or for anyone else $80 for a year for admission to all parks.

tomfuller

Since you mentioned route 66. The parts of 66 that I know.
Get off I-40 in the east end of Albuquerque and drive Central Avenue all the way through to the west end (all old 66).
West of Needles, CA get off at Exit 115 and take the National Trails Highway through Amboy (aka Radiator Springs) to Ludlow.
If you still want to stay off I-40 you can stay on NTH through Barstow and all the way to the Route 66 museum in Victorville.

bcala

Thanks emalloy and tomfuller.
We've added Arches and Mesa Verde to our must-do list and it's good to know we can still see some things without exacerbating the injury. Tomfuller, I'll add the route 66 suggestions to my map.

Again, thanks!

LindainOhio

We drove Denver to KC on 70 and then KC to Ohio. It was an easy drive of about 8 hours (DEN-KC) but it was one boring drive---I would definitely choose one of the other suggested routes.

bcala

Linda, I'll be that's right! We may be adding a stop in Nebraska to visit friends (hwys 76 and 80). Not sure if this is much more interesting. What did you think of the drive on 70 as far as Denver? From Mesa Verde, we want to take 550 up to either the 50 or 70 and then head east.

bcala

Sorry, meant "I'll bet that's right."

historytraveler

Unless you take the back roads between Denver and Kansas City, your only choices are I-70/I-80. It doesn't make much difference. I-70 is mostly driving through Kansas wheat fields and I-80 is through Nebraska corn fields. Take your pick.

furledleader

For a really interesting and scenic drive from Mesa Verde to Denver, consider this route:

Durango to Montrose via U.S. 550

Montrose to Poncha Springs via U.S. 50

Poncha Springs to Johnson Village via U.S. 285

Johnson Village to Leadville via U.S. 24

Leadville to I-70 via Colo Hwy 91

I-70 east to Denver


It will take awhile because for the most part you are driving on 2-lane highway, and you'll be going over the continental divide 3 times (well, actually 2...the third time you'd be going under it).

bcala

Guess we'll go with the corn fields, then. Thanks.
Furledleader, looks like your route only adds about a half hour if AAA is correct. My husband would enjoy this drive (I may be cowering on the floor on the 550, but that's okay).

peterboy

Rt 550, the Million Dollar Highway, is a stunning drive and not scary as I recall. Mostly it is like this:

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/49929770


The road to the Yankee Boy Mine out of Ouray was a bit of a heart thumper though:

http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/49876619

Take furledleader's route...it looks like a winner.

Gretchen

As has been said, it is 70 or 80. The drive from ST. Louis to Denver is not an impossibility at all on 70. You can really "make time". Don't forget that coming east you are going ot lose an hour here and there. It's great going west--just keep going because it gets earlier!!

bcala

Limited time and we're losing hours. Forgot about that.

Peterboy, you got my heart thumping just looking that picture! I enjoyed the rest of your photos.