KoenP

I have planned a vacation to the US (from Europe) in Utah and Colorado in two weeks from now (planned route on www.kpoppe.nl/usa2015). The last part I will be in Estes Park and we will have three days to go back to the starting point Salt Lake City.

My plan is US-34 to Grandby and after that I am in doubt how to go further. Mayby go south to I-70?

Does anyone have any ideas about route and about two places to stay overnight?

Thanks,
Koen

tomfuller

Since you will have been to Price and Moab, you can go north through Fort Collins and Laramie WY and then west on I-80 to Rock Springs. From there head north to Jackson Wyoming This should take about 8.5 hours.
Spend a night in Jackson (check the park entrance).

Day 2 start early and head through the Grand Tetons to Yellowstone. See Old Faithful and whatever you have the time to see. Exit the park at West Yellowstone Montana where you spend the night.

Day 3 Leave West Yellowstone on US 20 and get on I-15 near Rexburg Idaho. I-15 south takes you to the west side of SLC near the airport (about 6.5 hours).

sylvia3

Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park is not officially opening until May 22, so you will probably not be able to travel west from Estes Park (via 34) to Granby.
A nice (very scenic, the Peak to Peak highway) drive to I-70 (from Estes) would be via Route 7, to 72 (through Nederland), and then 119 to I-70 (through the casino town of Blackhawk). Or, turn west at Blackhawk and go through (historic, now casinos) Central City to I-70 via the Central City Parkway (my preference). (You could even break up your trip and stay in a casino hotel in Blackhawk.)
There are many routes instead of I-70 (everyone has their favorites), but it is probably the best for scenery, places to stay, etc.

Glenwood Springs would also be a good overnight (hot springs, lots of lodging, things to do in the area). Farther west, the Colorado National Monument in Grand Junction is beautiful, well worth a visit, then Arches National Park (Utah) is off I-70 (south on 191).
There's a lot to see and do, and too many accommodation choices to list (my preference is less expensive chain motels when on the road).

Nelson

As sylvia noted you have an issue with the Estes Park portion of your trip: the road between Grand Lake and Estes park will be closed.

Might be best to drop Estes Park from your itinerary and just stay on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park in the Grand Lake area for an extra day or two.

You could try to get all the way up to Yellowstone and the Tetons, as tomfuller suggested. These are amazing places for sure. But a lot of driving, some of it though long flat stretches that most people consider boring.

Another option would be to make your way back to SLC via Steamboat Springs (a nice ski town) and Dinosaur National Monument.

In any case you do need to rethink Estes Park if you have any hotels booked there.

Good luck, have a great trip.

tomfuller

The route I suggested Estes Park to Jackson via Laramie and Rock Springs is 491 miles and 8.5 hours@ 58mph average. You will be driving on I-80 at 65-70 unless the wind or weather is bad. Yes I-80 is boring but the destination is spectacular.
Day 2: The drive to Old Faithful is about 2 hours -98 miles.
It is less than 50 miles from Old Faithful to West Yellowstone so you have plenty of time to see places like Grand Prismatic Spring before heading to West Yellowstone.
Day 3: West Yellowstone to SLC via Rexburg ID is 321 miles in 5 hours driving time. An interesting stop along the way would be to stop in Rigby Idaho to see where the concept of television was born. There is a small museum there dedicated to Mr. Farnsworth.
For anyone considering taking the California Zephyr between Denver and SLC between 6/1 and 6/8, the Zephyr will be running through Wyoming while BNSF does track work on the regular route through Grand Junction, Glenwood Springs and Granby.

fmpden

It just depends on how much driving you want to do. Give us an answer to that and maybe we can develop a good path for you. The Trail Ridge Road is closed by snow. The target date for opening is Memorial Day weekend. Most years they make, some years they don't. With Memorial Day about a week earlier I would have some concern about the 22nd being a firm date.

Is Granby important or critical to your plans? Then you will have to swing south through Boulder, Golden (Hwy 7) to I-70. West on I-70 to the Winter Park - US 40 - to Granby. From Granby you can continue on US 40 all the way to Salt Lake City. Scenery is fine but nothing real special. Could stop in Steamboat which is an old ski area which will be pretty dead because of the change over from skiing to summer activity. There is not a lot between Steamboat and SLC. US 40 will take you through the Wasatch Mt in Utah, Heber City, and Park City ski area. At the border between Colorado and Utah you will hit the Dinosaur National Park. It is interesting for a couple of hours.

If Granby is not critical, then stay on I-70 to Glenwood Springs. The drive through Glenwood Canyon is spectacular. A side trip of hiking to Hanging Lake might be possible if the snow is gone. Earlier Georgetown off I-70 is a well preserved Victorian town and oldest town in Colorado. You will pass near Breckenridge ski area and through the Vail ski areas. Overnight in Glenwood Springs, maybe a side trip (80 miles RT) to Aspen. Two hours further on I-70 is Palisade and Grand Junction and Colorado's wine country. After that it gets boring. Take the Salt Lake City cut off at Green River. It is high desert and canyon lands with a lot of sameness. If you want more information, let me know what appeals to you.

Virginia1990

I agree with the suggestions for Glenwood Springs. The Hanging Lake hike is beautiful, and the hot springs are very relaxing. If you overnight here, I would recommend doing the Glenwood Vaudeville Revue for the evening, it's a wonderful show. However, I would probably eat dinner somewhere else first as I wasn't that impressed with the food. We stayed in the Quality Inn on the River, only about $70/night. It is an exit down from the main town of Glenwood Springs, but it wasn't a problem for us at all.

KoenP

I would have mentioned the time we'll be there. We will arrive in the States in 1,5 weeks time end will spend there almost 4 weeks. So we will be in Estes Park on the first of June.

So I expect Trail Ridge Road to be open (I suppose it’s possible to drive there with a normal non-4WD).

Thanks for all suggestions - it's very helpful.

sylvia3

Yes, a normal car is fine. Be aware that snow can close the road, even in early June, so check your weather forecast.
If you go from Granby south to I-70, you can take Rt. 40 and go over Berthoud Pass. It's a scenic drive. I think that most here are proposing I-70 as the best route, at least to the state border.

BTW, San Louis, not Georgetown, is the oldest town in Colorado.